בס״ד

Monday Night Torah

With Phil Lazzar

“Ivdu et Hashem b’Simcha”

August 30, 2021

6:00pm - 7:00pm

Zoom link available upon request at bethel@reninet.com.

Ki Tavo - When You Come Into The Land

כי תבוא תשפ״א

“והיה כי תבוא אל הארץ…ולקחת מראשית כל פרי האדמה…״

“And it will be when you come into the land…and take from all the first fruits of the land…”

Rav Brandwein ztz”l begins an article on this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, (given over in 5772) pointing out that it begins telling us about bringing the first fruits while the previous Torah portion, Ki Teitzei, ends with us being told to smash Amalek and the Rav asks why the part about smashing Amalek is in close proximity to the bringing of the first fruits.  In other words, what does one thing have to do with the other?

He goes on to say that the theme that runs through this week’s Torah portion is the matter of being full of joy, of being b’simcha.  And he quotes the Or HaChaim’s comment on the first word of the Torah portion, v’haya, that this wording indicates joy.

Rav Brandwein teaches that when doing the mitzvot, it is not enough to just do them but that they must be done full of joy.  But, what does joy have to do with doing the mitzvot?  Isn’t it enough that I just do them?  Where is it written that I need to do them with joy?

However, once a person comes to know Hashem and comes to understand that the mitzvot make G’d happy, so to speak, and the person wants to give nachas ruach, joy, to HaKadosh Baruchu, to G’d because the person feels love and appreciation for G’d, then the person will naturally do the mitzvot in a state of true joy in fully knowing that this brings great joy to G’d.

The joy that we feel when doing the mitzvot indicates that our heart is really in it.  And all that G’d wants is our heart, our whole heart.  In other words, to do the mitzvot without being full of joy indicates that our heart is not in it and this actually misses the entire point of doing the mitzvot because G’d only wants the heart.  The mitzvot are only a vehicle for giving G’d our heart.

So, now, what does Amalek have to do with any of this?  The gematria of Amalek is the same as doubt/safek.  When a person doubts in the existence or total involvement of HKB”H, or doubts in the importance of the mitzvot, or doubts in their own importance to G’d, h-s, this can cause a person to lose the joy of doing the mitzvot.  So, therefore, Amalek/doubt, must be smashed completely.

However, that is not to say that we should ignore our doubts.  When we have questions, we must seek answers.