Joy from the Four Elements - 002 Actualizing Our Potential

Introduction

With siyata d’shmaya, we have merited to begin learning about the four elements. We will learn about several of the middos (character traits), but we will not just be learning about each of the middos per se. Rather, we will be learning about how each of the middos at their root, which lies in the four elements. We are now embarking on a series, with the help of Hashem, of studying several middos, and in this particular series, we will be studying the trait of simchah, joy.

First we will present several general intellectual definitions of the meaning of simchah, joy, and some of these definitions are truthful. Then we will proceed to explain the deeper definition of joy, which deals with the root of joy, and thereby we can define which of the elements the trait of joy is rooted in, and why.

Several Definitions of Joy

When a person is joyous, he feels lighter. When Yaakov Avinu received the good news that his son Yosef was alive, Rashi states that Yaakov’s fight felt lighter as he ran to embark on the journey to reunite with his long lost son. When a person is joyous, he feels physically lighter, and his feet can lift him very easily.

Another way to define joy is that when a person feels joyous, he leaves behind negativity and he adapts a more positive attitude. He goes from having a “bad eye” to a “good eye”.  When people are in a joyous mood, they will focus on whatever is good and positive, and they will overlook anything bad or negative.

Another definition of joy is that whenever a person is joyous, his heart becomes opened, and he finds it natural to bestow kindness on others and to nurture others. The heart is expanded and the person feels more inclined to help others.

Another thing we can notice about joy is that when people feel joyous, they find it more natural to include themselves with others and to rejoice with others’ joy. When people are joyous, they will naturally initiate conversations with other people. This is because joy makes the heart expand, causing a person to leave his ego, and include himself in the lives of others.

Another way we can define joy is by analyzing the contrast between joy and sadness. When a person is sad, he contracts into himself, and when one is joyous, he expands. 

We have so far given several definitions of joy, and there are in fact even more ways to define joy. All of these definitions contain truth to them, but they do not address the root of joy. We will now explain, with siyata d’shmaya, what the fundamental definition of joy is, by explaining which of the elements the trait of joy belongs to. Then we will be able to understand, with the help of Hashem, what the root cause for joy is.

The Inner Root of Joy: Actualizing Our Potential

Joy is essentially the result of actualization of potential. When a potential force becomes actualized, the result is joy. The feeling of expansion itself does not create joy. Rather, expansion is a sign that some potential force in the soul has been actualized. Expansion in the soul produces joy only because there has been an actualization of potential.

The Maharal explains that mankind is called adam, from the word adamah, earth, because just as the earth actualizes the potential of the seeds planted within it, by nurturing the seeds and enabling the plants and crops to grow, so does man actualize his potential, by activating the inner forces within his soul. This is the also meaning of Asher yatzar es ha’adam b’chochmah, the fact that man was created with chochmah, wisdom. The word chochmah is from the words koach mah, which means, “What is this potential?” This implies that the avodah of man is to utilize his koach, his potential.

Man was created from the earth, and just as the earth is an element which actualizes the potential of something, so will man’s joy come from actualizing potential. Man was cursed with the “sadness” of laboring with the earth. After the sin, the earth does not always produce the crops that it was meant to produce. One may plant seeds in the earth hoping to get grain, but in the end, only thorns will grow there. This was the result of the sin, when the earth became cursed. So too, man doesn’t always produce the desired results. This happens whenever man doesn’t utilize his potential, and this is the root of all sadness in the soul. And, by contrast, the root of joy is whenever man utilizes his potential.

Joy Comes From the Element of Earth

Based upon the above, it is now very clear which of the elements the trait of joy belongs to. Joy comes from the element of earth. This does not mean the impaired kind of earth, which leads to sadness, but the repaired kind of earth, which leads to joy. Whenever man utilizes his potential – a use of the element of earth in the soul – there is resulting joy. If man utilizes his potential only partially, there will be partial joy, and when man utilizes his potential fully, the result is the complete level of joy.

Let’s make the definition clearer. When one finishes actualizing his potential, his joy can be complete. Even more so, it is the joy itself which is like the “final-hammer blow” that actualizes one’s potential, totally finishing it. Meaning, when one has actualized his potential and there is resulting joy from this, that is when he has truly actualized his potential, and that is when his joy becomes complete. Thus, actualization of potential leads to joy, and the joy itself completes the actualization process [which further increases the already existing joy and allows for a more complete kind of joy].

In each of the four elements, fire, air, water, and earth, there are traces of all four elements of fire, air, water, and earth. With regards to joy, complete joy can be derived from the “earth”-of-earth, This is the more precise intellectual definition of joy.

Joy From Within vs. Joy From The Outside

Let us now elaborate upon this definition, so that we can not only know this intellectually but also feel how it is true, and thereby make this concept practical in our lives.

Every person has unique abilities. No two people are alike. Every person has certain qualities which are linked with his shoresh haneshamah, his personal soul root. The soul is clothed by the body, and every person has bechirah (the power of free choice) if he will release these qualities in his soul or not.

Let us understand that there are two roots of “movement”. There is a movement that comes from within, which extends to one’s outside. This movement is known as joy, as in the verse “For with joy, they go out”, This movement stems from one’s deep inner root, and when it becomes actualized within and then extends outward, becoming manifest on the outside of a person, This is the inner movement known as joy, and this is one kind of “movement”. Another kind of “movement” is when a person draws the movement in from outside of himself. Either a person draws in materialism from the outside, such as by buying food and drink and consuming them, or he draws in the spiritual from the outside, such as by accepting honor, etc.

As mentioned earlier, the superficial perspective of joy is whenever a person has “expanded”. A person may feel “expansion” either by drawing in various stimuli from the outside, which provides him with joy, or he may get “expansion” from within himself, and when this expansion extends outward and it becomes manifest on his outside, this makes him joyous. If joy would be limited to expansion, then either of these two movements would be the two true options to get joy. But since joy is defined as actualization of potential, true joy can only come from within, not from the outside. Joy which comes from outer stimuli can be a “spark” of joy, but it is not true joy.

This is a very fundamental way of understanding the difference between true, precise joy, with joy that is only being imagined. Many times people want to be happy so they search for various outer stimuli to make them happy. They will look for a new item to buy, and they feel some happiness when they get new things, and they think is true joy. But this can only be a spark of joy, and it cannot be the root joy. The root joy can only be experienced when one actualizes potential. So if a person is experiencing joy when he buys things or receives new things, this is only partial joy. It is the joy of expansion, which is not true joy but a spark of joy. It is temporary joy, because it is like a branch without the root.

The big mistake that the world makes is that most people are seeking joy which comes from their outside, and they are not trying to get joy from the root.

The Depth of “He Who Rejoices In His Portion”

Now we can understand a statement of the Sages, “Who is wealthy? He who rejoices in his portion.”[1] One way to understand this is that when a person has emunah that Hashem gives him whatever is good for him, and that whatever Hashem doesn’t give him isn’t good for him, such a person will be happy with whatever he has. While this is certainly a true understanding of this statement of the Sages, there is more depth to the matter.

The deeper understanding is that joy comes from actualization of your own inner potential. If you don’t have something, that means it is not within your potential to actualize, and therefore, you cannot be happy with it. But when you actualize your own portion, your G-d given abilities, only then can you have true joy.

That is the deeper meaning of “he who rejoices in his lot”. It is because joy can only come to you when you actualize your own unique abilities, your own lot. Thus, joy is about actualizing your own inner potential.

Becoming Clear About Our Inner Abilities

Therefore, if a person isn’t clear about his own abilities, he won’t know how to actualize them, and he won’t be able to reach true joy. Since most people do not understand clearly their own abilities, they don’t utilize their true potential and thus they never come to experience true joy. That is why they seek joy from the outside, because they don’t know how to get it from within.

Our avodah is to reach simchah, for the Torah rebukes those who don’t serve Hashem with simchah. The fact that we are charged with the obligation to reach simchah is what necessitates us to become clear about our own inner abilities, so that we will know how to actualize our powers and then reach true simchah.

Based upon the above, we can see that the trait of simchah is therefore not just another trait to acquire, but a more all-inclusive trait. Through simchah, a person actualizes all of his inner powers. Thus, simchah is an all-inclusive trait which is relevant to all abilities in the soul. In order to reach true simchah we need to recognize our souls, and that is the path we are taking in this series. Each person will need to know his own inner abilities, and the better a person recognizes his own individual qualities, a person will know better how to actualize them. Then a person can reach true and inner joy. But, as we are explaining, in order to reach true simchah, one needs to become clear about his individual powers, and then he must know how to activate them.

There are several parts to this process. Therefore, we will be explaining throughout these lessons in a step-by-step manner of how a person can keep accessing joy, through different powers in the soul. In this way, a person can keep releasing a bit more of his potential, and thereby keep coming closer to true joy.

The Problem We Face In Trying To Attain Joy

There is also a more subtle point for us to know. Whenever we are joyous, we are completing the actualization of potential. Therefore, if a person actualizes his potential and he doesn’t feel joyous, he is preventing himself from fully actualizing the potential, and this will be a huge obstacle in his path to reach simchah. This is the depth of sadness - when one isn’t actualizing his potential completely.

An even more subtle point than this is that since all of us have countless abilities in our soul, any forces which haven’t been actualized cause us to be sad, while any forces which have been actualized cause us joy. We can all recognize within ourselves, whether consciously or subconsciously, that are some abilities in ourselves which we haven’t yet actualized, and this causes us a certain degree of sadness. This is the ongoing battle that each of us face, as we try to attain joy. We are always being reminded of any of our potential we haven’t yet utilized – or any abilities we haven’t yet utilized fully - and this prevents us from attaining joy. Many times people find it difficult to be happy with any abilities that we have actualized, because they are aware, whether consciously or subconsciously, that there is so much more potential within themselves that haven’t yet been utilized.

Earth-of-Earth: Joy From Using Our Strongest Point

Therefore, in order to counter the aforementioned issue, the avodah of a person is to find his current strongest point and to keep actualizing it, more and more. This will create great strength for the soul and it will become a great source of joy.  

One way for a person to keep finding joy is by being happy with even the smallest bit of success that one has, and, particularly, a person can find joy in any bit of potential that he manages to release. Even though it may only be a little bit, our Sages teach that in this lowly generation, even the smallest success is very important.

A second way to arrive at joy - which is the way we are taking - is that person should identify his strongest point, and keep making use of it. In contrast to the first approach, which is about focusing on your smallest successes, this approach focuses on big success of yours, because it’s about the strongest power in your soul right now. When you activate your strongest ability, it has much meaning to you. It’s like a foundation upon which a home stands. That is where you will find true joy. The more you access your strongest point and you are aware of it, you slowly gain a sense of activating your potential, and this will be a great source of joy to you.

In Summary and In Conclusion

In summary, the external source of joy is when you feel expansion, whereas the inner source of joy is when you actualize your potential. Sadness is when your potential remains inactive, and joy is when you have released your potential by activating it. You actualize your potential only when you are getting joy from within yourself, and not when you are getting joy that comes from outside of you, which is merely expansion. Actualizing your potential is a general key to accessing the powers of your soul, but its main use is when you are actualizing the strongest current power of your soul.

Every person needs to find his or her strongest point and try to use it at least once a day, even if only a little, whether in action, speech, or in thoughts. One needs to be aware that he is activating his potential, as he does this. This is how we reach joy. When we gain joy from this, we are activating our potential and then our joy will increase, and the cycle will keep repeating.

This is the joy that we can derive from the power of repaired earth-of-earth. In the next lesson, with the help of Hashem, we will learn about the joy we can derive from water-of-earth.

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Q&A With The Rav

Q1: The Rav explained that a person cannot be happy if there is a factor preventing him from releasing his potential. My strongest point is giving, but there are factors that sometimes make it difficult for me to give. So how can I be happy with my strongest point, which is giving, when I sometimes find it too difficult to give?

A: Giving is a result of a root power in your soul, which is love. If you think your strongest point is giving, then you should know that your strongest point is not giving per se, but love, which giving is a result of.

When you are able to give, be happy with the fact that you were able to actualize your desire to give, but when you aren’t able to give, try to give a little bit, and be happy with the little bit that you have been able to given, even though you cannot give fully, and in that way you will be able to find joy in your ability to give, no matter the situation. You will be able to find joy in the fact that you have overcome your evil inclination not to give.

Q2: What does it mean to actualize the abilities of your soul – does this refer to middos or a different part of the soul?

A: Very good question. We did not elaborate upon that in the lesson, so let’s elaborate on it now. There are generally three garments of the soul: action, speech, and thought. One can actualize his potential in any of these three areas: either through action, speech, or thought. In addition to this, there are also personality traits of the soul which one needs to actualize. One needs to actualize both the outer and inner layers of the soul. One needs to actualize the abilities of his neshamah (Divine soul), the abilities of his nefesh habehaimis (animal level of the soul), and his guf (physical body). Certainly it is more fundamental for a person to actualize his more inner and spiritual abilities, but there is what to be gained from activating the potential of even the less spiritual parts of oneself. So one should be actualizing the full spectrum of his abilities [his spiritual, emotional, and physical abilities].

Q3: One needs to also actualize the powers of his nefesh habehaimis?

A: The nefesh habehaimis also has some good parts in it, which need to be actualized. To illustrate, the Gemara says that a person can learn proper conduct from a cat or from an ant. So there is what to be gained even from the “animal” part of the soul.

One needs to find any of the good abilities that exist in his neshamah, as well as in his nefesh hebehaimis, as well as in his guf, and to release all of the good potential that is in any of these areas.

Q4: Are the abilities of the neshamah, nefesh habehaimis and guf all interconnected, or are each of these abilities separate from each other?

A: That is a fundamental question. At the perfect level of mankind, the nefesh habehaimis is connected with the neshamah and is perfected by the spiritual rays of the neshamah. But ever since man ate from the Eitz HaDaas Tov V’Ra (the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil), the world has become a mixture of good and evil. This caused a split in the internal makeup of man. Therefore, in most people, the neshamah stands on its own, and the nefesh habeheimis is unaffected by the spirituality of the neshamah. This is part of the difficulty in one’s avodah, because one’s neshamah is separate from his nefesh habehaimis, and a person can feel the contradiction between his spiritual parts and his baser parts, and he needs to deal with this contradiction.

Q5: Is there any possibility for a person to reach a level where his nefesh habehaimis is connected with his neshamah?

A: Generally, with most people, their nefesh habehaimis is not connected with their neshamah, In order to reach the level where one’s nefesh habehaimis is connected with his neshamah, one has to undergo a lot of exertion and holiness to get there. Even when one reveals his neshamah, this does not necessarily mean that his nefesh habehaimis has become connected with his neshamah.

Q6: In the past, the Rav has explained how even sadness can be used for good, but here the Rav is saying that sadness is always detrimental because it is the absence of utilizing potential. How are we able to use sadness for good, if sadness is essentially the absence of utilizing our potential (hence sadness is always a bad thing)?

A: Good question. Let’s elaborate. There are abilities in the soul which are good, and abilities in the soul which are evil. If we are not utilizing the forces in the soul that are evil, then it is good to be sad about this absence of utilized potential. In addition, a person is always going through a cycle of expansion and contraction. When one contracts in his soul, as a result of sadness, and as a result he is able to utilize his potential better, this is a good kind of sadness. Holy sadness is whenever a person doesn’t utilize the evil forces in the soul. Another form of holy sadness is when a person contracts for the purpose of being able to utilize his potential better at a later point. An example of this is Shabbos Kodesh, when we are not active. Although we are not being active on Shabbos, our serenity on Shabbos is a holy kind of contraction for our souls, which enables us to fulfill our potential better during the week.

Q7: Is sadness in essence a good thing or is it a bad thing?

A: Every power that Hashem has created is good, and only when misuse a power does it become evil. We call it evil not because it is intrinsically evil, but only because it is being used in the negative sense, since it isn’t being used correctly.

Q8: I gain joy just by listening to the Rav’s shiurim, because I feel that it gives me an approach to find joy, even though I’m not there yet. Is that enough, or do I need to do more than that, in order to arrive at joy?

A: It is good that you feel clarity, but it won’t be enough. You need to do at least one small action a day that will generate joy for you.

Q9: I feel that my strongest point is that I don’t give up, because I am able to withstand difficulties and I don’t fall into despair. How can I make more use of this power throughout my day, and not only when I encounter majorly difficult situations?

A: There is a general kind of despair, and there is also a more personal kind of despair. The way to counter general despair is by awakening hope, but there is also a more personal kind of despair, on a lesser scale, such as when you feel like you don’t have any energy left to do something and you want to give up on doing it. For this, you can try forcing yourself to do a bit more than you think you can do right now. In this way you can keep make use of your strongest power - not giving up - more often throughout your day.

Q10: The Rav explained that complete joy comes from fully actualizing a potential. How do I fully actualize my potential? Is it by being happy whenever I release my potential? Or is it by actualizing my potential more and more?

A: Complete joy is mainly achieved by focusing and concentrating on the fact that you have released your potential, when you do. This generates more joy and causes you to release your potential more, whereupon the cycle can keep repeating.

Q11: Does joy come from the act itself of actualizing my potential, or does it only come after I have succeeded in concentrating on the fact that I am actualizing my potential?

A: There are three parts to the joy. Actualizing your potential creates joy. After you have actualized your potential and you concentrate on the fact that you have just actualized your potential, you gain another degree of joy. This completes your joy, and then you can an added degree of joy after you have actualized your potential and you have also focused on your success. So there are three parts to the joy. There is joy in the process itself of actualizing your potential, there is another joy which comes after you have focused on the fact that you have actualized your potential, and the resulting joy from this creates another degree of joy for you.