Don't Ever Lose Your Simcha | Rabbi Shlomo Schwartzberg

9/11 That was always the question, Where were you on 9/11? I happened to have been in the coffee room in Bais Medrash Govoha, getting ready for first Seder. But after October 7th, 9.11 is not that important anymore. I remember that Simchas Torah. Someone comes to me in the morning and starts telling me what happened. And then comes back to me again and tells me a little bit more. The question was how to proceed. It was a difficult decision. It's one that a Rav has to tap into his reservoirs of ideas and thought. And I said: For now, hold off. This is Simchas Torah. And most of the people didn't know yet. And then some people started to find out. This was by the third Hakafah, and I get up on a chair. And I said: Rabosai, there's one thing that stood for Klal Yisroel throughout time, and that was Simcha. There's one thing that our enemies don't want us to have, and that's Simcha. Now, those who knew what I was talking about, knew what I was talking about. Those who didn't know, thought: Okay, he’s talking about Simchas Torah. And I said over a story about even in the Holocaust, in the gas chambers, how they were dancing and singing. Even there, they will not tear away our Simcha. I happened to have heard afterwards, that those who were dancing in the gas chambers, the Nazi, ימח שמו וזכרו, was so upset that he said: Yeah? You guys are going to be happy? I'm going to show you what I'm going to do to you. And he takes them out. And ultimately, because of that, they were actually saved. We have struggles, difficulties, challenges, especially when it comes to ענייני קדושה and Shemiras Einayim. It is one thing that our enemy wants is that we should not be happy. Why? Because when we're not, when we get down, we're done, we're over. And there's one thing we should never give up, there's one thing why all the terrible things happen to Klal Yisroel, because we don't have the Simcha. If a person struggles, that's okay. If we're knocked down, that's okay. Don't ever lose your Simcha, no matter what.