Because You Did Not Serve Him with Happiness
This week’s Torah reading warns us of terrible curses which the Jewish Nation can potentially suffer. What might one do to deserve these curses? The verse tells us (Devarim 28:47) that the curses are retribution for serving God devoid of happiness. This appears to be very surprising. The punishment seems to be significantly disproportionate to the crime. What’s so terrible about doing mitzvot (fulfilling Torah commandments) without enthusiasm?
The Rambam (Maimonides) writes (Laws of Lulav 8:15) that being enthusiastic about serving God is a great endeavor which everyone is obligated to engage in. The Maggid Mishneh comments on these words of the Rambam and writes that the point is that it’s improper to serve God as if one is being coerced into it, and all he wants is to get his duties over with.
God Doesn’t Need Your Favors
Rabbi Moshe Rabinowitz expounds on this concept and says, God does not need your favors. God does not need your mitzvot. God is the One who gives us everything we need to do the mitzvot in the first place. He gives the energy, brain power, the limbs with which we perform the mitzvah, and any other component required for the mitzvah. God does not need our favors; the mitzvot were given to us for our own benefit, by gaining closeness to Him through the mitzvot we do.
If you ask someone to do you a favor and he does it in a begrudging manner, unless you are desperate for his help, you will typically tell him, “Forget it. I don’t need your favors. I’ll just do it myself.” If we do mitzvot with resentment, as if God needs us to do Him a favor, we missed the boat. The mitzvot are for us to come closer to God by serving Him. It’s not about checking off certain obligations; it’s about having a relationship with God. If we are resentful about the mitzvot, we are missing the whole point of the them, and God is not interested in that.
One Verse
Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky once met a Jew who did not possess any Torah knowledge. In the midst of their conversation, Rabbi Kamenetzky said to him, “There must some verse from the Torah that you are familiar with.”
“Yes,” replied the man, “I actually do know one verse.”
“Is it the verse of Shema?”
“No.” replied the man. “The verse that I know is, ”Because you did not serve your God out of happiness and good heart.”
This is the verse from this week’s Torah reading which states the reason the awful curses will befall our nation. “Where do you know this verse from?” asked Rabbi Kamenetsky.
“From Zalman Leib, in the concentration camps.” He then described how Rabbi Zalman Leib, the Klausenberger Rebbe, used to repeat the verse to himself over and over, as he labored under the cruel Nazis. Despite, or perhaps because of, the Rebbe’s greatness, he understood that he is being punished for not being as enthusiastic as he should have been about his service of God.
For Our Own Benefit
Keeping the Torah and doing mitzvot is about the way we relate to God. This is what we were created for. This is the ultimate accomplishment in life. Even if it’s not easy and it doesn’t come naturally, we are expected to cultivate a positive attitude and enthusiasm about the wonderful opportunity to be servants of God. The more we focus on what a privilege it is to be servants of God Himself and to be executing His will, the more positively we will feel about keeping the Torah and doing mitzvot.
By Rabbi Yitzchok Aryeh Strimber torah4every1@gmail.com
