Page 14 - HaMizrachi #27 Purim USA 2021

TORAT MIZRACHI MIZRACHI SCHOLARS-IN-RESIDENCE

Sivan Rahav Meir and Yedidya Meir

Six Thoughts for Purim

Jewish-American psychologist Dr. or mishap and magnify it, without palace gates” (Esther 5:13). Meaning, I
Sol Herzig wrote a poignant article allowing for regret or forgiveness. have an ocean full of honor, but I’m still
1 entitled: “Six Simple Strategies for 5. Expect Catastrophe: It’s important missing one more drop. Everyone bows
Achieving Misery.” In his words, these to remember that terrible, horrible to him, but he needs Mordechai to bow.
are the most tried and tested strategies things might happen any minute, and If not – everything else is worthless.
not to achieve happiness: to let your imagination run wild. Dis- When we speak about a war with
1. Cling to Entitlement: Always feel eases, disasters, terror attacks – don’t Amalek, we are also speaking of a war
entitled, that life owes you, that you let anything surprise you. Be alert. with these character traits. On focusing
were born to receive. Always look for 6. Just say “No thanks” to gratitude: on the drop we’re missing and not on
the injustice in others having some- Take everything you’ve received in life the cup mostly full. On nurturing our
thing that you do not, and do not agree as a given, without thanking those ego and chasing honor, without appre-
to any concession or compromise. who gave it to you. Try to focus on ciating and rejoicing over what we have.

2. It’s all Personal: Always assume what you don’t have rather than what These are Amalek-like traits. When we
that everything was done with evil you do have. make noise when the name “Haman” is
intentions. Always try to find mali- If we adopt (or rather, don’t adopt) these read, we should have intent to erase this
cious intent and seize every opportu- six tips – we’ll have a truly happy Purim! worldview as well.
nity to see it as conclusive proof that
you do not matter to others. He’s at the top of the world, in So how should we be happy? Here
a senior position, and he’s still is a section from Rabbanit Yemima
3. Focus on Problems: Keep careful 2unsatisfied. Haman HaRasha is an 3Mizrachi’s book, Invitation to Joy:
track of all your problems and con- Amalekite. He comes from the nation
stantly review them. Nurture the the Torah tells us we must wipe out “We live in a happiness-challenged
attitude that you can’t really move on and obliterate their memory. What is society. In many cases, happiness is
unless everything is resolved first. Amalek-ism? One of its characteristics simply a decision, a choice. People

4. Magnify Everything: Do not cheat is revealed in the figure of Haman, in the need to choose to be happy. Instead,
yourself out of misery by maintaining beginning of Megillat Esther: “Yet all this they give up on happiness while doing
perspective. Try to cultivate negative means nothing to me every time I see everything else, without
thinking in respect to every mistake that Jew Mordechai sitting at the king’s even realizing it.

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