(Deuteronomy 26:11)
Elul 17, 5777/September 8, 2017
Simchah - joy - happiness - is referred to sixteen times throughout the five books of Torah. Twelve of those mentions occur in the book of Devarim - Deuteronomy. Thirteen of the times simchah - joy, or a form of the word simchah, is called upon are directly related to the Holy Temple and the commandment of coming to see G-d three times a year during the appointed seasons. Every time simchah is referred to in Deuteronomy it is connected to "the place which G-d will choose" - the place of the Holy Temple. The Hebrew language has many words for joy and happiness, and each word reflects upon a unique embodiment of happiness, but only the word simchah enjoys so exclusive a connection to the Holy Temple, and to the pilgrim's experience of coming to Jerusalem, and ascending to the Holy Temple with his family and with his offerings and basking together in the presence of G-d.
"And there you shall eat before HaShem, your G-d, and you shall rejoice in all your endeavors you and your households, as HaShem, your G-d, has blessed you." (12:7) "And you shall rejoice before HaShem, your G-d you and your sons and your daughters and your menservants and your maidservants, and the Levite who is within your cities, for he has no portion or inheritance with you." (12:12) "But you shall eat them before HaShem, your G-d, in the place HaShem, your G-d, will choose you, your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, and the Levite who is in your cities, and you shall rejoice before HaShem, your G-d, in all your endeavors." (12:18) "And you shall turn that money into whatever your soul desires; cattle, sheep, new wine or old wine, or whatever your soul desires, and you shall eat there before HaShem, your G-d, and you shall rejoice, you and your household."(14:26) And so on and so forth Torah forges an unbreakable bond between simchah and the Holy Temple.
The joy of simchah is the joy of being immersed in the presence of G-d, in the realization that there exists a G-d in the world, (and so do we!), and the knowledge that every fiber of one's being is directed toward being with G-d in this sacred space, in this perfect moment. Simchah is the happiness of peace and wholeness, of gratitude, of thanks. When we say chag sameach - happy holiday - this is the happiness that we are wishing upon one another - the happiness of G-d in the world, and of our knowing it. And knowing this, by virtue of our commitment to rejoice before HaShem our G-d in the place He has chosen, we are then able to live our lives in the full knowledge of G-d in the world. And this is why this week's parasha, Ki Tavo, makes another mention of simchah - happiness: "because you did not serve HaShem, your G-d, with happiness and with gladness of heart, when [you had an] abundance of everything." (28:47) The verse refers to a long series of terrifying admonitions being directed at Israel should the nation stray from G-d. And the definition of straying from G-d is to "not serve HaShem, your G-d, with happiness and with gladness of heart, when you had an abundance of everything!" The joy of the Holy Temple experience is everything! When we take that sublime happiness of simchah back home with us and allow it to illuminate our every day, we delight in G-d's embrace. Only when the simchah of being before HaShem, our G-d, is forgotten and no longer informs our every thought and action do we bring upon ourselves a life of rebuke and admonitions.
In the book of Exodus, when Aharon comes to greet Moshe, Torah tells us "and behold, he is coming forth toward you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice - vesamach - in his heart."(Exodus 4:14) In light of our new understanding of simchah, we gain new insight into the unparalleled holiness of this brotherly reunion. And again in Deuteronomy, simchah is noted: "When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the army, nor shall he be subjected to anything associated with it. He shall remain free for his home for one year and delight - vesimach - his wife, whom he has taken." (Deut. 24:5) Again, by virtue of our understanding of the true meaning of simchah, we gain essential insight into the sanctity of marriage, and into Torah's insistence that we live our lives in G-d's presence.
Simchah - joy - happiness - is a precious commodity and its overwhelming sense of peace and plenty that it bestows our souls is greatest at its source, and its source is the Holy Temple, where G-d's presence is undeniable and all embracing, "a house of prayer for all nations," a place where G-d and man are at one with another. A place of simchah - the joy of being - being with G-d!
-The Temple Institute
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