This week’s parsha, Ki Tavo, discusses many specific laws regarding bringing one’s first fruits as a thanks to G-d, moving on to curses and blessings we receive for doing G-d’s will. Before this, however, is quite the interesting pasuk:
תַּ֗חַת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹא־עָבַ֙דְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְקוָ֣ק אֱלֹקיךָ בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב מֵרֹ֖ב כֹּֽל׃
“Because you would not serve your G-d in joy and gladness over the abundance of everything.”
Take a second and imagine what the next sentence could be. “Because you did not serve your G-d with joy and gladness…?”
Mind you, you are still doing the mitzvot, just not with joy and gladness, so what could Moshe’s response be?
וְעָבַדְתָּ֣ אֶת־אֹיְבֶ֗יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְשַׁלְּחֶ֤נּוּ יְקוָק בָּ֔ךְ בְּרָעָ֧ב וּבְצָמָ֛א וּבְעֵירֹ֖ם וּבְחֹ֣סֶר כֹּ֑ל וְנָתַ֞ן עֹ֤ל בַּרְזֶל֙ עַל־צַוָּארֶ֔ךָ עַ֥ד הִשְׁמִיד֖וֹ אֹתָֽךְ׃
“You shall have to serve—in hunger and thirst, naked and lacking everything—the enemies whom יהוה will let loose against you. [G-d] will put an iron yoke upon your neck until you are wiped out.”
The Torah then proceeds to elaborate on the destruction of the Temple, the exile of Jews, and all number of terrible tragedies that stem from the fact that we did not serve G-d and perform the mitzvot with joy. What is going on here?
It seems disjointed, unfair, and quite a disproportionate punishment compared to the deed, so what can we learn from this?
The joy the Torah is discussing is not the quick-hit, serotonin joy that comes from fleeting experiences. If it was this second form of “joy” while doing mitzvot, then it would be impossible to achieve for the more difficult mitzvot. Jews would be unable to fulfill sitting shiva or burying the dead – setting us up for failure from the start. The joy we must feel comes from the belief that what we are doing is right and good, no matter how difficult it is.
If we don’t find joy in the mitzvot we are doing, the Torah explains, then it is as if we aren’t doing the mitzvot at all, leading to these punishments.
This upcoming month of High Holidays is packed full of opportunities to do mitzvot for us to find authentic joy in, some easier some harder. However, by understanding the “why” of our actions we can embrace this month as a month of boundless opportunity to bring true joy into our lives. Shabbat Shalom.
