[Avodah] Ahavat Chinam

[Sholom Simon]

> Thus RMMS (the last LR) explained that R' Nachman could state "mitzvah
> gedolah lihyos besimchah tamid" even in these 9 Days. Because people
> can feel mixed emotions, one can be besimchah about being an eved
> Hashem even while feeling aveilus for the tragedy of the churbanos
> (and everything that ensued from them).

This is exactly why RMMS exhorted his chassidim to try to attend a siyyum
each of the Nine Days.  (This, despite the fact that attending such a
siyyum does not allow one to eat meat* (al pi L minhagim).)  The idea
being, as RMB related, the joy of being an eved H" is always permitted,
and, during the Nine Days, it's appropriate to remind ourselves that the
way to defeat darkness is with light.

-- Sholom

(*which leads to the amusing situation -- in our local shul, there are
siyyumim most of the Nine Days, with a BBQ, and just about everybody eats
meat from the BBQ except the shul rabbis).