NOW MOSHE AND THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL

 COMMANDED THE PEOPLE, SAYING:

AND IT SHALL BE: AT THE TIME

THAT YOU CROSS THE JORDAN INTO THE LAND

THAT THE LORD YOUR GOD IS GIVING YOU,

YOU ARE TO SET UP FOR YOURSELF GREAT STONES

AND ARE TO PLASTER THEM WITH PLASTER;

YOU ARE TO WRITE ON THEM ALL THE WORDS OF THIS INSTRUCTION, WHEN YOU CROSS OVER,

IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY ENTER THE LAND

 THAT THE LORD YOUR GOD IS GIVING YOU,

A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY,

AS THE LORD, GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, PROMISED YOU.

NOW IT SHALL BE, ON YOUR CROSSING THE JORDAN:

SET UP THESE STONES ABOUT WHICH I COMMAND YOU TODAY

ON MOUNT EVAL AND PLASTER THEM WITH PLASTER.

YOU ARE TO BUILD THERE AN ALTAR TO THE LORD YOUR GOD,

AN ALTAR OF STONES;

YOU ARE NOT TO SWING AGAINST THEM ANY IRON.

WITH COMPLETE STONES YOU ARE TO BUILD

 THE ALTAR OF THE LORD YOUR GOD.

WHEN YOU SLAUGHTER SHALOM OFFERINGS,

YOU MAY EAT THEM THERE,

AND YOU ARE TO REJOICE

BEFORE THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD YOUR GOD.

AND YOU ARE TO WRITE ON THE STONES

ALL THE WORDS OF THIS INSTRUCTION, EXPLAINED WELL.

(Devarim 27)

 

The Promise of the Land: End or Means

"You are to write on them all the words of this instruction . . in order that you may enter the land" - said Rabbi Avraham: For the Lord will help you when the mitzvoth become obligatory, for this is the first mitzvah upon their entering the land. In my opinion, "in order that you may enter" alludes to all the words of the Torah, this is to say, you shall write on the stones all the words of this instruction immediately upon crossing the Jordan in order to enter the land, because it is for this Torah that you come there. Similarly, "Your servant and your maid may rest as one like yourself, in order that you bear in mind the you were a serf" - your servant and maid like you shall rest, so that you remember that you were a serf.. An alternate reason, write upon them all the words of this Torah so that it be for you a reminder, so that you will enter the land and conquer it, and inherit all those nations thanks to your bearing in mind the Torah and observing all its commandments.

(Ramban, Devarim 27)

 

For this Torah you are coming into the land - this is the rationale for the mitzvah of setting up the stones, for only by the merit of Torah did we merit inheriting the land.

(Rabeinu Bahayey, ibid.)

 

The Divine promise is always bound up with presenting man with a demand. Perhaps it may be said that the fulfillment of every mission is bound up with the fulfillment of the promise; the two are bound together, without any possibility of separation.

(Y. Leibowitz: Seven Years Of Discussion Of The Weekly Parasha, p. 898)

 

 

IN JOY AND IN GLADNESS

Rami Pinchover

 

Two parashot in the Torah deal with tochecha -admonition: " Ki Tavo" and "Bechukotai" at the end of the Book of Vayikra. These parashot detail the reward and punishment which await those who follow or those who reject the regulations and laws of the Lord. If we heed His voice, the blessings of the Lord will rest everywhere; the rain will fall in its season, the earth will yield its harvest, and there will be peace in the land. But if, Heaven forbid, we do not heed His voice, we can expect famine, war, desolation, and exile.

Looking back over 3000 years of history, it may be said that we have before us a theological interpretation of Jewish history, for throughout history, we have gone through all that is described in these parashot, and even more. For me, there is no verse in our parasha more hair-raising in its description of God's anger than: "And it shall be: as God once delighted in you by doing good for you and by making you many, thus will God delight in you by causing you to perish and by destroying you, and you shall be pulled up from the soil that you are entering to possess" (Devarim 28:63), and the awesomely majestic expression of Yirmiyahu's fury, in the Haftara of Parashat "Bechukotai": "For you have kindled the flame of my wrath, which will burn for all time" (Yirmiyahu 17:4)

Chazal and various commentators noted the differences between the two versions of the tochecha. But one difference unnoticed (to the best of my knowledge) by the commentators is the nature of the sin. In "Bechukotai", the reason for the castigation is clear and unequivocal: "Because my regulations they spurned, and my laws they repelled" (Vayikra 26:43). In our parasha, however, all that is said is "Because you did not serve the Lord your God in joy and in good feeling of heart out of the abundance of everything" (Devarim 28:47). In Vayikra, the punishment comes on the heels of failure to observe the mitzvoth, primarily the mitzvoth of Shabbat Haaretz—of letting the land lie fallow in the seventh year. In our parasha, however, the problem is of a totally different nature. The subject is the observance of mitzvoth, albeit in an inappropriate manner, observance without delight, without desire, without simcha— joy.

A number of questions are in order: Where did we ever learn that mitzvoth must be observed in joy? And if we are indeed so charged, how does one observe mitzvoth in joy? And an even more difficult question: How is it possible to command someone to be happy? [A similar question is raised regarding "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your might (Devarim 6:5) -a command ostensibly of an emotional nature].

At the end of the Bikkurim [Offering of the First Fruits] ceremony, which appears at the beginning our parasha, there is an allusion to the simcha requirement: "You are to rejoice in all the good things that the Lord your God has given you and your household, you and the Levite and the sojourner that is In your midst" (Devarim 26:11). The person who brings the first fruits is commanded to rejoice in the good of the land. Ibn Ezra explains: "The reason [for the inclusion] of 'you and the Levite and the sojourner' is that you are obligated to make them happy with the fruits of your land."

In the midrash Vayikra Rabba, R' Yitzchak bar Merion expounds: "The Torah taught you proper behavior, that when a person performs a mitzvah, he should do it with a happy heart. (Parasha 34 [8])

In Chazal's view, it is most praiseworthy for one to perform the mitzvoth joyfully (See also the book of my teacher and uncle, Prof. E. E. Urbach: Chazal: Emunot Ve'deot, p. 341, et. al.)

In contrast to these allusions, Rambam detects davka in our verse the source for the demand to perform mitzvoth joyfully, and also shows the way to be joyful:

The joy [stated in the Torah] is that man should rejoice in the performance of mitzvoth and whoever disallows himself this joy is deserving of punishment, as is written: "Because you did not serve the Lord your God in joy and in good feeling of heart out of the abundance of everything" and whoever is haughty and honors himself in these places is a sinner and a fool, and this was the subject of Shlomo's warning: "Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence" (Proverbs 26:6), and he who lowers himself, and is humble in these place, he is the great and respected one who serves out of love, and so spoke David, King of Israel: "and dishonor myself even more, and be low in my own esteem" (II Samuel 6:22), and there is nothing greater and more honorable than to rejoice before the Lords, as is written: "David whirled with all his might before the Lord" (ibid.). (Laws of Shofar and Lulav and Ethrog, 8:16)

Ramban, on the other hand, learns the obligation to perform mitzvoth joyfully from the following verse: 'There He imposed for them law and judgment, and there he tested them' (Shemot 15:25):

In Marra He gave them some matters to be studied, indicating that He informed them of those laws and taught them: 'In the future, The Holy One, Blessed Be He, will command you to observe these'; such was the way our father Avraham taught the Torah, he got them used to the mitzvoth to determine whether they receive them with joy and a happy heart, and this is the test, as is written, 'And there He tested them' and told them that He would impose more mitzvoth, as is written: 'If you will hearken, yes, hearken to the voice of the Lord your God... giving ear to His commandments' with which He commands you.'

From the Torah, the Mishna, the Midrash, Rambam, Ibn Ezra, and Ramban we have learned that the performance of a mitzvah without joy and without making others happy blemishes the essence of the mitzvah, and perhaps even more than that. The question is asked: How do we express joy? How do we perform the mitzvoth joyfully?

The Mishna (Maaser Sheini 5:12) answers through its exposition and commentary on the verse at the end of the of Viduy maaserot - the proclamation made upon completion of tithing: "I have hearkened to the voice of the Lord my God" - I have brought it to the Chosen Place, "I have done according to all that you have commanded me" - I was happy, and I made others happy with it. "The Rambam also issued the same ruling. (Laws of Maaser Sheini and Neta Revai 11:15)

Observance of the mitzvah of bringing tithes is imperfect without rejoicing and causing others to rejoice. Simcha is incomplete without the participation of the weak of society. The path of joint and egalitarian eating and drinking, the path of concern for the weak, this is the way we are required to fulfill the mitzvah. According to the above-mentioned Ibn Ezra, we have an obligation to share with the weak and the needy. Joy is the essence of mitzvah observance. Joy cannot be solitary; in order to rejoice, one must share his joy with others. He is obligated to share with the sad, the needy, those who lack the wherewithal to rejoice, those hungering for bread. Therefore, an indispensable part of the Viduy maaserot includes the proclamation regarding the farmer in Eretz Yisrael fulfilling his social obligations towards society, as is written: "I have also given it to the Levite, to the sojourner, to the orphan and to the widow, according to all your command that you have commanded me." There is no need to explain that the Torah refers also to the ger toshav, the gentile who dwells in Eretz Yisrael. (It should be noted that having society's weak share in the crops is one of the foundations of the mitzvoth dependenat upon the Land (See, for example, Vayikra 19:9; 23:22; 25:6; Devarim 12:12; 14:29, in general and the mitzvah of Shemitta in particular. Thus the punishment predicted in Parashat Bechukotai, which results from the transgression of non-observance of the Shmitta year with all its social ramifications, is tied to the punishment for observing the mitzvoth while ignoring concern for the weak. The punishment in both admonitions is a consequence of ignoring the weak members of society.)

The joy motif passes like a scarlet thread throughout our parashah's tochecha, and the verse which with we opened our words above may be seen as a 'measure for measure' -": "Because you did not serve the Lord your God in joy and in good feeling of heart" - "Thus will God delight in you by causing you to perish and by destroying you, and you shall be pulled up from the soil that you are entering to possess."

We have learned how to fulfill those mitzvoth related to eating in joy, but how does one fulfill the mitzvoth of simcha in other contexts?

This midrash says: "R' Matana said: "Because you did not serve the Lord your God in joy and in good feeling of heart" - what is that service which is marked by "joy and good feeling of heart"? Say: this is poetry; from here we derive that song is a Torah obligation." (Yalkut Shimoni, Ki Tavo 939)

A story is told about the Baal Shem Tov, who came to a town before Rosh Hashanah and asked the inhabitants "Who will be the cantor for the Days of Awe?" They replied: "The town rabbi." Asked the Besht: "In what fashion does he pray?" They replied: "He sings all the confessions of Yom Kippur with joyous melodies." The Besht called for him and asked: "Why does he sing the confessions in joy?" Replied the rabbi: "A servant who cleans the filth from the king's courtyard, if he loves the king, he is very happy as he cleans the filth from the courtyard and sings songs of joy, for he is giving the king satisfaction." Said the Besht: "May my portion be with you." (Agnon, Sipurei HaBesht, p. 32)

From all the above, we learn that there is no point in dwelling in this land without joy. There is no joy without making others happy. There is no purpose to dwelling on our land, if by this dwelling we cause suffering (not to mention injustice or things worse) to gentiles who dwell among us.

Only if we know how to fulfill the mitzvoth with joy, sharing our joy with all who live among us, only then will be fulfilled that wonderful verse which concludes the ceremonies of Bikkurim and Viduy Maaser: "Look down from your holy abode, from heaven, and bless your people, Israel, and the earth that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey." (Devarim 26:15)

For additional study see Prof. Yochanan Mops, Love And Joy: Law, Language, And Religion In The Bible And In The Literature Of The Sages, Magnes Publication, Hebrew University.

Rami Pinchover is an engineer and a student

 

 

"You Shall Be Happy - You Shall Make Others Happy" - Joy As a Spiritual and Social Challenge

R' Yehoshua of Sakhnin said in the name of R' Levi: In the merit of two things Israel purifies itself before the Omnipresent, in the merit of the Shabbat and in the merit of tithes. >From where the merit of Shabbat? "If you refrain from trampling the Shabbat" (Isaiah 58:13), and what follows? "Then I will set you aside the heights of the earth" (Ibid. 14). From where the merit of tithes? "You are to rejoice in all the good things that the Lord your God has given you and your household, you and the Levite and sojourner that is in your midst" (Devarim 26:11)

 (Pesikta D'Rav Kahanah, Mandelboim ed., Parasha 10)

 

"You shall rejoice on your festival" (Devarim 16:14) You find three references to joy in regard to the [Sukkoth] festival: "You shall rejoice on your festival" (Devarim 16:14), "And you shall be, oh so joyful!" (Ibid., ibid. 15), and "And you are to rejoice before the presence of the Lord your God for seven days" (Vayikra 23:40). But with regard to Pessach, joy is mentioned not even once. Why not? Because on Pessach, the grain crop is standing in judgment, and no one knows if it will succeed this year or not, therefore there is no mention of joy. An alternate explanation as to why joy is not mentioned: because of the death of the Egyptians.                          

 (Psikta D'Rav Kahana (Mandelboim), Addenda, Parasha 2)

 

How to Rejoice... When You Are Sad

If you do not feel happy, pretend.

Even if you are caught up in depression, try to smile, act as if you are happy.

And the true joy... will certainly come.

 (From Discussions of R' Nachman of Breslav)

 

The Connection Between Song and Joy

Get used to singing a tune,

This will give you new life and will fill you with joy.

(Anthology of Advice by R' Nachman of Breslav)

           

Gentiles Who Are Gathered Beneath the Wings of the Shechina Are the Children of Avraham

The ger brings [Bikkurim] and recites, for Avraham was told "For I will make you a Father of a Throng of Nations"; he is the father of all the world who gather beneath the wings of the Shechina, and Avraham was first to receive the promise that his descendents would inherit the land; Kohanim, Levites also bring and recite, because they have [land in] unenclosed cities.

(Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Bikkurim 4:3)

 

I received queries from the master and teacher Ovadia, the enlightened and the understanding, a true convert, may God repay his actions and may his reward be complete from the Lord, God of Israel, under whose wings he came to find refuge.

Your question regarding the matter of blessing and prayers, when you pray alone or when you pray with the public, should you say: "Our God and God of our fathers", "Who sanctified us with His mitzvoth and commanded us", "Who set us aside", "Who chose us", and all similar instances.

You are to recite all as formulated, change nothing; just as every member of Israel prays, so are you to bless and pray, whether you pray in private or whether you are a sh'liach tzibbur - a cantor representing the congregation. The basis for this is that Avraham our Father taught the entire people, and enlightened them, and informed them of the true faith, and The Holy One, Blessed Be He, chose him, and he rebelled against idolatry, and he annulled its service, and he gathered many sons beneath the wings of the Shechina and he taught them and he instructed them, and he commanded his children and the members of his household after him to keep the way of the Lord... Therefore, whoever converts, until the end of all generations, and whoever unifies the name of The Holy One, Blessed Be He, as is written in the Torah, is considered a disciple of Avraham our Father, may he rest in peace, and they are all members of his household.

                         (From the Rambam's Response to Ovadia the Convert)

 

 

 

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