The entire book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, is nicknamed Sefer HaTochecha, primarily because of the tochecha, the admonition, which fills the pages of Parshat Ki Tavo with horrific detail about all the curses that will befall the Jewish people if they do not heed God’s commandments. Even though there is another Tochecha we read back in Parshat Bichukotai a few months ago, that was nothing compared to the admonition in this parsha, which is much longer, more brutal, and doesn’t end on a positive note like the first Tochecha does.
וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־לֹ֤א תִשְׁמַע֙ בְּקוֹל֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֤ר לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָ֣יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם וּבָ֧אוּ עָלֶ֛יךָ כׇּל־הַקְּלָל֥וֹת הָאֵ֖לֶּה וְהִשִּׂיגֽוּךָ
But if you do not obey your God יהוה to observe faithfully all the commandments and laws which I enjoin upon you this day, all these curses shall come upon you and take effect [Deuteronomy 28,15]
I remember when I first studied Parshat Ki Tavo in Yeshiva, it was both amazing and unnerving to realize that the passages accurately predicted the future of the Jewish people in exile, making it clear that we cannot dismiss these dire predictions as hyperbole. Moreover, we’re only two weeks away from Rosh Hashana when our potential for the entire year ahead will be decided, which makes the timing of this parsha even more unsettling.
At first glance, the takeaway of the Parsha is the warning that we’re doomed to be punished for our sins. This also misrepresents the essence of the High Holidays. It paints a picture of these days as daunting times of judgment, suggesting that we are all fated from the start to suffer horrible punishments for our sins. But I think there is a much more uplifting message here that can help us properly prepare for the High Holidays.
I believe the Torah teaches that the High Holidays hold a promise of positive outcomes, characterized by passion, excitement, and life, not fear, misery, and death. After all, the Torah calls them holidays and they are meant to be celebrated for a reason! So how can we understand the Tochecha with all of its negativity, in the context of the High Holidays?
A question I hear frequently in response to the tochecha is, How could God allow all these atrocities to occur against the Jewish people? On this question, however, the Torah is explicit in its response.
תַּ֗חַת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹא־עָבַ֙דְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב מֵרֹ֖ב כֹּֽל
Because you would not serve your God in joy and appreciation over the abundance of everything [Deuteronomy 28, 47]
Why all of these atrocities? Because you did not serve God with happiness. It seems that our collective state of mind, so to speak, the extent of our happiness or sadness, is inextricably connected to our personal and national fate.
An example of this is the date of Tisha B’Av, the Ninth day of Av, a day of Jewish national mourning, which was originally established because the Jewish people wept unnecessarily over the spies’ report. The Talmud tells us that God retorted “Fine, if you’re crying over nothing, I’ll give you something serious to cry about for generations to come”.
וּכְתִיב: ״וַתִּשָּׂא כׇּל הָעֵדָה וַיִּתְּנוּ אֶת קוֹלָם וַיִּבְכּוּ הָעָם בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא״, אָמַר רַבָּה אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: אוֹתוֹ לַיְלָה לֵיל תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב הָיָה. אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: אַתֶּם בְּכִיתֶם בְּכִיָּה שֶׁל חִנָּם — וַאֲנִי קוֹבֵעַ לָכֶם בְּכִיָּה לְדוֹרוֹת
And it is further written: “And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried and the people wept that night” (Numbers 14:1). Rabba said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: That night was the night of the Ninth of Av. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them: You wept needlessly that night, and I will therefore establish for you a true tragedy over which there will be weeping in future generations. [Talmud Taanit, 29a]
The Gemara is telling us that our collective sadness was the cause of the misery we experienced as a result of our exile, not merely the result. In other words, sadness begets more sadness.
On the other hand, the joyful celebration of Purim seems to anticipate the rebuilding of the beit hamikdash shortly after the Purim story, when Queen Esther and Mordechai led the Jews to beat back our enemies. From here we see that happiness begets more happiness.
The Ramban, Nachmanides, has an intriguing take on this concept. He says that even if you study and observe the Torah and mitzvot with 100% perfection, if you’re not happy, then the curses of the tochecha will happen nonetheless. Apparently, it’s not enough to keep the Torah perfectly; we must do so out of happiness as well, or else we’ll suffer pogroms, crusades, and a holocaust. What does God want from us already? Is God impossible to please?
I heard the same insightful answer to this conundrum, from two of my teachers, my Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yaakov Weinberg Zt”l, and sometime later, by my other Rosh Yeshiva, Yibadel L’Chayim, Rav Betzalel Rudinsky shlit”a. They both emphasized that happiness itself is not something we must add to our checklist of mitzvot. We’re not commanded to Keep Shabbat and make sure to smile, or else! Obviously, that’s not what Ramban means, and not smiling is not the reason we face persecution.
Enjoying this Substack? Get a copy of The Book of Life: A Transformative Guide to the High Holidays for more of Rabbi Hirsch’s unique insights that upend common misconceptions about Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. This guide will dramatically transform your holidays into a powerful and uplifting experience, profoundly impacting your outlook on life.
Rather, the Torah is simply articulating a fact of life. The reality is that if you’re unhappy when you keep Torah, sooner or later, you will become lax about keeping the Torah. If you don’t experience joy in life, your motivation will fade. Without happiness, you will not persevere in your relationship with God. If you think about this brilliant insight, it applies not only to our relationship with God but to our personal relationships as well. If we allow ourselves to become unhappy in our relationships, viewing them as a burden, sooner or later they will fade away. The Torah teaches us that we must work hard to serve God with joy so that our service is genuine. Similarly, we must work hard to be happy in our relationships, so that they are strong and lasting.
My personal observation is that the abundant potential for happiness in America is one reason why this pre-Mashiach exile has ended up primarily in this country, which has given us one enormous advantage over the experience of exile our ancestors had. They suffered constant persecution simply because they were Jewish, but our freedoms in America have made it possible for us to explore the incredible beauty of Torah. We are blessed to live in a country that believes happiness is a priority and a virtue to be pursued by all, so we can truly experience what it means to be happy by keeping the Torah, and not view Torah as a catalyst for our suffering. That is why I have made it my life’s mission to encourage all people to discover the secrets to the happy and fulfilling life we can find through Torah, in a way that could not be appreciated in centuries past.
However, being happy all the time is challenging, especially when life gets tough. To address that, the Parsha begins with a clever technique. The Parsha begins with the description of the mitzvah of bringing the first fruits of the farming season as an offering of appreciation to God.
לָקַחְתָּ֞ מֵרֵאשִׁ֣ית כׇּל־פְּרִ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר תָּבִ֧יא מֵֽאַרְצְךָ֛ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָ֖ךְ וְשַׂמְתָּ֣ בַטֶּ֑נֶא וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֙ אֶל־הַמָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִבְחַר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לְשַׁכֵּ֥ן שְׁמ֖וֹ שָֽׁם
You shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that your God יהוה is giving you, put it in a basket, and go to the place where your God יהוה will choose to establish the divine name. [Deuteronoy 26, 2]
The offering is to be followed by a declaration that God has fulfilled his promise to bring us out of Egypt to the land of Israel and has given us abundant crops, and we will be happy with all of the good that God gives us.
וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֣ בְכׇל־הַטּ֗וֹב אֲשֶׁ֧ר נָֽתַן־לְךָ֛ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ וּלְבֵיתֶ֑ךָ אַתָּה֙ וְהַלֵּוִ֔י וְהַגֵּ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּקִרְבֶּֽךָ
And you shall be happy, together with the [family of the] Levite and the stranger in your midst, all the bounty that your God יהוה has bestowed upon you and your household [Deuteronomy 26,11]
The lesson of Bikurim, the First Fruit ceremony, is that appreciation and gratitude lead to happiness. The ceremony teaches us that our attitude is the foundation of happiness and that our perspective on life is entirely up to us. When we choose to be grateful and appreciate all of the good around us, happiness will follow.
I believe this is the ultimate message of our parsha in preparation for the High Holidays. On Rosh Hashanah, we each have the unparalleled freedom to choose our individual path for the coming year. This includes not only what we wish to accomplish, but more importantly, the kind of person we want to be. As we prepare for this precious opportunity, let us remember to focus on the positive aspects of life and strengthen our sense of gratitude. This will lead us to happiness and bring us closer to God, our loved ones, and ultimately, to true happiness in the new year ahead.
Shabbat shalom.
Eliezer Hirsch
Enjoying this Substack? Get a copy of The Book of Life: A Transformative Guide to the High Holidays for more of Rabbi Hirsch’s unique insights that upend common misconceptions about Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. This guide will dramatically transform your holidays into a powerful and uplifting experience, profoundly impacting your outlook on life.