Restrictions & Happiness - Rabbi David Biton

[Music] one might ask himself if Hashem really loves us so how come I shouldn't put upon us so many restrictions as a Jew were obligated to do 240m it's thought and at the same hand we have 365 things that we're not allowed to do we have so many restrictions upon us so many things that were not allowed to do and at the same time we have so many myths thought that we were obligated to do so one might ask himself someone who loves somebody won't he give him all the good won't he not obligate him to do anything will he restrict him from doing something it seems like if someone loves somebody who would allow him to do everything as a free man so if Hashem who's called Aveeno Avraham and Hashem who loves us and is so merciful he gives upon us restrictions he tells us don't do this and don't do that rather do this and do that it seems a face value that is not coming from love but we know that it is so if Hashem really loves us would you believe that he does how come he gave us so many restrictions how come he told us don't do this and don't do that and at the same hand he obligated us to do so many things at first glance it seems that someone who has less restrictions upon him is someone who's free and happy and someone who has more restrictions upon him someone who is able to do less at face value at first glance would seem that he's less happy however the truth is not like that the truth is that someone who lives a life of freedom a life with no obligation doesn't mean necessarily that he's happy on the other hand someone who accepts on himself the yoke of Shammai on someone like that would seem to be sad that's not necessarily true we know someone who accepts on himself the yoke of Torah can be the happiest man on earth and someone who lives as a free man with no obligations could be the saddest man on earth the question is why it would seem the opposite it would seem that if we restrict it and we can't do we should be unhappy and if we could do as much as we want we should be happy but it's not like that what's the secret there lies under these lines the answer is it all depends on our outlook and how much we appreciate what we have a person who appreciates what he has is a person who's happy a person who's always looking for more as a person who's unhappy a parent who spoils his child for example he gives him everything he needs he assumes that the more I give my child the happier he'll be one day his child goes against him the parent comes in complaints he says I did everything for my son I did everything for my child I gave him everything he wanted and now he turns his back on me the answer is that the child took everything for granted he didn't appreciate what the parent gave him he thought everything belongs to him and he deserves everything so the minute that he's missing the minute he doesn't have what he thought belonged to him he becomes sad he gets upset however a person who was restricted a person who for example his parents did not spoil him his parents gave him what he needed but did not excessively give him things that he wanted but did not need a child like this will grow up appreciating his parents a child like this appreciates what he has because he knows and he believes and he understands that not everything belongs to him us as a Jewish nation Hashem wanted us to be happy so our Shem said you know how you're going to be happy if you appreciate what you have if I Allah allow you to breathe free men and do whatever you want you'll take everything for granted so the minute that it doesn't go your way the minute that everything is not going your way you're sad however if we understand that everything we have we actually don't deserve instead our Shem is giving the test as a present so then we appreciate it so in essence restriction brings to appreciation and appreciation brings to happiness the fact that we restricted is actually the secret of happiness if we were to have everything we wanted or if we would be able to do everything we wanted to do without any restrictions so then the minute something would not go our way we pass it away the minute something doesn't go our way we got upset and we feel down but if we restricted Hashem said I'm restricting you you can't do this you know why because in essence I love you you know how you know that I truly love you is because I don't give you everything you want a child who gets everything he becomes spoiled if our son would give us everything we wanted we will become spoiled instead our son says I love you I want you to go in the right way I want you to appreciate everything you have therefore when I give you the holidays I give you the days of some cloud I give you this a happiness you actually appreciate it so restriction brings appreciation and appreciation ultimately brings happiness [Music] [Applause]