Ki Tisa
The Dangers of Depression
Parashat Ki-Tisa tells one of the most difficult stories in all of Chumash – the story of Benei Yisrael's worship of the golden calf. The Torah itself emphasizes the speed in which Benei Yisrael degenerated to this point, where they worshipped a calf: "Saru Maher Min Ha'derech" ("They have quickly steered from the path" – 32:8). The obvious question arises, how did this occur? The Gemara tells us that the Yetzer Ha'ra (evil inclination) works on a person slowly and gradually. If the Yetzer Ha'ra would confront a religious Jew suddenly and tell him, "Go pray in a church," obviously this would have no effect. The evil inclination leads a person to sin over the course of an extended period of pressure, bringing him away from proper conduct one stage at a time. How could it be, therefore, that Benei Yisrael transformed overnight from people who worshipped G-d to people who worshipped a golden calf?
Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz (head of the Mir Yeshiva; Poland-Jerusalem, 1901-1979) answers that Benei Yisrael's rapid decline resulted from a single factor: depression. The Sages tell that Satan, in an effort to cause Benei Yisrael to sin, made the world dark and dreary. He then showed Benei Yisrael a misleading image of Moshe's coffin, so that they would think he had died atop Mount Sinai. This image, coupled with the grim darkness that hovered over them, caused a sense of confusion and desperation among Benei Yisrael. By bringing upon them this mood of despair, Satan was capable of accomplishing overnight what would otherwise take many decades to achieve. When people become depressed, alarmed or startled, their spiritual resistance is affected. A person in such a state of mind gives up, he no longer feels any motivation to work and achieve. When this happens, he is capable of committing even the most grievous sins, sins that he would never have imagined committing before the feeling of depression set in.
When I was in school there was a Rabbi who would monitor not only the students' academic progress, but their emotional development, as well. When he would notice a student looking despondent, he would encourage him to go buy an ice cream. A gloomy mood is so dangerous for a religious Jew that he must do whatever he can to overcome it, be it by taking a walk, listening to (appropriate) music, or even buying an ice cream. And for this reason, it is a great Mitzva to help other people feel happy when they are feeling down. The Gemara tells that a Rabbi once came upon Eliyahu the Prophet in the marketplace and asked him to show him who in the marketplace is assured a share in the next world. Eliyahu showed him two men who spent their day going over to merchants who looked despondent and anxious, and telling them jokes to cheer their mood. This is, indeed, one of the greatest Mitzvot a person can perform: to help somebody else overcome his feelings of gloom and despair, which can be so destructive to one's spiritual well-being.
