Giving Happiness
Rabbi Nachman of Bratislav, the 18th -19th century Jewish mystic, speaks to us today as he once urged his congregation, “Always be joyful, no matter what you are. With happiness, you can give a person life.”
Everyday, he further stressed, we should deliberately induce in ourselves a buoyant, exuberant attitude toward life; in this manner, we will gradually become receptive to the subtle mysteries around us.
And, if no inspired moments seem to come, we should act as though we have them anyway, he advised. “If you think you have no enthusiasm (no Spirit of God within), put on a front. Act enthusiastic, and the feeling will become genuine.”
From: The Way of Splendor: Jewish Mysticism and Modern Psychology, by Edward Hoffman
Categories: Practice