| Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, of blessed memory, asked why King David would learn at night and then play music on his harp. He explained that powerful joy and sweetness filled King David’s heart when he studied Torah. His overwhelming joy was so intense that he needed to express it through music!
The Rokeach stated, "There is joy, like the joy of performing a mitzvah." Rabbi Nachum Zev Zissel, the son of the Saba M'Kelm, would visit patients in the hospital once a week. He noted that no mitzvah brought him as much joy as the mitzvah of visiting the sick.
Tonight marks Rosh Chodesh Adar. The Torah teaches us, "When Adar comes in, it is appropriate to increase your joy." The letters of אדר (Adar) stand for אני השם רופאך (Ani Hashem Rofecha, "I am Hashem your healer").
Today: We remember that Purim falls within Adar, a month during which Hashem performed miracles for Klal Yisrael. May we witness many miracles in our own days.
(Based on Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch on the Parashah)
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“And they shall make Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell within their midst.” (Shemos 25:8)
There is nothing more Holy and elevated than the Holy One, Blessed be He. Nonetheless, He "lowered Himself" so that the Shechinah could dwell in the Mishkan. Moreover, Hashem chose to “dwell” in the hearts of every member of Klal Yisrael.
How much more, then, should we not consider it beneath our dignity to interact with those who have not had the opportunity to receive a Torah education, or with individuals who may not behave as they should despite having a good Torah education? Instead of denigrating them, we should strive to draw closer to avodas Hashem.
This past week, we marked the yahrzeit of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, the founder of the Mussar Movement, who asserted that ethical conduct is the very essence of Torah observance. Countless stories about Rav Yisrael illustrate his profound sensitivity to others.
For example, once while walking to the Shul on Yom Kippur, where he served as Rabbi, he heard a baby screaming loudly. The intensity of the cry caught his attention, prompting him to investigate the situation. He arrived at the house from which the sound came and found a young girl trying to comfort the baby, but to no avail. Her mother had gone to Shul to hear Kol Nidrei and had left the baby with her small child. Rav Yisrael took the crying baby into his arms and comforted her until the mother returned home. Although he was the Rabbi of the Shul and would be late for Kol Nidrei, he understood that it was vital to attend to the needs of the baby and her sister.
Today: Make a commitment to empathize with the pain of others. Reach out to them and do something to alleviate their suffering. | 
