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Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz: “A person who is sad cannot connect with the divine.”

Sadness is a negative attribute, the opposite of joy, in which a person feels that his situation is dire as he sinks into a state of unwillingness and inability to do anything.

Hasidism emphasizes that sadness for any reason is a bad trait, like anger or pride.

Even more than the other negative attributes, it is a great obstacle to divine service, for a person who is sad cannot connect with the divine.

Therefore, one must avoid sadness to the best of one’s ability.

–Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz