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A certain Jewish leader had a private meeting scheduled with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Leading up to the meeting, the individual’s 13-year-old daughter wrote a letter to the Rebbe. “Dear Rebbe, like many other righteous people, my father has a great wish to live in the Land of Israel…Please make my father happy by giving him your consent and blessing to make Aliya.”
The Rebbe’s response to the young girl was detailed and profound. He validated her feelings, but at the same time explained the importance of her father’s communal work. “… Knowing your father, I have no doubt that he will feel in his element only in a place where he can fully utilize his knowledge and qualities for the benefit of the many. Based on this, you will surly realize that he will be truly happy if he continues in his present situation and country.”
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There is a form of happiness that comes from fulfilling our desires and then there is true happiness that results from fulfilling our potential and becoming a channel for something greater than ourselves.
When we forget about our own pursuits and instead devote ourselves fully to a greater cause, it is then that we attain genuine happiness.
Man is not a “needy” being but a “purposeful” being. When we immerse ourselves into things beyond the self, we graduate from artificial gratification to authentic inner happiness.
In today’s era and society, the self dominates. But self-absorption is counterproductive, because happiness lies not in meeting our needs but in achieving our purpose.