Daily Chizuk #0040

We are commanded in the Torah to love Hashem and to fear Hashem. We're commanded to love people and not to be jealous of them. When the Jewish People went out to war they were commanded not to fear the opposing army, even if they would be charging at them with their horses and chariots. There are so many of the Mitzvot that have to do with our emotions that one might ask, how can we be commanded to feel a certain way? Aren't emotions natural? The Pele Yo'etz writes in his discussion on happiness that our brains are so powerful, with the right thought process, we could control all of our emotions. We can decide to be happy or sad, to love or to hate, to be calm or to be anxious, to feel secure or to have fear. It's not an easy task, but it's very rewarding. The Pele Yo'etz brings the Pasuk in Mishleh which describes its achievements: "טוב ארך אפים מגיבור - someone who's patient is better than a strongman- ומושל ברוחו מלוכד עיר- and someone who rules over his emotions is better than a person who could conquer an entire city single handedly.
The work of Emunah is to internalize its principles until they become our very essence, until the belief is so strong that it penetrates our hearts and it becomes our natural reaction. It is available and attainable by everyone. Constant review of the same principles, over and over, from different angles will turn us into those people that we're meant to be.