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Strange that Chassidim have to contend with a lot more prishus & minhagim than us Yeshivishe yet they seem overall happier & smile more naturally. How do you explain?
My hunch is that a) We are more individualistic & socially competitive which robs our happiness, b) We live with more guilt & feelings of failure due to high expectations, C) The increased purity of Chassidim gives them more happiness. R’ Eliyahu Lopian said he’s nispael from the Taharah he see’s on the faces of the chassidischer bachurim (Intro to Lev Eliyahu).
What can we learn from the Chassidim to be happier?Learn how to be satisfied with less.
Be happy with your cup half full not vice versa.
Fantasies and vacations don’t have to be expensive there are many affordable inexpensive vacations that you can enjoy with your familyThe answer is that Yeshivish is an artificial, modern phenomenon. They took an ideal and applied to the masses and expect people to conform to it. Doesn’t work, ergo, unhappy.
The grass is greener on the other side.
Additionally, the ABC reasons u gave why others are less happy then chasidim, sound like u r projecting your issues on the masses. U should probably see a therapist or a good rabbi about those issues u r havingBecause not only is it a mitzvah to be happy and serve hashem with joy but that the basics of chassidis.
There are many stories of the happy chussid and depressed misnagid
Chassidish used to be called “der frielecher”
that which you said “have to contend with a lot more prishus & minhagim” is not exactly accurate. Most Chasidim stress importance in enjoying mundane things in life more than Litvish. If someone is not successful in enjoying learning Torah or grasping it then Chassidus offers an alternative that makes that person feel good about himself.
Their socio-economic/cultural setup is superior. It’s essentially what Yabia Omer said. The yeshivish world has tried to extend something naturally reserved for the elite to everyone, and it doesn’t work. Chassidim b’klal go to work when they move out, and learn in their spare time. Litvaks, meanwhile, look down on anyone who doesn’t have the wealth to be unemployed deep into life without any consequences. It’s created an unsustainable oligarchy which is crumbling and causing anyone who isn’t from a wealthy family to be miserable. Also, there’s the shidduch crisis…
You dont really know the truth, you only see what people want you to see about their lives
Just because a yeshivish person looks serious, doesn’t mean that he’s unhappy.
Misnagdim see Ha-Shem as a “Boss” who is constantly assigning “shoulds”. They “fear” the Ribono shel Olam.
Hasidim see Ha-Shem as a super-duper best friend and everyone likes doing things together with one’s best friend, and it happens this friends like mitsvos. Hasidim think its cool to have the Ribbono shel Olam as best friend.
They dont seem happier at all in my experience with the exception of psuedo breslov. What chassidim or where? Walking down the street in Williamsburg it people seem happier? Kiras Yoel? Chassidim in Bnei Brak? Are you sure you’re not thinking of the general happy chassid stereotype of Marim Buber, Gershom Scholem ect…
Learn chassidus and you’ll know why. My hunch is the difference between mussar and chassidus is the reason.
There are some Chasidim who think Litvaks are happier. ๐
kalte litvak doesnt mean upset. it means serious. Rav elchonon hy”d basically never cracked a smile but i feel like he probably enjoyed life more than all of these chasidishe bachurim. r’ elya lopian may have been nispael from the smiles but didnt say everyone should act that way. their mesorah is x and ours may be y.
No. Musar has very little to do with how the Litvish world works. You assume musar is to us as Chassidus is to you. It’s not a good mashal.
Why do politicians seem happier before an election? Because they are taught to smile when campaigning.
Similarly, Chasidim are told to laugh, smile…
The question though is, how genuine are those expressions? I prefer honesty and real simcha over fake acts.
K-cup I think the ones he sees in the restaurants.
Lit: A fake smile is better than no smile.
That’s even assuming your silly assumption were correct.
osephParticipant
Lit: A fake smile is better than no smile.
Thatโs even assuming your silly assumption were correct.
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Better for whom?My three cents: (upgraded due to inflation)
1) Rabbi Miller, in numerous talks, stresses the need to always walk with a smile, we’re always in show, conveying the portrait of an eved HaShem who is happy in His duty. So even when when we’re not in the best of moods, we should try and paste whatever kind of smile we can afford. We’re on HaShem’s propaganda committee.
2) Chassidim put more of a Dagash (focus) on the service of HaShem, rather then the development of one’s character. So even though one brings the other, a Chassid’s measure is not by what he has turned himself into, rather his measuring stick is what and how he serves His Creator. How he becomes a better person will eventually come about, however, that is not his goal. So every deed one does for HaShem is a cause for happiness. Another Mitzvah, another hour of limud haTorah, another aveira avoided. What a zchus to be able to effect such Nachas by HaShem. So of course its a source of great happiness.
3) The performance of a Mitzvah with Simcha is itself a Mitzvah. Which is cause for more happiness. Which is then cause for more happiness. Which is then cause for more happiness. Which is then cause for more happiness. Which is then cause for more happiness. Which is then cause for more happiness…….
(which brings to mind a story told over of someone who was not able to sell his stock of whisky in time for Pesach. So in middle of Pesach he made a huge bonfire and had his whole stock burnt. Then he hired musicians to play – to add to the Simcha Shel Mitzva. Details are etchy.. I think he was Zoche to something great in return…)
“Better for whom?”
For the person putting on the fake smile rather than a sour face.
Why do people in tv commercials seem happy? Because the company sponsoring the commercial knows that people will be attracted to smiling people, who seem happy, and will be more likely to be convinced by them to do what they are promoting. They will buy the product being sold.
Does that mean that all the people in the commercials, on tv, in movies, in Hollywood, are actually happy? No!
Why do missionaries smile and make as if they are happy, and talk about love? Same reason, It is good for sales.
Why do salespeople in stores smile?
Why do followers of Dale Carnegie smile?
It is foolish to conclude however, based on such appearances, that those are the happy people in the world, who have the truth, who should be emulated.
I spend time in both atmospheres. I have seen that those that truly work on themselves, end up pretty close to each other in this regard. They both have true simcha
The difference is in what they start with. Chasidim start with more of an emphasis on Simcha, so they show signs of it, real or on the way to real, earlier. Litvish/Yeshivish place an emphasis on other topics, particularly hasmada, first. The goal in the long term is the same, to be a masmid learning lishma with true Simcha.
There’s no reason to argue because both are viable options, backed by erliche yidden.Rebbes for the most part never smile so xhassidom feel they gave to smile for tge rebbe
“It is foolish to conclude however, based on such appearances, that those are the happy people in the world, who have the truth, who should be emulated.”
Who said anything about emulating? Nobody is trying to convert you here. If every time you see a happy Chassidishe person you think it’s part of some marketing ploy to get you to be mevatel your own mesorah, then you have some weird personal quirks to work out.
Why do Hispanics seem happier than Whites?
Why do Blacks seem happier than Chinese?
Takes 2 to tango: your animosity is showing …. youโre off target with a Chassidic Rebbeโs ! They are truly happy with the right things ! I know many Rebbeโs that have attained true happiness! I wish I could emulate them !
I think because their lives are simple. They don’t offer complicate things for no reason they don’t hear a million different opinions on everything etc
Why do children seem happier than adults?
Ignorance is bliss. ๐
Lit:
“Ignorance is bliss. ๐”
Is this conclusion also going on your mashal to blacks and hispanics or just kids? Is it also going on Chassidim?Joseph is correct. Studies show that when it comes to smiling, fake it till you make it is the way to go. NBC News had a late 2017 article on this, and following is the headline & byline:
โSmiling can trick your brain into happiness โ and boost your health
A smile spurs a powerful chemical reaction in the brain that can make you feel happier.โAnyone interested can google for the full article.
The essence in life is happiness the more gashmius you have the more honor you want make a person unhappy ืงื ืื ืืชืืื ืืืืื ืืืฆืืืื ืืช ืืืื ืื ืืขืืื from THE world of happiness. Generally chasidim have less gashmius.
Yes, the Beer Mayim Chaim was born to them. The Beer Mayim Chaim is a fire of chassidus and is one of the basic sifrei chassidus learnt around the world and is easy to understand from bochur to yungerman.
Research shows that shaving your head makes you happy.
There’s a very simple anwer. The mantra and basic foundation in chassidus is to serve Hashem “with Simche.”
Mammele, those studies only show that in the short term.
The job of the Rebbe ie to instil happiness.
To Ocho and Lit:
I agree, and you took the words out of my mouth, except i’d have stated the posuk:
“B’rov daas yosif mach’ov” (as describing many litvaks)However – the times are a’changin’ and enough of the newer generation have mixed and mingled, so that probably they’ve rubbed off on each other a bit. Probably the less savory stuff!
ืืืืื ืขืฉืืจ ืืฉืื ืืืืงื is more prevalent by them.
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