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President's Message
What is Happiness?
By Dr. Elie Levy
We are commanded this month on Succoth, to be "extra Happy": "VeHayeeta Ach Sameah". This command from
Hashem is in the singular. According to the Ahavat Haim (R. Menahem Menashe of Turkey & Israel)
on many occasions Hashem addresses each individual, not the group. God commands each one of us to be
happy.
How does one achieve Simha happiness? How can we be commanded to do so? What is the process?
On Rosh Hashana the absolute truth is inscribed in a book: Good, bad or exactly in between. On
Yom Kippur this truth is sealed. As Rabbi Maimon taught us years ago, may Hashem keep him until 120
years, these two High Holidays lead to a different pronunciation of the Hebrew word Simha:
Shemachah-who erased. An erasure of one's self-centeredness, selfishness, denial of truth must
first occur prior to achieving happiness, Simha. There is no room for real, true happiness, the
Jewish way, unless humility precedes.
On Succoth then, our soul, which naturally "thirsts for the living God", can begin to be released
from the mundane and connect to the more spiritual. Rabbi Weinberger of the famous Aish haTorah
spoke at ABC years ago and defined Man as a pleasure seeker. I denied this definition, initially.
The fundamental definitions in my mind to date did not contain this delineation. I proceeded to
"erase" my obstacle and a light bulb went on: He is so correct! As I reflect on conversations with
many clients, the majority seek self-indulgence and pleasure... yes, rats would rather push the
button to stimulate their pleasure centers in their brains, than eat, thus starving themselves to
death. Famous experiment. All I hear is we are going to Maui, snow boarding, Disneyland, Disney world,
Vegas, soccer, theater, museums, drinking, over-eating, over-sunning (!)etc. All, permutations
of pleasure.
Rabbi Yaakov Hillel, Chief Kabbalist in Jerusalem, relates the following on one of his English CD's.
(Incidentally, we have many of his CD's at SBH. and many are accessible at
learnTorah.com. Do you sense the pleasure of the
ice cream cone you ate last year? The trip you took 15 years ago? The meal you ate last Friday night?
The honest answer is No.
So what is Tamid, eternal positive pleasure? We need to make the conscious effort to cease pursuing
temporal bursts of joy. Our natural course veers from the true good, so we must pull ourselves from
that direction. Every decision, every action we take, everything we say should first be filtered by
the fact that Hashem watches and counts our every move. Hashem needs to command us to be happy,
because our natural inclination is to do the opposite. Our Godly aspect, our Neshama, eternal itself,
will then be released to connect via song, charity, kind acts, etc. Proof: the number one prescribed
drugs in the US are anti-depressants. But we have everything! Why is this so?
Material pleasures lead directly to unhappiness. Following all aspects of Hashem's
Torah leads to happiness. The Sefer Hachinuch states: the external awakens the internal. By doing
Mitsvot, commandments, we become better. The more knowledge we have in doing them, the better.
Knowledge alone is not the answer, however. We all know many geniuses, intellectuals, they are far
from a state of delight. Descartes was wrong in "I think therefore I am". The baby, nor the intubated
Rabbi or scientist, does not think, but they are.
May we all come to the SBH for the Holiday of Succoth, grasping our Lulavim, singing to Hashem,
removing ourselves from our illusionary homes a little wind can blow down (Ike!), under the wings
of the Shechinah, under the blue sky, the reflection of the holy Throne.
Tizku LeShanim Rabot,
Elie Levy
e-mail 
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