Question:
I know you’re not supposed to be sad or cry on Shabbos, but what can I do if a medication I take is overriding another medication that is supposed to be keeping me in a good mood and I can’t help myself? Is it still an עבירה on Shabbos?
Answer:
Hello,
Do the best you can. One of the ideas of Shabbos is that it is a day we spend together with Hashem, and we are in His company for a full 24 hours! What a zechus. Think about this idea… Hashem is coming to visit ME?! WOW!
The yomim tovim all have a special mitzva that we do on them; shofar, matzoh, lulav, succah, fasting, teshuva. However, on Shabbos there is no specific Torah mitzva that we are obligated to do. The reason is that Hashem just wants us to abstain from doing melacha, so we can concentrate on Him and work on developing a relationship with Him. Hashem wants us to enjoy our time together with Him, so we have the idea of oneg Shabbos.
In general, it might be a good idea for you to buy a sefer in English that talks about the specialness of Shabbos, and this might help you get into a better mood. If you need a suggestion, let me know what style you would like, and I’ll try to find you something.
Best wishes
What can I do if I can’t help it? Is it still an עבירה?
You do what you can. Including looking for ways to keep happy on Shabbos. After that, Hashem is not demanding that we be angels, just good humans who are connected to Him.
Do the best you can.
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