For the zchus of יוכבד פייגע בת מיכל יהודית בתיה בתוך שאר חולי ישראל
“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.”
SHAAAALLLLOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM SWEEEEETEST FRIENDSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good news and not such good news.
First the not such good news: We are in the THROES of a crisis!!! No - I am not referring to the Corona crisis. Or the tuition crisis, or the shidduch crisis or the "our rabbi banned the kiddush club" crisis.
I am referring to the MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.
Sit down before you read this:
In late June, 40% of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance use.
One in six U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year.
Half of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24.
Depression alone costs the nation about $210.5 billion annually. [That is even more than the deficit of the Mir Yeshiva!!]
The average delay between onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment is 11 years.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 in the U.S. and the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.
Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. In particular, depressive illnesses tend to co-occur with substance abuse and anxiety disorders.
More than 70% of youth in the juvenile justice system have a diagnosed mental illness.
The most common mental illnesses in the U.S. are anxiety disorders, which affect 40 million adults (18.1% of the population).
SOMETHING IS WRONG SWEETEST FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now the good news!!!!
We can remedy this!!!
What can we do about it?
If I had the total solution, I would be smarter than Al Einstein and richer than Jeff Bezos [and I still have a head full of hair!!!
]. I am neither... But that brings us to this week's parsha!!! The Torah relates that terrible curses fall upon us. Why? The Torah says תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה' אלהיך בשמחה ובטוב לבב מרוב כל!!!!
OH-ME-OH-MY!!!
Because we didn't serve the Lord [aka Hashem, KB"H] w/ joy when we had so much [or maybe BECAUSE we had so much]!!!!
So being happy is a RELIGIOUS OBLIGATION. It is incumbent upon Charedi, Modern Orthodox, Open Orthodox, Closed Orthodox, Slightly ajar Orthodox, Conservative, Liberal, Bernie Sanders supporters, Reform, No Label, Chasidim, Neo Chasidim, Misnagdim, Neo Misnagdim and Chicago Cubs fans [especially since they broke that horrible streak and won a World Series]. Even psychologists and therapists!!! EVERY YID AND YIDDENE MUST BE HAPPY!!! Otherwise - it doesn't go. The sfarim are FILLED w/ this idea. I could quote and quote but I don't get paid for this email so I won't
. What makes one happy?
Some ideas:
1] FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!! Modern research has shown again and again that people with fulfilling relationships are happier, healthier and live longer!! Cultivate those!!! Or as Nosson Birnbaum [known to the the American public as "George Burns"] put it "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.”
2] Meaning and purpose in life!!! Studies have also shown that this is KEY!! The psukim in Tehillim say
שִׁוִּ֬יתִי יְהֹוָ֣ה לְנֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִ֑יד כִּ֥י מִֽ֝ימִינִ֗י בַּל־אֶמּֽוֹט׃
I am ever mindful of Hashem's presence; He is at my right hand; I shall never be shaken.
לָכֵ֤ן ׀ שָׂמַ֣ח לִ֭בִּי וַיָּ֣גֶל כְּבוֹדִ֑י אַף־בְּ֝שָׂרִ֗י יִשְׁכֹּ֥ן לָבֶֽטַח׃
So my heart rejoices, my whole being exults, and my body rests secure.
Being with Hashem makes one happy and rejoice. For such a person - every second of life counts and everything he or she does is meaningful!!!
3] LEARNING TORAH!!! As the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh famously wrote in this week's Parsha:
ואין טוב אלא תורה, שאם היו בני אדם מרגישים במתיקות ועריבות טוב התורה היו משתגעים ומתלהטים אחריה ולא יחשב בעיניהם מלא עולם כסף וזהב למאומה כי התורה כוללת כל הטובות שבעולם" [אור החיים דברים פרק כ"ו]
TRUST ME!! If you learn properly - it will add tremendous simcha to your life. I have seen it not only on myself but on countless boys and girls who came to Israel to learn. True and tried. But people don't know this so they seek their good time elsewhere. Torah could and should be INTOXICATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4] GROWING!!! The Maharal says that the word שמחה is related to צמיחה - sprouting. When we grow צמיחה, we have happiness שמחה. This is soooo obvious. People who feel that they are growing [and I am not referring to their waistlines...] are happier!
5] Exercise!!! It has been scientifically proven that just 15 minutes of vigorous exercise has the same effect as an antidepressant - w/o the side effects!!!
6] GIVING!! It might sound counterintuitive to some - but givers are much happier than takers!! This has been proven again and again in controlled studies!!!
7] Chocolate!!!
I made that up!!!
8] GRATITUDE!!!! That is how the Parsha starts out. GRATITUDE for the first fruits Hashem gave us. People who have the attitude of "מגיע לי" "ס'קומט מיר" "I deserve it and more" are miserable!!! People who have gratitude are so much happier. The more gratitude - the more happiness. And we have SO MUCH TO BE GRATEFUL FOR. עשי"ר stands for עיניים שיניים ידים רגליים - If you have working organs you are RICH!!! SUPER RICH!! Then there is running water, electricity, a roof over your head, food to eat etc. etc. etc. Just walk around all day being as GRATEFUL AS YOU CAN and you will be a HAPPY PERSON!!!
“If you're reading this...
Congratulations, you're alive.
If that's not something to smile about,
then I don't know what is.”
9] Make others happy. Like magic it makes you happier.
10] Laugh a lot!! It is good for body and soul:
Laugh your way to better health
You're lying in bed with some kind of health problem, taking medicine and maybe getting some kind of treatment or therapy—and feeling pretty down. Or maybe you're taking care of someone who's ill, and it's wearing you out. Sometimes life can feel pretty overwhelming. This might seem like a crazy idea, but now's the time for you to laugh.
Think for a minute: Is there anything close by that might cheer you up?
Whatever you're doing right now, stop and find something that makes you laugh. It may feel like a solution that won't last long, but laughter can help you forget about your troubles and help your body heal. That's right. Laughter can help your body heal.
You probably already know that your brain is in charge of things like what you think about and your ability to walk, talk, breathe, and move. But did you know that your brain also produces chemicals that affect everything from how fast your heart beats to how well you fight off disease?
Thanks to something called the mind-body connection, the simple act of laughing can tell your brain to produce chemicals that might.
Help your heart work better and pump more evenly.
Boost your body's immune system to help you fight off infection.
Give you more energy, and lower your stress.
Help you make sense of your emotional experiences, improve your mood, and manage your feelings of pain and stress.
Scientific research backs this up: The more you laugh, the better you'll feel and the healthier you'll be. Give it a try.
It's easy to think that the only things that can help your health are things that others do for you or to you—the medicines you take, the doctors you visit, the surgeries or operations you have. And these are all important. But laughter is effective treatment you can do for yourself. And you don't need a medical license to do it.
11] LIVE IN THE PRESENT!!! The past is history, the future a mystery, now is a gift from Hashem - that's why it's called the PRESENT!!!
12] HOPE!!! NEVER LOSE HOPE FOR A BRIGHTER TOMORROW!!!
“But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”
― Martin Luther King, Jr.
AND BY GOLLY - MLK's life mattered!!!!
13] Call me up and ask me to tell you a joke!!!!
This is just a partial list. "ישמע חכם ויוסף לקח" as the wisest of all men said. [It goes w/o saying that some people suffer from mental illness and need medication and professional help].
I wish all of my sweeeetest friends a Simcha-dike Shabbos followed by a Slichos that are so filled with simcha that the Divine presence will descend [the Gemara says that there is only שכינה where there is Simcha] and we all get RUACH HAKODESH!!!
MUCH LOVE
Me
