Day 54 - From Sinful Pleasures to Sacred Happiness (Orchos Tzaddikim | Happiness 2)
00:01 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Welcome back to day 54. We are in the Treasure for Life edition of the Orchos Tzaddikim, The Ways of the Righteous, in the Gate of Happiness, yesh od simcho uschok ram ya'od. Yesterday we mentioned that there are different forms of happiness and we discussed primarily yesterday the happinesses that are bad, like mockery, like laughing excessively. But here the author is going to continue and share other forms of negative joy. If you mock someone, if you laugh and take joy in someone else's service of Hashem, you take joy in laughing at them, at how they're so dedicated and committed in their service to Hashem. There are four different categories in this. The first is that one is darkening their own soul to the light of the mitzvahs. What happens is is a natural reaction, that when you mock someone who's doing something good, then you distance yourself from that good as well. And as a result of a person mocking someone who's doing mitzvahs serving Hashem, then what happens is that now, as a result, you're going to be distancing yourself from the service of mitzvahs, the mitzvahs of Hashem. The second negative result is so perhaps the person that you're mocking will now be lessened in his fervence in his service of Hashem Because he doesn't want to be mocked. He doesn't want to be laughed at, so now he's going to be less committed than he was. The third negative result Many others who were never yet exposed to the service of Hashem will now avoid even attempting to serve Hashem because they don't want to be mocked, and instead they will choose to stay in the darkness, distant from Hashem. And we see that the one who mocks not only that, he himself is distancing himself from the reward that is destined for the righteous. He doesn't only not get the reward, but he'll also get terrible punishment because he's pushing others away. Such a person is considered an evildoer who distances others from the service of Hashem Haravis. The fourth negative result he's compared to a thief who are attacking and stealing from those who are about to bring gifts to the king and they're robbing them, these people, these thieves that are standing on the roads and robbing these people who are trying to bring gifts to their king. This is a terrible, terrible deed that they're doing.
03:45
There's another very bitter form of simcha, of joy, of mistaken joy Ki gon rod fein niyuf v'gezel v'sha'ar averos those who pursue prostitution, theft or other transgressions, people who are trying to circle themselves around, people who do these forms of sins and they're joyful in their accomplishments in these areas of their desires, their evil desires. Those who rejoice to do evil and delight in the perverseness of evil. Their punishment is great until the depths of the grave. And then there's a joy which is blended or confusing joy which is blended or confusing joy. There is another form of confusing joy which obscures all the mitzvot and causes fear of Hashem to depart from the hearts of men.
05:06
The joy of those who get drunk and make merry in taverns, people who are always drunk, people who are always drinking and hanging out in bars. וַאַכְרֶ֖ס, הַשִׁמְכָּה, זֹוֹשְׁ תֹּוֹגָה כִּיַהַרְבְּקִּלְְקּו�. Result of such levity and such drinking Ki har bekil kulim, many terrible things come. Mi bechochma chocham kishleme ben david, who is wiser than King Solomon, the son of King David, asher omer l'mi oy l'mi avoy l'mi midyonim l'mi siyach l'mi ptsoim chinam l'mi chachlilus enayim l'mi achrim al yayin laboyim lachkar mimsach.
05:55
What King Solomon says here, no-transcript. Who has strife? Who has anxiety? Who gets hurt without cause? Who has red eyes? Those who tarry over the wine and who come to test mixed drinks, the prophet says. The prophet too said Woe to those who rise in the morning to pursue strong drink. They tarry late into the night until the wine inflames them Further. He continues the harp, the cymbal, the drum, the flute and wine are in their feasts and they do not regard the work of Hashem and do not see the doings of His hands.
07:01
So, in summary of what the Orchah Tzaddikim, what the author, is telling us here, is that it's very easy for a person to get caught up with a false happiness. A false happiness going to concerts, going to the bars, drinking. But at the end of the day, what does it do? It only brings a person to the lowest level possible. It only brings a person to the lowest level possible. It's kilkul bo'am in ayayin, the terrible damage that comes to a person from wine. Wine causes one to be a scoffer and to shout and to be too talkative, and all who go astray through it will not grow in wisdom.
07:48
V'chol shoghe bo lo yar bechochmo Kosev Rabbeinu Moshe Maimoni, the Rambam has taught us already Hakibutz al ashtiyo ha-mishakerus ro'i shetiyah etzlecho yoseh chorpo mihizka beitz anoshim arumim migulei ho'ervo. It says Drinking parties should be more shameful to you than the gatherings of unclothed people exposing their nakedness. The drunkenness is an evil deed. It causes him to lose his intelligence, which Hashem breathed into his nostrils. So we see here from the Rambam the terrible travesty of one who mistakenly thinks that putting fake joy into their lives through alcohol, through wine, through parties, through concerts, things like that, it's vacant, it's empty and it's tragic because the lofty soul that Hashem has given them is being wasted for these futile, earthly, physical, fake joys. This concludes day number 54. Tomorrow we will continue with day 55, on page 334.
