Happiness is really a verb, disguised as an object.
(AY:WK OYRBD) „.VBRQB RwA RGHW YWLHW HTA VTYBLW VYQLA ÂH VL ITN RwA BWUH LKB TXMsW„
“And you shall rejoice in all the good Hashem, your G-d, gave you and your home, you and the Levite and the stranger in your midst.” (Devarim 26:11)
Once again, the Torah seems to be dictating our emotions, commanding us to feel a certain way. After one brings his offering, hands it to the Kohain, and recites the declaration, he is commanded to be happy with all the good Hashem has given him and his family. Of course, it may simply be an announcement that once one has done these things, he will feel satisfied and happy, but it seems to be worded like a mitzvah.
We can try to gain more insight from the context of the verse because it includes the others. While Rashi says the Torah is telling us that both the Levite and the Ger must bring Bikkurim, there doesn’t seem to be much connection to the happiness mentioned in the posuk. The Targum Yonason says that the Levite and Ger will eat with you which sounds like they are enjoying the bounty you have, which would make sense in the context.
At this point, you might think the word v’samachta, “you shall be happy,” can also mean, “you shall make happy,” referring to the ones with whom you share your good fortune. However, as Rashi taught us earlier (24:5), it would have to be v’seemachta to refer to making others happy. So, what is going on here?
It would seem the Torah is telling us what kind of joy we are to have, and how to reach it. When one brings his first fruits to the Bais HaMikdash, he begins by discussing all that Hashem has done for him. How he originally had nothing, and Hashem brought us to this land, gave us rain and crops, and is responsible for all we have. One who does this right, is able to share what he has, because he understands it was a gift to him to begin with.
The commentaries highlight that the posuk says to rejoice in “all the good” that Hashem has given, and Chazal say, “Ain tov elah Torah, there is no “good” but Torah.” In this vein, we can explain that the way a person is able to appreciate his good fortune, even while giving his money away to the Bais HaMikdash and to other people, is to look at things through a Torah lens. By doing so, one can graciously and joyously part with his wealth, because he knows that’s why it was given to him.
It therefore turns out the Torah isn’t directing our emotions, that we must feel a certain way, but rather it is directing our actions. We must study Torah and gain its understanding so we get to the point where we can happily share what Hashem has given us. To Rashi’s point, we can now also be happy when we see others having success; when the Levi and the Ger have their own gifts to thank Hashem for, we rejoice in that as well, because we don’t feel jealous or like anything has been taken away from us.
The Torah’s way of looking at the world opens new vistas of humanity for us which enable us to lose our selfishness and think on a larger scale. We begin to see everyone else as part of Hashem’s plan for the world, and we are glad they are in our lives. This is so liberating as to be its own reason to celebrate.
A twelve-year old boy decided he would grow long payos, sidelocks, which are a fulfillment of the mitzvah not to ‘destroy’ the hair of the head at the temples. Though he came from a Chasidic background, this was still highly unusual at the time he did it, back in the 1950’s. It wasn’t common for Jews to be so “noticeably” Jewish.
He explained his reasoning. He loved Westerns but felt that the movies were a distracting force in his studies. He knew that if he wore long payos, he would be too embarrassed to go into a theater. At the end, this young man grew to be a great Talmid Chacham - because he knew how to force his own hand.
©2025 – J. Gewirtz
