Q:
How can one train himself to serve Hashem b’simcha when he hears about the trouble other people are having?
A:
The truth is, what you’re saying, it’s only an excuse. Because actually, a man should be b’simcha when he sees that he doesn’t have those troubles. We shouldn’t use other people’s troubles as an alibi in order to say we cannot have simcha. We should certainly sympathize with others, but we must be busy thanking Hakodosh Boruch Hu that it did not happen to us. There’s no question that our simcha is multiplied by the fact that we’ve been rescued from the distress that other people had to undergo. Therefore, whenever you see somebody who is in misfortune, it makes you more obligated to thank Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Because actually, you’re far happier. Now, you won’t want to admit it. You feel it’s wrong to enjoy other people’s suffering, and actually, you should not enjoy their suffering. But nobody is so built that he cannot be happy by the fact that he was saved. Therefore, when it’s raining outside, and you see people walking in the pelting rain, and you are inside under a roof, you should enjoy your circumstances, and thank Hashem for the roof over your head, even though you sympathize with those who are in the street.
TAPE #606
