Parashat Ki Tavo: Be Happy

 

Parashat Ki Tavo: Be Happy

Rabbi Ari Kahn

This week’s parashah opens with a vision of arrival: “And it shall be when you come to the Land…” (Devarim 26:1). The Torah describes a special mitzvah to be performed upon entering the Land of Israel—the offering of bikkurim, the first fruits. But this mitzvah is not merely agricultural or ceremonial. It is deeply spiritual and educational.

The farmer brings his fruits to Jerusalem, but he also brings his story. He recites a declaration that begins with “Arami oved avi”—a passage familiar from the Passover Haggadah. This declaration recounts our national journey from slavery to redemption, from Egypt to the Promised Land. The Torah is crafting what we might call historical consciousness—a spiritual memory that transcends generations [1].

Children born in freedom must be taught about slavery. Those raised in prosperity must learn about suffering. The mitzvah of bikkurim is not just about gratitude for the harvest; it is about contextual gratitude—recognizing the divine hand in our history and our present.

And then, the Torah adds a surprising command: “You shall rejoice in all the good that Hashem your God has given you” (Devarim 26:11). Not a suggestion. A command. Be happy.

How can happiness be commanded? Isn’t joy an emotion, spontaneous and elusive?

Later in the parashah, we encounter the terrifying tochacha—a litany of curses that will befall the nation for its disobedience. Among the reasons given is this: “Because you did not serve Hashem your God with joy and gladness of heart…” (Devarim 28:47). Apparently, joy is not optional. It is essential.

The Arizal, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, taught that all his spiritual achievements were rooted in one principle: serving God with joy [2]. His student, Rabbi Chaim Vital, recorded that the Arizal’s mystical insights were not the result of asceticism or suffering, but of happiness in divine service.

We can all fulfill mitzvot. The question is: do those mitzvot transform us? Do they deepen our relationship with God? Do they bring us joy?

And here lies the paradox of our generation. We live in unprecedented comfort. We have more material goods than any previous generation. And yet, depression and dissatisfaction are rampant. What went wrong?

We focus on what we lack, not on what we have. This spiritual malady dates back to Eden. Adam and Chava were given access to every tree in the garden—except one. And that one tree became their obsession. The serpent’s strategy was simple: fixate on the forbidden [3].

The mitzvah of bikkurim is a tikkun—a spiritual repair—for that original sin. Instead of obsessing over what we cannot have, we celebrate what we do have. We bring our first fruits, not our last. We rejoice in the beginning, not just the end.

So perhaps the question is not whether the glass is half full or half empty. Perhaps the real insight is this: we have all the water we need, and God gave us a very large glass.

Let us teach our children to rejoice. Let us cultivate historical consciousness and spiritual gratitude. Let us serve God with joy. And if we do, perhaps we will merit not only divine blessing—but truly happy lives.

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Footnotes:

[1]: See Ramban on Devarim 26:5, who emphasizes the importance of recounting the Exodus as part of the bikkurim declaration. [2]: Shaar HaGilgulim, Introduction by Rabbi Chaim Vital. [3]: Bereishit 3:6, and commentary of Sforno and Meshech Chochmah on the psychological manipulation of the serpent.