Simcha: The Art of Joyous Living

Parshat Ki Tavo

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Nechama Leibowitz was fond of teaching her students to find the "milah mancha" – a shoresh (root noun or verb), word or phrase that appears numerous times in a given section.

In Parshat Ki Tavo, a surprising "milah mancha" is the root of the word "simcha," meaning joy. While the word only appears in three contexts, each instance brings its own set of immeasurable valuable lessons.

The first reference to joy comes in the context of bringing the first fruits. After placing the basket on the floor of the Mishkan, having said one's declaration of gratitude, the Torah says "You will rejoice in all the bounty that God has given you, along with the Levite and the 'ger' who lives amongst you." (26:11) The joy here comes from a recognition that the gifts we enjoy come from God.

The second mention of joy alerts the people of a time in the hopefully not-too-distant future when they will gather at Mount Eival after having crossed into the land of Canaan. Moshe instructs them as to how they will construct a Mizbeach (an altar) out of uncut stones and bring sacrifices upon it. They will also take very large stones, coat them with limestone and write the words of the Torah upon them - which they will read, and which will serve as a reminder to them of their relationship with God. In the midst of all the festivities, "You will bring peace offerings there and you will rejoice before your God." (27:7) The joy will come from a feeling of closeness to God, because we are in the land He promised, and we are seeing the circle of the Redemption from Egypt coming to a close.

The third time we see the word "simcha" is in the Tokhacha (Rebuke), when the people are told that all the curses will come upon you "because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a merry heart on account of having plenty of everything." (28:47) This notion would seem to be a reference to the concern voiced in Devarim 8:14-20 when Moshe warns of what will happen when things are going well for you and "your heart becomes elevated, and you forget God who took you out of Egypt… [to the point that] you'll say in your heart, 'It was my own strength and fortitude that got me here.'"

It seems the Torah is suggesting that for some people money can buy happiness. But the idea that the money causes people to forget God, and consequently not to serve God with joy, is one of the ingredients that will bring about the curses of the Rebuke.

Living life with joy, and rejoicing with God, seems to be an easy antidote to life's ills and pitfalls. For some people, living life with joy is much easier said than done. There are everyday pressures from bosses, children, spouses. There are bills to pay. There is the ever-present concern of "Am I doing right in how I am raising my children?" It's hard to live in the moment and to simply be happy.

Those who follow the teaching of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov that "it is a great mitzvah to be happy," have a built in reminder that as much as everything weighs on the shoulders, there is a higher calling. We can look at all the blessings we have and be reminded that life is good.

I like to think the Tokhacha has been visited upon the Jewish people enough times. I like to believe that the warnings are a remnant of a time that was, and that they need not happen again. Less than 70 years after the Holocaust, however, there are still survivors and certainly many children of survivors who know that the Tokhacha was fulfilled yet again during that period of very recent history. And I am certainly not suggesting that I understand the ways of God as to why it had to happen. Giving reasons for the Holocaust is at the least insulting to all its victims and smacks of pure ignorance.

But the Torah explains why the curses of the Tokhacha would be visited upon the Jewish people, and it tacks in the message of not serving God with joy.

We need to find joy in everything we do. We need to rise above the mundane and the day-to-day concerns that pull us down and prevent us from feeling joy.

Bringing the first fruit was a reminder that, despite everything that might be difficult, there is bounty in your life. Tap into it, know where it comes from (hint: God), appreciate it, and rejoice with it.

The celebration at Mt. Eival, which is recounted in Yehoshua Chapter 8, was a reminder that God fulfills His promises – even though the fulfillment of the promises sometimes comes to a different generation. There is merit to serving God, to fostering the man-God relationship and rejoicing in the gift that from being God's People.

We build the relationship through our time commitments, our monetary commitments, and through our life choices. We pray, we learn, we act, we serve, we fulfill commandments, and many are committed to growing in observance, in learning, and in each person's closer feelings for God.

If we smile more, and rejoice more in our service and dedication to God, who knows what can happen? Maybe the Messiah will come. And maybe we'll become a light unto others as we are "motzim chen b'einei Elokim v'adam" – finding favor in the eyes of God and Mankind.

Sukkot: Only Joy (from the Jewish Star)

See my article in the Jewish Star over here or read it below.

Sukkot: Only Joy

Oct. 2, 2009 / 14 Tishrei 5770

The Torah commands us twice to rejoice on Sukkot. For Shavuot it only says to rejoice one time. For Pesach “joy” is not mentioned at all: it’s hard to rejoice when you’re thinking about the chametz you might still have in your house.
“V’samachta b’chagekha… v’hayita’ akh sa’me’ach.” [Devarim 16:14-15] You shall rejoice, and be only happy.

Only happy! Does that mean you can’t be sad at all? Does that mean you can’t have any not-so-happy thoughts or feelings? How does a person do that?

Rabbi Nachman of Braslav introduced the idea which has become a popular song — most of us probably know the song better than we know how to live up to its teaching — Mitzvah Gedolah Lihyot B’simcha Tamid. It’s a great mitzvah to be joyous always.

Rabbi Nachman acknowledges that it is human nature to be more easily depressed than overjoyed, and that life has its ways of doing that to a person. So a person must strive to overcome the difficulties. “For all ailments come only from sadness and depression. Therefore we must rejoice with all that we can, even with words of nonsense.” This could mean to tell jokes. It could mean to talk about nothing. It could mean to act silly. Whatever it takes to help you be happy, that’s what you need to do.

The Talmud (Taanit 8a) says, “Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi says, ‘if you are happy (or accepting) of the trials life gives you — you bring salvation to the world!’”

Life is a test. Sometimes there are ups and sometimes there are downs. The economic climate this year is not what it was a year ago. Some of us are not doing as well as we were before things took a bad turn. Some of us are out of work and are struggling.

The Mishnah in Avot (4:1) says, “Who is wealthy? The one who is happy with his portion.” In other words, non-physical wealth is determined by the state of your heart. If you are at peace with the situation life puts you in, you are “wealthy.”

The Torah tells us in the middle of the tokhacha of Ki Tavo, one of the reasons why these curses come upon us is “when you had plenty of everything, you would not serve G-d your Lord with happiness and a glad heart.” When times were good, the Torah is saying, we needed to serve G-d with pure joy. We need to remember to thank G-d for the good things in our lives: “Thank you, G-d. Thank you for all the good in my life. Thank you for the friends and the love in my life. The joy I experience from being alive. The joy I experience from serving you. The joy I get out of being a Jew. The joy I get out of doing for others. The joy I get from learning Torah. The joy I get from living Shabbos. The joy I get from celebrating that we have the Torah. The joy I get from having a relationship with You!”

On these verses in Devarim, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch says, “the joy of your blessedness comes not from your source of income, or your sources of entertainment, but from the Lord your G-d Who bestows this bountiful blessing on you from the place of His Torah and through the means of His Teaching, if you dwell in His tent faithfully.”

It was King David who wrote in Psalm 122, “I rejoiced with those who said ‘Let us go to the House of G-d.’” David himself provided an example of how a person can completely rejoice — letting go of all inhibition — in the service of G-d. Samuel II chapter 6 tells the tale of how he danced in front of the Ark as it was brought to Ir David, Jerusalem, in anticipation of the building of the Temple.

This is how we begin to experience true joy.

Twice a day synagogue-goers have been saying “L’David Hashem Ori” for close to two months. “One request I ask of G-d,” L’David reads. “Let me dwell in the House of G-d all the days of my life. To gaze upon the pleasant ways of G-d and to meditate in His sanctuary.”

If you had one request to make of G-d, what would it be? Why would King David write this as his sole request? Maybe King David did not have a mortgage and tuition bills.

Only one thing mattered to King David — the joy he could get out of life. And he knew, all real joy emanates from where it begins. Joy starts in the House of G-d where we seed our relationship with Him; where we can let go of every inhibition, where we can sing and dance and rejoice in our lives dedicated to the service of G-d. When everything else goes, we still have G-d.

And that is something for which we all can be truly joyous.