Weekly Announcements
Ahavat Yisrael of Wesley Hills Announcements
Ki Savo
Sept 12 – Sept 18
19 Elul – 25 Elul
Kiddush sponsored by Laya & Rabbi Asher Bush in commemoration of the yahrtzeit of Laya's father, Yechiel Michel ben Mordechai Tzvi.
High Holiday Seats:
Please remember to reserve seats for Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur:
Letter: https://images.shulcloud.com/866/uploads/Events/AhavtYisraelRHletterfinalversion2025.docx
To reserve online: https://www.ahavatyisrael.org/event/high-holiday-seats-5786.html
Seat Form: https://images.shulcloud.com/866/uploads/Events/AhavatYisraelSeatForm2025.docx
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY (9/12)
Mincha and Candles: 6:51 PM
SHABBOS (9/13)
Shacharis: 9:00 AM
Latest time for shma: 9:43 AM
Parsha shiur: 5:55 PM
Mincha: 6:40 PM
Shabbos Ends/Tehillim: 7:53 PM
Maariv: 7:59 PM
Pre-slichos Learning: 12:15 AM
Slichos: 12:51 AM
SUNDAY (9/14)
Shacharis: 8:00 AM
Rabbi’s Gemara Shiur in shul and on zoom: 8:45 AM https://zoom.us/j/3812539596
Mincha/Maariv: 6:50 PM
MONDAY – THURSDAY (9/15-9/18)
Tehillim: 8:55 PM
Maariv: 9:00 PM
Wednesday: Parsha previews on zoom at 8pm https://zoom.us/j/3812539596
Dvar Torah & Thoughts on Ki Savo
Rabbi Asher Bush
The words תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה' א' בשמחה ובטוב לבב מרוב כל/because you did not serve God with joy and gladness of heart despite having a good life, seem to imply that here the Torah is dictating and even judging our emotions. However, at the same time the words of קוהלת are well known where he writes לכל זמן ועת לכל חפץ תחת השמים ... עת לבכות ועת לשחוק עת ספוד ועת רקוד/ for every time and season under the heavens … a time to weep and time to laugh, a time to mourn and time to dance. Clearly each and all of these emotions have a place, generally at different times, but sometimes even at the same time, and by definition dependent on a person’s life situation.
Accordingly, the lack of joy and gladness of heart described here would also have its time and place, but clearly that is not what it says here. Of course, until now, we have been ignoring the last two words of this pasuk, מרוב כל/from all good, explained by Rashi to mean even while things were still so good it was ignored as if things were the opposite. So, indeed there is a place for all of these emotions, the problem is where and when, not if. It is in this light that the Tochacha comes to speak of the negative spiritual impact, even dangers involved with misplaced emotions. There is certainly a time for sadness and pain, both as a nation and as individuals, and it can sometimes even be spiritually productive if it leads one to turn to God in prayer, to reflect on one’s life and purpose, to work on one’s character, just to give a few examples. So too there is a great place for joy and celebration when one receives life’s blessings, as a person can be grateful to God, serve God with joy and excitement, share these blessings with others who may be less fortunate and in so many other ways.
However, this sentence in the Tochacha doesn’t just criticize this mindset, it views it as a major contributing factor in our downfall. Hardly a minor matter; when the Tochacha speaks about the lack of joy in the service of God, it is speaking about someone who “has it good” yet bemoans their fate. What are they bothered by? Perhaps this person is in the category of אוהב כסף לא ישבע כסף/one who truly loves money will never have enough, and they will thereby never feel that there is any reason to feel gratitude or give thanks to God. Or perhaps even worse, their lack of satisfaction is not about material goods, but spiritual ones. For all of the good things they have in life, family, health, prosperity, friends, they have a lack of spiritual satisfaction so that nothing else can fill that void. [Not that it is equivalent, but there are shadows of Haman who “had it all” but could not enjoy it since he was so consumed with the hatred of Mordechai and the Jewish people.]
Rav Moshe Feinstein found one old Yiddish saying to be very disturbing, and sometimes downright destructive, in a way that very much speaks to our point. That phrase was איז שווער צו זיין א ייד/it’s difficult to be a Jew. He wasn’t speaking about the difficulties of anti-Semitism, he too fled from communist Russia, rather he was bothered by the mindset that says everything about Jewish life, the Mitzvos, the life, the community and yes, the persecution included, all of it make for a very difficult (subtext, unpleasant) life. This way of thinking, and maybe worse, saying it out loud, is and was a big turn-off, especially for younger people. The suggestion that a life of Torah and Mitzvos is by definition harsh and/or unpleasant is the surest way to guarantee that it will not continue. This is what the Tochacha is speaking about, about the unwillingness or inability to find joy in a life of Torah and Mitzvos, not because one has hardships in life that make it tough (that is normal and happens to everyone sometimes), but because one doesn’t even consider that this could be a source of joy, satisfaction and fulfillment. In many ways this itself is its own punishment, no other consequences are needed, as this person, observant or not, has given up or simply failed to avail themselves of one of the greatest brachos that God has to offer, a life full of joy, fulfillment and satisfaction that can and should come as part of a life well lived. But it also tells us that it doesn’t have to be this way, the Tochacha is a warning, not a script, as we approach the “heavy” time of Slichos and Rosh Hashana it is good to be reminded of the special role that Simcha can play in our meaningful and successful relationship with God.