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Why does the Torah (תורה) attribute two thousand years of exile to serving Hashem (ה׳) without simcha despite having everything? The shiur argues that genuine happiness is not derived from possessions or pleasure, but from feeling you've earned your existence. Bikkurim's requirement to recite a declaration of gratitude ("Arami oved avi") teaches that hakaras hatov—expressing appreciation—is the mechanism through which we earn what we receive, transforming gifts into earned rewards and creating true inner joy.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a provocative halachic question: during the recent war in Israel, with funerals daily and a third of the population in shelters, why did no rabbi suspend the daily recitation of Birkas Kohanim? The Rama rules that Birkas Kohanim is recited daily only in Eretz Yisrael because there is simcha there, while in Chutz La'aretz it's limited to Yom Tov due to lack of simcha. Yet even during tragic circumstances in Israel, the practice continued unchanged. This leads to a fundamental inquiry: what is the true nature of happiness? The question deepens when examining Parshas Ki Savo's statement that Israel was punished with two thousand years of exile "tachas asher lo avadta es Hashem (ה׳) Elokecha b'simcha u'v'tuv levav meirov kol"—because we did not serve Hashem with joy and good heart despite having almost everything. If having everything doesn't produce happiness, what does? Most people assume possessions and physical pleasures create happiness, yet the Torah (תורה) indicates otherwise.
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Ki Savo 28:47
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