60 | AUGUST 26 • 2021 

H

appiness, said Aristotle, is 
the ultimate goal at which all 
humans aim. But in Judaism, it is 
not necessarily so. 
 Happiness is a high value. Ashrei, the 
closest Hebrew word to happiness, is the 
first word of the Book of 
Psalms. We say the prayer 
known as Ashrei three 
times each day. We can 
surely endorse the phrase in 
the American Declaration 
of Independence that 
among the inalienable 
rights of humankind are 
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
But Ashrei is not the central value of 
the Hebrew Bible. Occurring almost 10 
times as frequently is the word simchah, 
joy. It is one of the fundamental themes 
of Deuteronomy as a book. The root s-m-
ch appears only once in each of Genesis, 

Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, but no 
less than 12 times in Deuteronomy. It lies 
at the heart of the Mosaic vision of life in 
the Land of Israel. That is where we serve 
God with joy.
Joy plays a key role in two contexts 
in this week’s parshah. One has to do 
with the bringing of first fruits to the 
Temple in Jerusalem. After describing 
the ceremony that took place, the Torah 
concludes: “Then you will rejoice in all 
the good things that the Lord your God 
has given you and your family, along 
with the Levites and the stranger in your 
midst” (26:11).
The other context is quite different 
and astonishing. It occurs in the context 
of the curses. There are two passages of 
curses in the Torah, one in Leviticus 26, 
the other here in Deuteronomy 28. The 
differences are notable. The curses in 
Leviticus end on a note of hope. Those 

in Deuteronomy end in bleak despair. 
The Leviticus curses speak of a total 
abandonment of Judaism by the people. 
The people walk be-keri with God, 
variously translated as “with hostility,” 
“rebelliously” or “contemptuously.” But 
the curses in Deuteronomy are provoked 
simply “because you did not serve the 
Lord your God with joy and gladness of 
heart out of the abundance of all things” 
(28:47).

HAPPINESS VS. JOY
Now, joylessness may not be the best 
way to live, but it is surely not even a 
sin, let alone one that warrants a litany 
of curses. What does the Torah mean 
when it attributes national disaster to a 
lack of joy? Why does joy seem to matter 
in Judaism more than happiness? To 
answer these questions, we have first 
to understand the difference between 
happiness and joy. This is how the first 
Psalm describes the happy life:
“Happy is the man who has not walked 
in the counsel of the wicked, nor stood in 
the way of sinners or sat where scoffers 
sit. But his desire is in the Torah of the 
Lord; on his Torah he meditates day and 
night. He shall be like a tree planted by 
streams of water, bearing its fruit in its 
season, and its leaf does not wither; and 
in all that he does he prospers” (Psalms
1:1-3).
This is a serene and blessed life, 
granted to one who lives in accordance 
with the Torah. Like a tree, such a life has 
roots. It is not blown this way and that by 
every passing wind or whim. Such people 
bear fruit, stay firm, survive and thrive. 
Yet for all that, happiness is the state of 
mind of an individual.
Simchah in the Torah is never about 
individuals. It is always about something 
we share. A newly married man does 
not serve in the army for a year, says the 
Torah, so that he can stay at home “and 
bring joy to the wife he has married” 
(Deut. 24:5). You shall bring all your 
offerings to the central sanctuary, says 
Moses, so that “There, in the presence of 
the Lord your God, you and your families 
shall eat and rejoice in all you have put 
your hand to, because the Lord your God 
has blessed you.” (Deut. 12:7). 

of

The
Pursuit 
Joy 

SPIRIT
A WORD OF TORAH

Rabbi Lord 
Jonathan 
Sacks

