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Why does the Torah (תורה) threaten 2,000 years of exile for failing to serve God with simcha when we had everything? The shiur builds on the pasuk "tachas asher lo avadeta es Hashem (ה׳) b'simcha" to show that happiness is not a mood but the litmus test of whether we truly internalize that we live in God's world—not our own. The mitzvah (מצוה) of Bikkurim teaches that renouncing entitlement and recognizing God as owner is the foundation of both joy and getting along with others.
Rabbi Zweig addresses a fundamental question from Parshas Ki Savo: Why does the Torah (תורה) attribute the Jewish people's 2,000-year exile to the failure to serve God with happiness ("tachas asher lo avadeta es Hashem (ה׳) Elokecha b'simcha u'v'tuv levav meirov kol")? This punishment seems disproportionate—adultery and murder combined only resulted in 70 years of exile, yet unhappiness brings 2,000 years of suffering. The shiur asks three core questions: Where does the Torah explicitly command happiness? Why weren't the Jewish people happy despite having everything? And how does the mitzvah (מצוה) of Bikkurim relate to creating happiness? The answer begins with understanding what happiness truly is. The Gemara (גמרא) records a rabbi who gave a six-word wedding speech: "Vay lon misnah"—"Woe, we will die." Rather than being morbid, this message teaches that the starting point of happiness is recognizing that nothing had to be. When we understand that our very existence, our parents' presence, our health—none of it was guaranteed or owed to us—we can appreciate what we have. Conversely, when we operate from a place of expectation and entitlement, believing the world owes us everything, nothing can make us happy because we're merely receiving what we think is our due.
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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.
Devarim 26:11, 28:47
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Why does the Torah separate Avrohom's eulogy for Sarah from his crying for her? The shiur shows that Sarah required a public eulogy focused on the communal loss of a leader, not Avrohom's private grief. This teaches that we must view Jewish tragedies through a national lens first, seeing attacks on Am Yisrael as collective losses that dwarf personal concerns.
