{"id":81255,"date":"2020-10-12T10:38:21","date_gmt":"2020-10-12T07:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=81255"},"modified":"2020-10-12T10:38:21","modified_gmt":"2020-10-12T07:38:21","slug":"how-to-make-bad-days-less-bad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/how-to-make-bad-days-less-bad\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Make Bad Days Less Bad"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Finally, David is anointed King after many years of struggle, and gives his first speech from the throne. I couldn\u2019t help but juxtapose David\u2019s Psalm 21 with political acceptance speeches in the distant and recent past. Those self-congratulatory speeches are riddled with pats on the back and promises of what the newly elected politician will do. Though optimistic by nature, these are generally intense and weighty discourses about the greatness they will bring to their new position.<\/span><\/p>\n

David, on the other hand, speaks of joy. Specifically, the joy that comes from knowing God. He starts the psalm with the words \u201cGod, in your strength the king rejoices (21:2).\u201d Part way through he declares \u201cYou gladden him (kings) with the joy of Your presence (21:7).\u201d And David completes the psalm with \u201cLet us sing to Your omnipotence (21:14).\u201d Throughout the psalm David declares his recognition that any strength he may have is because God endowed him with it, and he reiterates his trust in God to help not just himself, but all future kings.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s interesting that among our 613 commandments from God there is no commandment to be happy. There are references to happiness. In Deuteronomy 26:11 the instructions for bringing an offering of first fruits (bikkurim) to the Temple end with \u201cYou shall rejoice in all the good which God has given you.\u201d This is not the priests rejoicing in receiving a gift, but the farmers rejoicing in bringing the gift. The farmers don\u2019t publicly proclaim happiness when the fruits start growing or when they harvest their orchards but do so precisely when they acknowledge the hand of God in their offerings to the Temple.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch comments on the power of this kind of joy. Says Rav Hirsch, \u201cEven a small insight into the goals of God \u2013 \u2018the glimpses of God\u2019 \u2013 make David\u2019s entire personality shine with joy.\u201d Through David\u2019s psalm we come to understand that happiness in and of itself is not the goal. New clothes make me happy \u2013 until they become old. Motherhood makes me happy \u2013 except when I lie awake at night with worry. Ice-cream makes me happy – until I get on the scale.<\/span><\/p>\n

The enduring happiness David is trying to relate is the joy that comes from acceptance of God\u2019s role in our lives, on the bad days as well as the good. Well, maybe it\u2019s not always enough to make really bad days good, but it can make them less bad.<\/span><\/p>\n

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