HAPPY HEARTS: DT for Parshas KI SAVO {By: Tani Guterman}
HAPPY HEARTS
{Tani’s Torah Tidbits} T2M2: Serving from Within
DEUTERONOMY – Perek 28, Pasukim 47-48
Sources from chabad
תַּ֗חַת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־עָבַ֨דְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב מֵרֹ֖ב כֹּֽל
וְעָֽבַדְתָּ֣ אֶת־אֹֽיְבֶ֗יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְשַׁלְּחֶ֤נּוּ יְהֹוָה֙ בָּ֔ךְ בְּרָעָ֧ב וּבְצָמָ֛א וּבְעֵירֹ֖ם וּבְחֹ֣סֶר כֹּ֑ל וְנָתַ֞ן עֹ֤ל בַּרְזֶל֙ עַל־צַוָּארֶ֔ךָ
“Because you did not serve G‑d with happiness and with gladness of heart, in abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies…”
Why does serving G-d from a lack of HAPPINESS lead to us serving our enemies?
Rashi: Because you did not serve G‑d when you enjoyed happiness and the abundance of all good things, you shall now suffer want.
Maayanah Shel Torah: Not only did you sin, you did so “with happiness and with gladness of heart”—for this the punishment is doubly severe.
Maimonides: Even though you served G‑d, you did not serve Him with joy—that is the source of all afflictions.
Tanya: In the case of two people wrestling, each trying to throw down the other, if one of them moves with sloth and lethargy, he will be easily defeated and felled, even if he is stronger than his fellow. So, too, in battling one’s evil inclination, one can prevail over it . . . only with alacrity that comes from joy and from a heart that is free and cleansed from every trace of worry and sadness . . .
Chassidic saying: Melancholy is not a sin. But the spiritual damage which melancholy can cause, the gravest of sins cannot cause.
When we do not serve Hashem with Happiness, we are doing a great disservice not only to Hashem but to ourselves as well. If we can not serve Hashem when He does great things for us, G-d forbid, He may bring us not great things to wake us up and realize how much we need Him and want His help always. Conversely, some times when people sin, they feel good about doing it. This is extra bad and as if they have slapped the “Face” of Hashem. If a person feels the need to sin, he/she should at least feel some remorse in doing so. Otherwise, it is doubly bad and doubly rebellious. G-d wants to see us serving Him with Joy not through robotic actions (going through motions without any real feeling). We can only truly fight the Yetzer Hara when we are happy and joyous. Otherwise, Heaven forbid, it will overthrow people. Worry and sadness destroy happiness and the good feelings inside that help us serve Hashem properly.
May we all feel joy in our hearts, minds, and souls, and become much more likely to pursue the proper paths to come closer to Hashem. By realizing and actualizing the defeat of our Yetzer Haras we will help bring the coming of Moshiach and the building of the third Beis Hamikdash speedily in our days. Amen.