Likutay Moharan - Volume 2 - Torah-teaching 24

Likutay Moharan II, Torah 24: A Great Mitzvah to Always Be in Simchah

“Upon the asor [ten-stringed instrument]… for You have made me simchah [joyful] with Your deeds…” (Psalms 92:4-5)
It is a great mitzvah [commandment] to always be in simchah [joy] and to strengthen oneself with all one’s might to remove atzvus [sadness] and marah shechorah [black bile, melancholy]. For all the cholaim [sicknesses] that come upon a person, all of them come only from the spoiling of simchah. For there are ten types of neginah [melody], which are an aspect of simchah, as it is written: “Upon the asor… for You have made me simchah with Your deeds…” And these ten types of neginah come within ten types of depakin [pulses], and they give them life (see Tikun 69, folio 105). Therefore, when there is a spoiling and defect in simchah, which is the aspect of the ten types of neginah, through this come cholaim from the ten types of depakin that are spoiled due to the spoiling of the ten types of neginah, which are simchah, as mentioned above. For all types of cholaim are included in the ten types of depakin, and similarly, all types of nigunim [melodies] are included in the ten types of neginah. And according to the spoiling of simchah and neginah, so too come cholaim, as mentioned above.

And also, the wise physicians have elaborated on this, that all cholaim come due to marah shechorah and atzvus. And simchah [joy] is a great refuah [healing]. And in the future, simchah will be greatly increased, and therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Jerusalem Talmud, Sukkah, Chapter Lulav and Aravah; Midrash Rabbah, Shemini, Parsha 11): In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will be the head of the chulah [dance/sick person] for the tzadikim [righteous ones] to come. That is, He will make a machol [dance] for the tzadikim, and He, blessed be He, will be the head of the chulah [dance/sick person]. For the Shechinah [Divine Presence] is above the head of the choleh [sick person], as our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded (Nedarim 40): “Hashem supports him on the bed of devai [sickness]” (Psalms 41:4). For the choleh has no vitality except that the Shechinah gives him life. And in the future, through simchah, all cholaim will be rectified, as mentioned above. And then Hashem, blessed be He, will be the head of the chulah [dance], that is, the head of the machol [dance], as mentioned above. For simchah is the aspect of the rectification of the choleh [sick person], as mentioned above. And therefore, simchah and rikudin [dances] are called chulah [dance/sick person], as mentioned above, because they are the rectification of cholaim [sicknesses], as mentioned above.

And the principle is that one must greatly strengthen oneself with all one’s strengths to be only sameach [joyful] always. For it is the nature of a person to draw oneself to marah shechorah and atzvus due to the blows and events of time. And every person is full of yissurim [sufferings]. Therefore, one must force oneself with great strength to be in simchah always and to gladden oneself with whatever one can, even with milay dish’tusa [foolish words]. Although a broken heart is also very good, nevertheless, it is only at a specific hour, and it is proper to designate for oneself some hour in the day to break one’s heart and to pour out one’s sichah [speech] before Him, blessed be He, as brought by us. But all the day, one must be in simchah. For from a broken heart, one can easily come to marah shechorah more than one can stumble through simchah, heaven forbid, to come to any holelus [foolishness], heaven forbid. For this is closer to coming from a broken heart to marah shechorah. Therefore, one must be in simchah always, and only at a specific hour should one have a broken heart.