One of the most outstanding qualities of human beings compared to animals is their capacity to perform different functions. This diversity extends both to the tasks they perform—as exemplified by many of our great sages who were doctors, astronomers, architects, and so on—and to their ability to perform the same task in different ways or simply with different feelings.
One of the major milestones in a person's emotional development is when they have to do something they don't want to do. A conflict arises between their own will and a momentary necessity, and the person ends up performing the task they didn't want to do but which was necessary.
No one can dispute that when a certain task is performed with joy it generates better results than the same action performed with sadness or melancholy.
In this week's section (Vaishlaj - and sent) we read about the encounter between Jacob and his wicked brother Esau. This was no ordinary meeting. Esau had vowed to kill Jacob. Twenty years had passed since their last contact, and in those days there were no emails or cell phones... moreover, he was accompanied by four hundred armed men...
Our sages tell us how Jacob prepared for the encounter. One might imagine the tension of the moment: who would say that in such a situation there is room for joy? However, when we look closely at Jacob's three general preparations, we find that each one is directly related to joy.
1) Jacob prepared a very large gift for Esau, consisting mainly of animals. It is reasonable to think that one who gives a gift willingly feels joy in giving it, as our sages say, that one who gives a gift gives generously. This is especially true considering that the gift was directly related to the tithe that Jacob promised to God as part of his request for protection before going to the house of his uncle, Laban.
2) Jacob prayed to God, asking to be saved from his brother Esau. One of the ideas behind prayer is the connection with God. The way to feel that connection is through the immense joy that comes from knowing one's own limitations and yet being able to have a channel of dialogue, so to speak, with the Infinite. A prayer without joy is proof that the person did not understand the essence of what they were doing. Therefore, Jacob was certainly happy.
3) Jacob prepared himself tactically for war. It is well known that a fundamental condition for any army is having the confidence that it will be victorious. It is the joy of being a fundamental part of a master plan that allows the soldier to go to the front. Because if the soldier is depressed when going to war, even before it has begun, he is practically defeated.
We see, then, that despite the pressure and complexity of the moment Jacob was living through, he prepared himself with actions that, if not done with joy, do not achieve the desired results. This leaves us with a very simple lesson: regardless of how critical a situation may be, whatever we do to overcome the obstacles that come our way, we must do it with joy.