משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה

אמר רב יהודה בריה דרב שמואל בר שילת משמיה דרב כשם שמשנכנס אב ממעטין
בשמחה כך משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה
(:תענית כ"ט)

A couple of notes concerning this gemara with which we are all familiar:

1. A reader once pointed out there is a tendency to assume that this שמחה applies solely to the month of אדר, perhaps only to the lead up to פורים. However, רש"י's interpretation would indicate that this is very much not the case. He writes:

משנכנס אדר: ימי נסים היו לישראל פורים ופסח

Clearly, the hapiness and joy which we strive for with the onset of אדר is meant to carry through consecutively through פסח.

2. My Zadie, Rabbi Yaakov Bulka, points out that the gemara quoted above is making a clear corrolation between אב and אדר. As we know, the reduction of שמחה in the month of אב is for all intents and purposes absolute as virtually all forms and expressions of שמחה are eschewed. Likewise, explains my Zadie, the שמחה in אדר shall not be a mere increase in joy and happiness. Rather, we must strive to reach a level of absolute and total שמחה.

May we all be זוכה to reach that level.

חודש טוב