A person with emunah will generally have parnassah and success in all his endeavors, as discussed above. In the merit of his emunah, he will enjoy success in his life. But even if the segulah didn’t work for some reason, and despite his emunah, he lacks parnassah and has no success, chalilah, nevertheless, he earns another wonderful benefit from his emunah. He earns happiness. This is because he has emunah and knows everything is for the good.
The Torah writes the tochachah twice. Once is in this week's parashah, and again in parashas Ki Savo. A difference between the two tochachos is that this week's parashah contains some words of comfort to the Jewish nation. For example, it states (26:44-45), גם ואף ...לכלותם געלתים ולא מאסתים לא אויביהם בארץ בהיותם זאת ראשונים ברית להם וזכרתי אלקיכם 'ה אני כי, "Despite all this, while they will be in the land of their enemies, I will not have been revolted by them nor will I have rejected them to obliterate them...because I am Hashem, their G-d..." Whereas the tochachah in parashas Ki Savo doesn't include any comforting words.
The Chasam Sofer zt'l explains that the tochachah of parashas Ki Savo doesn't need comforting words because Hashem's name is mentioned with almost every affliction. As it states (28:21-25) הדבר בך 'ה ידבק, "Hashem will attach the plague to you... 'ה יככה, Hashem will strike you... אויבך לפני נגף 'ה יתנך, Hashem will cause you to be struck down before your enemies," and so on. And when one remembers that all the hardships are from Hashem, that awareness comforts him. He believes that nothing is by chance; it is from Hashem and, therefore, certainly for his good.
Yaakov Avinu wanted to tell his children when the galus would end, but when his children arrived, the Shechinah left him, and he could not tell them. The Sfas Emes zt'l (Vayechi 5631) explains that Yaakov wanted to tell them that Hashem would be with them even in galus, but he wasn't allowed to reveal that to his children because if they knew that Hashem was with them, there would be no galus. All troubles disappear when we know that everything comes from our Father, Who loves us.
2. One Chol HaMoed Succos, Rebbe Shlomo Leib Lenchana zt'l led a tish and shared with his chassidim the following idea: "The entire world isn't worth a krechtz. Our destiny is Olam HaBa. Therefore, we shouldn't be upset when we lack worldly matters; they are trivial. We should keep our focus on the goal, on Olam HaBa."
Just then, a bench collapsed from the weight of the many people standing on it. Some of the chasidim fell and were injured, and the Rebbe was also injured from the incident. The Rebbe emitted a krechtz from the pain.
One of the chassidim asked, "Why is the Rebbe krechtzing? Didn't the Rebbe say this world isn't worth a krechtz?"
The Rebbe replied, "True, the world isn't worth a krechtz, but when it hurts, one shouts and krechtzes from pain." The Beis Yisrael of Gur zt'l repeated this story and explained that it is a natural reaction to krechtz and shout when in pain. But even then, his mind and intellect should remember that this world isn't so important that we should moan over it. Feelings remain feelings, and when one is in pain, he shouts; nevertheless, deep in his heart, he should remember that it is all for the good. When a father brings his son to the dentist, he expects his son will cry during the treatments. The father isn't upset at his son for crying because it is natural for a child to cry when in pain. But if the son says to his father, "Why did you bring me here? Why are you doing this to me?" the father will become upset. The son should trust that everything his father does is for his benefit.
Doctors informed Reb Leibke Glauberman zt'l of Yerushalayim that his legs needed to be amputated r”l. After the amputation, one doctor admitted to Reb Leibke's children that they had made a mistake – the amputation wasn't necessary, after all.
The children were very angry with the doctors. They made their father lame for no reason. They repeated to their father what they had heard. Reb Leibke replied, "The doctors erred; they shouldn't have amputated. But what happened to my legs wasn't a mistake. In my younger years, I heard from the Yanukah (Rebbe Yisrael of Stolin zt'l) that to say, 'If only things were different' is apikorses because it couldn't have been different."
Reb Michoel Ber Weissmandl zt'l saved many people during the Holocaust. He had plans to save tens of thousands more Yidden, but cruel people prevented him. Devastated, Reb Michoel Ber poured out his heart to Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch zy'a (the Rayatz). The Rebbe replied, "And Who did all of this?" The Rebbe reminded him that, ultimately, what occurred was decreed from heaven. Reb Michoel Ber said that the Rebbe's words changed his entire outlook.
3. The next pasuk states אויבך את ועבדת, "You will serve your enemy." Reb Chaim Volozhiner zt'l explains that when one works for someone he doesn't love, it feels like a chore. Now, since he didn't serve Hashem joyfully, he had a similar feeling to serving an enemy. Therefore, מדה כנגד מדה, his punishment is that he must serve his enemy.
Someone asked the Magid of Chernobyl zt'l to be sandek at his son's bris. The Magid asked him, "Will there be a seudas mitzvah after the bris milah?" The man replied that he was very poor and couldn't afford a seudah. The Chernobyler Magid replied, "If you want me to be the sandek at the bris, you have to guarantee me that you will keep the minhag to make a seudah," and the Chernobyler Magid advised him to borrow money from his employer.
The Magid explained, "Eisav's malach is ל"סמא. This is roshei teivos for לעשות אין מילה סעודת, don't make a seudah for a bris milah. לעשות אין מצוה סעודת, don't make a seudas mitzvah. לעשות אין מסכת סיום, don't make a seudah for a siyum masechta. The yetzer hara tries hard to prevent us from conducting these three meals. Unfortunately, when it comes to a siyum, the yetzer hara succeeded. But I won't let him succeed to prevent us from making a meal by a bris. This is why I am so insistent that you make a seudah after the bris milah."
The Bas Ayin zt'l was present when this conversation took place. Sometime afterwards, the Bas Ayin explained the reason the Satan cannot stand the seudos held in honor of a siyum masechta, a mitzvah, or a bris milah. The Satan goes before Hakadosh Baruch Hu and says, "Ploni did this aveirah... And Ploni did that aveirah..." Malach Michoel immediately responds, "Take a look at their broken hearts, even as they performed the aveirah. They don't want to perform the aveirah. In contrast, look at a Yid who finished a masechta, performed a mitzvah, or made a bris milah for his son. Look at how happy he is. He will even throw a party to rejoice in his good fortune." This claim silences the Satan, which is why he tries so hard to prevent us from making a seudas mitzvah.
Chazal (Chagigah 27.) say, כרימון מצות ממלאים ישראל פושעי, the sinners of Israel are filled with mitzvos like a pomegranate is filled with seeds. Rebbe Mendel of Vitebsk zt'l (Pri Ha'Aretz, letter 22) asks, if they perform so many mitzvos, why are they called ישראל פושעי? It is because they perform the mitzvos without joy! This greatly diminishes the value of their mitzvos.
Someone told Rebbe Avraham of Sochochov zy'a, "We are the same age; I learned with you in cheder. I also learn Torah with all my strength and know as much Torah as you. So how did you become the gadol hador while I am considered a regular person?" The Rebbe of Sochochov replied, "When were you extremely happy, happier than any other time?" The man replied that this occurred years ago when he won the lottery. The Sochotchover replied, "You never again had this great joy? Not even once again? Know that each day, when I stretch out my arm to put on tefillin, I am so happy, a thousand times more than when you won the lottery." The man replied, "Then you are right. You are the rebbe! You are the rebbe!"
On a related note, Rebbe Shlomke of Zvhil zt'l would tell about "a Yid from Zvhil" that when he put on tefillin in the morning, his joy and pleasure were greater than the pleasure and joy of the lowest resha'im of the city when they performed their aveiros. (It is known that when Rebbe Shlomke told a story about "a Yid in Zvhil" he was referring to himself.)
A Jewish soldier once came to the tish of the Yesod HaAvodah, and the soldier’s face shone brightly. The Yesod HaAvodah asked him what he does. He replied, "I am a soldier in the king's army. On the first night of Succos, I was standing guard, but I desired immensely to sit in the succah. I risked my life. I left my post and dashed to a succah. I said the brachah, ate a kezayis bread, and returned to my post." The Yesod HaAvodah replied, "You did a great mitzvah. You performed a mitzvah with mesirus nefesh. Nevertheless, that isn't the reason your face shines so brightly. There must be another reason." The soldier said, "When I returned to our camp, I was so happy that I was able to perform this mitzvah, I began to dance with immense joy." The Yesod HaAvodah told him that this was the merit that brought this shine onto his face.
The Chareidim writes, "The Arizal revealed that everything he perceived, his ruach hakodesh, and great revelations in the secrets of Torah, were all a result of the endless happiness with which he performed every mitzvah."
It states (Shir HaShirim 3:11) שמחת וביום חתונתו ביום לבו. The Zohar (Chadash, Bereishis 15:) asks, "What is חתנתו יום? It is the day one can perform the mitzvos of the Torah, for that day is a great joy for tzaddikim. When is that day? It is when he becomes thirteen. It is an obligation for tzaddikim to celebrate that day like the day that one goes to the chuppah."
The Chasam Sofer (וירא ה"ד ויחי) writes, "I said that happiness is the first mitzvah a bar mitzvah bachur performs when he becomes bar mitzvah. It is his joy to accept the yoke of heaven. This joy is a mitzvas asei, a positive command of the Torah, for we must serve Hashem כל מרוב לבב ובטוב בשמחה. I explained that the Torah doesn't explicitly write that we should rejoice on the day one becomes bar mitzvah, just as the Torah doesn't write explicitly that one should be happy on Shavuos, the day we receive the Torah. This is because the Torah can't command us to be happy because perhaps the mitzvos are perceived by the person as a yoke."
