Rebbe Nachman: Practicing Rapture

A psalm for praise. Raise a shout G!d, all the earth; serve G!d, with gladness; enter the presence with joy.

(2) Know! There is a light higher than nefesh, ruach and neshamah. This is the Light of the Infinite One.

(3) And though the intellect cannot grasp it [the Light of the Infinite One], the racing of the mind nevertheless pursues it. And by virtue of this racing, the intellect is able to grasp it in an aspect of “reaching and not reaching.” For the truth is that it is not possible to grasp it, because it above nefesh, ruach and neshamah.

(1) 2. And know! It is impossible to even grasp [the Light] in the aspect of reaching and not reaching except by performing the mitzvot (commandments/good deeds/opportunities for connection) with joy. This is because through the joy of the mitzvah, holiness is perfected. It elevates the vitality and the holiness that are in the evil forces, similar to the eleven spices of the incense...And the essence of joy is in the heart, as is written (Psalms 4:8), “You have put joy in my heart.”

(3) Now, the exile of the Divine Presence—which corresponds to the heart, the joy of Israel—is primarily when sorrow, the evil forces, overcome her. This is as in, “He felt sorrow in His heart.” Thus it is written that when the Jewish people will go out of exile (Isaiah 55:12): “For you will go out with joy.”...

10:7 And in the Future, when the Jewish people will go out of the exile with joy, as in, “For you will go out with joy”—then the evil forces will be totally destroyed.

(1) On the topic of simchah (joy).

(2) An analogy: Sometimes, when people are joyous and dance, they grab someone standing outside [the circle] who is depressed and gloomy. Against his will they bring him into the circle of dancers; against his will, they force him to be happy along with them.

(3) It is the same with happiness. When a person is happy, gloom and suffering stand aside.

(4) Yet greater still is to gather courage to actually pursue gloom itself, and to introduce it into the joy, such that the gloom itself turns into joy. A person should transform gloom and all suffering into joy. It is like a person who comes to a celebration. The abundant joy and happiness then, transforms all his worries, depression and gloom into joy. We find that he has grabbed the gloom and introduced it, against its will, into the joy, as in the aforementioned analogy.

(1) It is a great mitzvah to always be happy, and to make every effort to determinedly keep depression and gloom at bay.

(2) All the illnesses that afflict people are due only to flawed joy. For there are ten types of song, which are synonymous with joy, as in “Upon a ten-stringed instrument… For You caused me to rejoice by Your deeds…” (Psalms 92:4–5)...

(1) 2. The rule is that a person has to be very determined and put all his strength into being nothing but happy at all times. For human nature is to draw itself to gloom and depression on account of life’s vicissitudes and misfortunes. And every human being is filled with suffering. Therefore, a person has to exercise great effort in forcing himself to be happy at all times, and to bring himself to joy in any way he can—even with silliness.

(2) And though broken-heartedness too, is very good, nevertheless, that is only for a brief period. It is right to set aside for oneself some time in the day for feeling remorse and speaking one’s piece in the presence of the Blessed One, as is brought in our works. But the entire [rest] of the day one needs to be happy. For contrition more easily leads to depression, than erring through joy, God forbid, leads to some sort of frivolity, God forbid. For this is the more likely: that contrition will lead to gloom.

(3) One should therefore always be happy, and only at the designated time have a broken heart.

For there are two birds: one male and one female, and they are just one pair in the world. The female was lost. He goes and seeks her, and she seeks him, and they were seeking each other very long until they were lost. And they saw they could not find each other, and they stood still and they made themselves nests: The male made him a nest close to one country of the two countries mentioned above, and not really near it, just that in the measure of bird voice it is near, for they can hear the voice of the male bird in that country from the place where he stood and made him a nest. And likewise she also made her a nest near the second country (i.e. likewise, that it was near in the sense they can hear her voice there, as mentioned). And when night arrives, then this pair of birds begins each one, both of them, to wail in a very great voice of wailing, for each one wails for its mate as mentioned above. And this is the voice of wailing that is heard in these two countries, because of which voice of wailing they all wail much, and cannot sleep.

...And in the day (it is actually only to approach them in the day) it is impossible to bear the joy that is there, for in the day the birds gather by each one from the pair mentioned above, and they console and make happy each one from the pair mentioned above in very very great joys and they tell them words of consolation, that still it is possible that they find each other, until in the day it is impossible to bear the greatness of the joy that is there.