When one is distressed and one even feels depressed over matters relating to the spirit and certainly at times when we are serving God then we all should know that these are just the ploys of the evil inclination.
In other words, feelings of depression that come to us – whether we are involved in our daily work affairs or whether when we are involved in serving God, are just the tactics of the side of evil to take us away from what we should be doing. That evil inclination is really just a mischief maker. His plan is for us to sink into a depression to keep us away from serving God out of happiness and from simply keeping ourselves stable and happy always.
The Alter Rebbe is giving us keys for coping with depression – or better yet, of getting us to not have to fall into that trap in the first instance. How then do we cope with it all?
The Alter Rebbe tells us that now is not the time for depression. It’s not the time for sadness about one’s life when one is already engaged in good things – learning Torah, fulfilling Mitzvot or even in earning a living etc. Rather, for those who wish to do the right thing and work on themselves, there are times to ponder on one’s growth. Then – at those times, one can consider where one is really at. And after that, one can be filled with tremendous happiness. And this is how it should be. That “depressed” state should only be for that period of time when one already has set aside that time to work on oneself. But after all this, one must return to a state of happiness and serve God with happiness and indeed to be filled with happiness. One should never let thoughts of sadness about one’s life get one down. It is known only too well today what such thoughts can do to us. It is the way of evil to bring us down. In reality though, serving God as we do is a very special and happy thing. There is no need to ever let negative depressing thoughts enter ourselves.
There are times we can set aside to dealing with our struggles (as we discuss in the lesson) and that is fine for then. But other than those specific times, there is no other time one should be engaged in these negative and harmful thoughts.
If one has done wrong – and one has repented appropriately – one is to get on one’s feet again and trust that God will do what He must – and forgive us, so that we can continue and do better!
We begin Chapter 27
The Alter Rebbe takes us into the world of sadness related to evil and negative thoughts that enter into us at times. We can (again) sink into great depression because of these thoughts – wondering how we can even think them! The Rebbe tells us however shares with us various means of coping with them.
We must realise that these thoughts are not our own doing – but rather come to us in order to test us. If we feel depressed at having them, it is because of our own arrogance in thinking ourselves to be greater than we really are. Even possibly thinking that we are already Tzaddikim – who never sin with such trivial thoughts. It is our arrogance that makes us think we could never think that way. But in truth, it is not our thinking at all. Rather, these thoughts are put to us from Above (from these forces of evil) to make us think that there is something wrong with us. We must not let this depress us. It is a test.
We can even fulfill the positive Mitzvah of “Lo Taturu” – not straying after one’s heart and one’s soul. When those thoughts come to us and we divert our attention from them – we even fulfill a Mitzvah – which is what we are here to do. This is the service of the Beinoni.
