Peace & Blessings! Dear Members of Global Yeshiva, i was wondering if anyone know the source in the Gemora/Talmud for the idea that 'hearty laughter is prohibited - since the destruction of the Temple?' - i'm told that Reb.Zara prohibited Laughter in his lessons - but i can't seem to find any mention of Laughter having been banned?! any ideas of where i might find such a declaration? (or is this idea something that i've imagined?) with love Max Ariel...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kohanzad,

SHALOM (Rabbi?) ARIEL
Ive been here only two days and and i see you traced me here too
its a gemoro in brochos. (qouting r' yochonon, resh lokish and being too lazy to look it up this second, i do believe there is a third sage who qouted r' yochonon in the first place - but def. not r' zera)
give me a call for the exact daf (since I didn't call you maybe you will call me if you need it otherwise I should def call you tomorrow)
its a decade daf (i.e. 10, 20 etc)
I believe our mashgiach also mentioned this in his "shmooze" for this week. though since leaving the yeshiva I don't follow (even the current ones) as much as I should.
have you been following it and is that why you are asking or is it just co-incidence?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rabbi Hillel,

Let us make clear we are speaking only of "excessive laughter"

The Gemarrah in Brachos 31a brings it from Uz Yimaley S’chok Pinu

True laghter is spontanious, it is involatary. Hashem created us so that when we persieve some thing funny, we laugh reflectivly. Not only is it not intentional, the more we attempt to suppress it, the more it over comes us. One Shabbat I made a crack that set off both my wife and my mother-in-law. The more they tried to get under controll the more they laughed. They had to go out side to get it under controll. On their return they averted their eyes from me for fear that one glance would set them off again.

No other animal can laugh at something funny. Only man, created by Hashem in his image.

How then can we obey this commandment to refrain from even hearty laughter?

To Max Ariel,

I've been to Scotland. What do you find there that causes laghter?

just as an interesting side point being purim koton today.
the shach on the last simon in shulchan aruch comments on tov lev mishte tomid that thru the simcho now one reaches (brings? the simcho of the geula)
I would imagine he is reffering to non excessive simcho as opposed to the yimolei schok of the geulo

in doing my usual google search when i am asked a halachik question or looking something up, I found that reb yaacov was tryign to get reb zeira to laugh but he would not laugh because of the ban on daf 31a in brachos it is quoted in a rashi on daf 23[chaf gimel} in nidah. story of reb zeira and reb yaakov i guess would also be in nidah 23

I think the confusion is because people are familiar with the phrase it is a mitvah always to be happy. That may be the popular refrain but it is not correct. There is no mitzvah to be always happy and the principle is that we should not be totally happy in this world, certainly not all the time. (We all accept breaking the glass at a wedding.)
Although I am a chasid, I am not responsible for chasidut which has a somewhat different view of the world.

Aryeh Shore

While your view does have very strong sources to back it up, Reb Nachman who coined the phrase obviously was no ignoramous, you may not accept his teaching as halacha but you can't knock it like it was not a legitimate view within judaism.
(i believe you realize he did not mean it is one of the 613 mitzvot).

I think the problem is that people don't know what Simcha is. It's not necessary going around in a frivilous manner. The Gemarah in the 2nd Perek of Shabbos says that only Simcha Shel Mitzvah is the proper Simcha and Simcha sheina Shel Mitzvah is of no use. It means we shouldn't walk around being depressed, but happy with our lot doing Mitzvos and learning Torah. That's probably what R' Nachman meant, not that you always must be frivilous.

BS"D
Wasn't it Rabbi Shimon B. Yochai who made the statement in Brachos - perhaps I remember wrong. I thought he said that only when the final redemption comes we can have unrestrained joy. Laughter probably being connected to the fact that our mouth will be filled with glad song. And isn't the source for being happy in Tehillim, 'eevdu es HaShem b'simcha' serve HaShem in joy. And if I am not mistaken the Vilna Gaon also said something similar to Rebbe Nachman. He said that joy is the side of holiness while depression is the sitra achra - 'other side'. Being joyous continously is also from Chabad, aand probably frokm others as well.