חַת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹא־עָבַ֙דְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב מֵרֹ֖ב כֹּֽל׃
Because you would not serve your God יהוה in joy and gladness over the abundance of everything, https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.28.47
עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה בְּשִׂמְחָ֑ה בֹּ֥אוּ לְ֝פָנָ֗יו בִּרְנָנָֽה׃
worship
the LORD in gladness;come into His presence with shouts of joy.
https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.100.2
Rabbeynu
Bachya: The Torah accuses people who do serve G’d not to have done so joyfully.
A person is obligated not merely to carry out G’d’s instructions but to do so
gladly, in a happy frame of mind. Joy when performing any of G’d’s commandments
is considered as fulfillment of a commandment by itself, meriting additional
reward.
This
is why one may be punished for failing to perform the commandments with a
joyful heart. This is why the Torah requires that its commandments be performed
with full intent and joyfully.
Our
sages in Midrash Ruth Rabbah 5,6 comment concerning this that if Reuven had
been aware that G’d would write in the Torah concerning his attempts to save
Joseph’s life from the hands of his other brothers (Genesis 37,21) that he
would receive a reward not only for his deed but for the good intentions
accompanying same, he would have carried Joseph on his shoulders and brought
him back to his (their) father.
The
Torah also makes a point of underlining the joy in Aaron’s heart when he saw
his brother Moses again after so many years. Had he known that his feelings
would be commented upon favorably (Exodus 4,14), he would have gone out to meet
his brother accompanied by an orchestra of many different musical
instruments.
Had
Boaz known that his offering Ruth food and drink in abundance would be recorded
for eternity as a good deed of his, he would have fed her the choicest parts of
a fatted calf, instead of merely bread and vinegar (Ruth 2,14).
https://www.sefaria.org/Rabbeinu_Bahya,_Devarim_28.47.1
….writes
further
Naturally,
the joy which accompanies the performance of a commandment by an individual Jew
is in a class by itself. Seeing that performance of the commandments is
called עבודת ה',
“serving the Lord,” we can understand what is written in Deut. 28,16 תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה' אלוקיך בשמחה,
“on account of the fact that you did not perform the commandments of the Lord
your G’d with joy, etc.”
When
David writes in Psalms 100,2 עבדו את ה' בשמחה,
“serve the Lord with joy,” he does not refer to the offering of sacrificial
animals but to the performance of each and every commandment which it is our
duty to perform.
Joy
is the ingredient which makes service of the Lord something perfect. This
concept helps us understand the unusual phrase in Numbers 4,46 לעבוד עבודת עבודה.
Concerning this expression our sages in Erchin 11 ask what kind of service this
is that the Torah speaks of there. The answer given in the Talmud is that the
Torah speaks of offering songs and hymns.
The
Levites are commanded to offer songs and encourage expressions of joy to
accompany the sacrificial offerings. All of this was to ensure that joy is the
prevailing sentiment accompanying service of the Lord.
Arizal: joy
increases one’s desire and love of adhering to HaShem-יהו״ה,
blessed is He, ….. For, a person who serves HaShem-יהו״ה,
blessed is He, with melancholy, is likened to a servant who serves his master
with a sullen and annoyed face.
https://www.sefaria.org/Sha'arei_Kedusha,_Part_2_4.30
- Mesillas
Yesharim -….And our sages said: 'the
Divine presence rests on a person only through his rejoicing in a
mitzva' (Shabbat
30b).
Rabbi
Samson Raphael Hirsch points out that the
Hebrew word same'ach (=
happy), is closely related to the word tzome'ach (=
growing). This is because human happiness is contingent on spiritual growth. If
we fail to feel the joy of mitzvos, it is because we are unaware that mitzvos
make us grow.
Rabbi
Manis Friedman (chassidish answer) is that the charge 'serve Hashem
b'simcha' is not a charge to be happy when serving Hashem. It's a result.
If you truly serve Hashem, meaning you are serving Him, you finally get to
escape yourself for a while!
Serving
ourselves, making our lives about us (even if it means 'my spiritual
growth'!) is what makes us depressed. If we realise that we are fulfilling
Hashem's essential Ratzon, it's about Him not us, and at the same time doing
the vitally important work of bringing His plan to completion, fulfilling your
very purpose, then automatically you will be b'simcha.
So
read it 'if you serve Hashem, you'll be b'simcha'
The
Torah is not telling us that we didn’t serve Hashem. It is telling us that we
didn’t serve Him with joy. Is this by itself such a severe transgression that
is should bring about all those terrible punishments described in the Torah?
The
Rebbe Reb Bunim of Parshischa explained this with a famous parable: A teacher
taught the Alef-Bais to his little student, and pointed to each letter: “What
is this?” “An Alef,” said the boy. “What’s under the Alef?” asked the teacher.
“A kometz,” said the boy. The teacher continued with the other letters, until
he reached the Hey.
“What’s
this?” he asked. “A Hey,” said the boy. “What’s underneath the Hey?”
To
the teacher’s surprise, the boy refused to answer. “I won’t say!” he declared,
looking a little scared. After the teacher threatened to punish him, the boy
finally stammered, “Underneath the ‘hay’ is the stolen goat…” The teacher
finally understood why the boy didn’t want to answer. His father had warned him
not to tell anyone what he hid underneath the bale of hay in their barn!
“The
same could be said about us,” Reb Bunim would conclude. “Tachas - what lies
underneath our apathetic service of Hashem? Why are we not serving Hashem with
joy? The answer to this question explains why the Jewish people deserved the
terrible tochacha.” When a person performs the mitzvos properly and values the
Torah, he serves Hashem with true inner joy. His life has a totally different
meaning, and he is deserving of the Torah’s blessings.
It
was chol hamoed Sukkos, when writing is prohibited except under pressing
circumstances. Despite his busy schedule, the Chofetz Chaim penned a careful
letter to the rosh yeshiva of Lomza, Rav Eliezer Shulevits, and sent it to
Lomza posthaste.
The
contents of the letter were surprising. In the missive was contained only a few
terse lines: Regarding the individual you consulted me about, whether he should
be offered the position of mashgiach in your yeshiva, I had originally told you
that he was a suitable candidate. However, I am withdrawing my advice and ask
that you don’t offer him the position.
(Rav)
Yisroel Meir Hakohein Kagan
The
rosh yeshiva of Lomza was very surprised. He had gone to consult with the
Chofetz Chaim before the Yomim Noraim and asked his opinion about the very same
candidate. On that occasion, the Chofetz Chaim had waxed enthusiastic about the
young scholar, praising him as a lamdan, a yorei shomayim, and a ba’al middos.
What had changed in the interim? And why was this such an important message
that it had to be delivered on chol hamoed?
Fortunately,
the candidate had not yet been hired, and Rav Leizer did not have to deal with
retracting his offer. Still, at the first opportunity, he traveled to Radin to
ask the Chofetz Chaim about the letter.
The
Chofetz Chaim, who guarded every word that emerged from his lips, explained:
“When
you had asked me if the candidate was an appropriate choice, I had a high
opinion of him and felt he would be a role model for the bochurim. However, in
the interim he came to see me, and began to krechtz about his life, his
difficult financial challenges, etc. When I saw how full of bitterness and
negativity he was, I quickly wrote a letter retracting my position. After all,
a person who only sees the darkness and constantly focuses on the challenges in
his life, to the exclusion of the many blessings, such a person cannot be in a
position of leadership, especially for young, impressionable bochurim.”
