Is there any relief and joy as great as the return of a loved one to his proper place???
Nothing is comparable.
True joy is the feeling of freedom to be who you truly are and live accordingly.
Ask any freed prisoner
Or even children, finally let out of school after a looooong day…
This pure joy is dependent upon no substance or outside influences. It’s nothing other than the ability to be yourself - and there is no greater feeling!
Similarly, the soul experiences no greater joy than the ability to break out of the confines of the body and return to her father’s home, as she had been in her youth.
Death is not the only time the soul can experience this feeling.
We can allow her that relief at any time, by studying Torah or helping another person . This is the self-expression that the divine soul craves.
This is joy - -
But is it Complete Joy?
How could it be, if the soul is still trapped in a physical body with its pesky animal soul and all its accompanying liabilities - limited strength and stamina, physical desires and lusts, and character flaws?
It’s kind of like coming to a wedding and dancing with the bride in celebration of the occasion - while she is still dressed in pajamas…
The trick is to DIFFERENTIATE.
There are many situations in life that are complicated and include a coinciding mix of emotions, such as feeling joy and sadness at the same time.
It’s up to you to decide -
Where to give in?
Which one is of greater importance or value ?
While not denying your personal shortcomings which certainly do exist,
You can still choose which of your souls to focus on:
The lowly and depressive state of your animal soul - -
Or
The great joy of the divine soul when you pray or perform a mitzvah.
Your divine soul should be more precious in your eyes and so you’ll choose to focus on her joy, despite your awareness of the lowly state of your body and animal soul.
This is how it worked at the Exodus, when the Jewish people left Egypt.
_*The nation fled*_
But that is surprising! Why did they have to flee from Egypt?
The Jews weren’t escaping the Egyptians as much as they were escaping _their very own selves_!
We’ve got to understand the complex situation that the Jews faced at that time:
After witnessing so many G-dly wonders and miracles, the divine souls of the Jewish people were ignited. The divine souls wanted to escape immediately, get the Torah, and forever connect with G-d.
Their bodies, on the other hand, preferred to stay put in Egypt. Slavery was familiar and Egypt was home, while the harsh desert certainly was not!
Their animal souls didn’t change until later on, after the Torah was given.
For this reason, there was no choice but for the Jews to FLEE
_Before_ their bodies/animal souls could stop them.
The exodus from Egypt is not a one-time historical event, but an ongoing model of attaining spiritual freedom:
Your body - hinders freedom.
Your divine soul wants to be free.
Sometimes there is no choice and you have to 'cut' and separate the two parts of yourself.
It’s up to you to decide where that cut will be:
Will you give in to the anxiety of the animal soul
Or rejoice in the freedom of the divine soul
The choice is yours.
Even when differentiating between the differing needs and desires of your divine and animal souls, and focusing on your divine soul, remember that the evil and impurity of your animal soul has not disappeared. It is just as much stuck to you as before, similar to the way the Jewish people escaped Egypt while still in their negative state. Only later on did they become fully purified and holy.
Even if your body continues trying to prevent you from doing your spiritual work and fulfilling mitzvot because all that negativity and evil still exists inside you -
Focus on your divine soul’s joy which is infinite and make sure to give her as much of it as you can!
