GOSHEN – THE GATEWAY TO HAPPINESS

                

                   All too many people in the world today have been led to believe that by filling their time with new exciting  activities and gadgets they will reach a state of  existential happiness, however statistics have clearly shown that  inner peace and  happiness has actually decreased throughout society, while at the same time prescription medication for depression and the need for psychological counseling have all greatly increased. If money, power, fame and thrills are not the kind of “currency” that can acquire true happiness, it behooves us to look into the Torah for an insight on how to merit inner peace and true simcha.

                  Perhaps we can derive a hint on how to achieve this awesome goal through looking into the D.N.A. of the land of Goshen, whose name is the exact numerical value of simcha. What could be a connection with the land named Goshen, where our nation was  “cultivated”, and simcha? Perhaps one lesson we can derive is just like a parcel of land needs to be cultivated, seeded and then tended until its produces the finest of “fruits”, in order to “harvest the fruits” of true simcha, the “soil” of our potential needs be “cultivated” through Torah, “seeded” with mitzvos and “nurtured” through misim tovim.

   As the Gemora Shabbos (30b) teaches us that the Divine presence rests on a person “… only through the joy of a mitzva”. And as David HaMelek informs    us  “Serve G-d with joy, come before Him with song”. – Tehillim (100:2)

            May we soon merit through our simchas shel mitzvos to transform the “draught” of galus into “bumper crop” of the final geula.

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