#atzvus

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https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2328162/jewish/Chapter-6-Bitterness-and-Depression.htm

Before continuing, a distinction needs to be made between two Hebrew terms. The English language is a wonderfully rich vocabulary for poetry, music and for describing beauty in physicality. For spiritual concepts however, English vocabulary is weak and thin. We need therefore to use two Hebrew words to try and get a feeling for two separate mental states of sadness.

There are two negative states when a person is in pain and unhappy. One is described as “merirus” normally translated as “bitterness”. The other is “atzvus” normally translated as “depression”. In Hebrew, these terms connote very different mental states.1 Before describing both of these states we begin with an example. Suppose a man’s restaurant is going badly. Slowly over a period of months less and less patrons turn up to eat. His profits thin to nothing, his overheads remain. The restaurant no longer pays. He cannot dismiss the chef and waiters because he cannot manage without them. He cannot keep them because he cannot pay them. As the restaurant declines our poor subject is overwhelmed to the point that he dreads turning up to see the empty tables and cannot sleep at night worrying about the future of the restaurant and the consequent financial future of his family.

Now there are two entirely different ways the new restaurateur can respond.

The first is with merirus (bitterness). Since he is idle anyway, he gets to work. He re-plans the restaurant, makes decisions to change the menu, the chef, the premises and tries to build new marketing programs. In this case his unhappiness has led to positive action. Obviously this action may or may not be successful but the action is positive and purposeful. This is the concept of merirus. Clearly the man is in pain over the failure of the restaurant but this pain, or bitterness, has prompted him to do something about it.

The second is with atzvus (depression). Given the same scenario, our poor subject cannot cope and becomes increasingly frozen into inactivity. Unlike the man who has merirus and who is prompted into positive action the man with atzvus simply does nothing. He is overwhelmed by the problem and this feeling of being overwhelmed rather than leading to action, leads to the reverse — inaction. In extreme cases the man goes to bed, pulls the covers over his head and simply gives up.

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22 Adar I, Chapter 31

In Chapters 29 and 30, the Alter Rebbe described different ways that a person can crush feelings of arrogance and self-importance within them. These feelings cause timtum halev, an insensitive heart, and block their G-dly soul from shining through. The methods the Alter Rebbe described involve contemplating one’s failures and shortcomings. This leaves us with a big question: how can a person contemplate these things and not become depressed? Aren’t we commanded to live and serve G-d with joy?

The Alter Rebbe defines two types of sadness: atzvus – a constricting or paralyzing depression – and merirus – bitterness, a feeling of sadness that is nevertheless full of vitality and the motivation to change. Atzvus is the feeling that makes you want to stay in bed and sulk all day, while merirus says, “I have to do something about this!”

The Alter Rebbe writes that all negativity/unholiness has its spiritual source in the sefirah of Gevurah, which is the power of restraint or severity. When our negative inclination, with its source in Gevurah, becomes too strong, we have to temper it with positive/holy Gevurah, fighting fire with fire. This holy Gevurah takes the form of merirus, which is why it is so effective in crushing the feelings of arrogance that come from the negative inclination.

To comfort oneself after arousing these feelings of bitterness, the Alter Rebbe says a person should remind themselves: “It may be true that my body and my animal soul are ‘distant’ from G-d, but at my deepest core is a literal piece of G-d! And even though my body and animal soul have difficulty serving G-d at times, this spark of G-d within me is always present and pure – it is just in exile when I allow my animal soul to take over.” A person thus arouses a sense of compassion for their G-dly soul, and an enthusiasm for freeing it from ‘exile’ within their body and animal soul through Torah, mitzvos, and service of G-d. They can then open themselves up to feeling the joy and delight of their G-dly soul in reconnecting to its Source.

A person can strengthen their comfort and joy even more by reminding themselves: “I didn’t create MYSELF this way! I‘m not the one who ‘exiled’ my Divine soul in an animal soul and physical body with all its earthly desires. I didn’t give MYSELF a yetzer hara! G-d did! Why?! For what purpose?! So that I would be able to overcome this negativity, and transform my animal soul and its garments – its powers of thought, speech, and action – into G-dliness!” [This will be discussed further in Chapters 35-37, where it is explained that this transformation is actually the entire reason G-d created the universe!] By immersing ourselves in G-dly pursuits, we raise up our animal soul and its garments to G-d, fulfilling the very purpose of creation.

This should bring us unparalleled joy!

​Make It Real

Too often, we feel like that fact that we struggle in life, in our service of G-d, means we are failing. G-d forbid! Today’s Tanya reminds us: G-d is the One who created our shortcomings and challenges. In fact, our shortcomings and challenges are the PURPOSE OF CREATION – because by overcoming them, we elevate the lowest parts of G-d’s creation back to their ultimate source in G-dliness. For example, every time you hold yourself back from speaking negatively or gossiping, G-d forbid, you are elevating your animal soul and its power of speech to G-dliness. And for this all the worlds were created!