We have already learned that we have within us an "inclination toward good" and an "inclination toward evil," and that these are constantly fighting for control of the body. It is obvious that, even if the "inclination toward good" is stronger, because Hashem The help, if the person is sad or lazy, will in any case the "inclination to evil" will end up overcoming them.
That is why it is so important for a Jew to always be joyful. Because when he is joyful, he has a lot of energy and strength to overcome the “inclination to evil.”.
But it's not easy to always be cheerful… Sometimes we don't feel well, or something sad happens in the family, or there are other things that worry us, and we feel sad or unmotivated… How can you always be cheerful?
The Alter Rebbe explains that, first of all, sadness has a purpose: the joy that comes after sadness. That is, when we are sad because we feel far from Hashem, or because the “inclination to evil” drives us crazy with its ideas about transgressing the Torah, That sadness helps to break the "inclination to evil." Because that sadness can serve as an impetus to be joyful. How? It is true that we feel far from Hashem And that we have a terrible “inclination to evil,” but we know very well that He loves us and that He always forgives our mistakes and gives us opportunities to improve, etc. Therefore, the sadness of being far from Hashem It generates the joy of being able to be close!
Secondly, the Alter Rebbe explains that Hashem He creates all things in the universe. And in everything He creates, there are two parts: one we can see and one that is hidden. Like in a person, for example, we can see the body, but not the soul. Even though we know the soul is there, because the person is alive, we still cannot see it.
The same is true of the suffering that occurs in life. There is a part of it that we can see, and it makes us suffer, but, in addition, there is a part of it, which is like the "soul" of that problem we face, that we fail to see.
Since both parts come from Hashem, And since He is good and creates good things, it emerges that both parts of the problem, the one we see and the one we don't see, are equally good. Often we get caught up in the problem and don't realize that within it, there is something good that... Hashem He's sending us. It's just that it's something so profound and special, that we'll be able to see it another time, or when the time comes. Messiah.
So, if we know what Hashem What He is sending us is truly good, but that good is hidden; we must receive it with joy, because it is truly good.
Our wise men1 They used to say whenever something bad happened to them: “Everything that does Hashem "It's for the best," even though at the time it happened to them, it didn't seem like a good thing, and only later did they manage to understand what was good about what happened to them.
They also used to say "This is good too," meaning that even in what happened to them that didn't seem good, they saw something good in that very thing.
But we, who are ordinary people, far from the spiritual level of our sages, must know that within every unpleasant thing that happens, there is something good that Hashem is sending us.
The Alter Rebbe ends the chapter by saying that we may feel sadness for past transgressions. This seems like a good sadness, because we behaved badly and, when we realize it, we are saddened by what we did. But beware! Because the “inclination to evil” may seek to sadden us precisely when we should be joyful, such as when we are studying. Torah And we prayed.
That is why the Alter Rebbe explains that there are special moments to think about how far we are from Hashem to repent of our transgressions (like Yom Kippur, (Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement): it should not be at just any time, for example, it cannot be when we are praying or studying Torah, Nor when we are working, or doing another activity that is not a Mitzvah, This is not the time to dwell on all the negative things we did.
1Talmud Berakhot 60b