29 Aug PARSHAS KI SAVO: NEEDLESS HATE AND ABSENCE OF JOY

Linkage Between Sinas
Chinom and Absence of
Simcha [Between
Needless Hatred and
Absence of Joy]
At the end of the
Tochacha [verses of
rebuke in our Parsha],
the pasuk [verse] says that these ninety-eight
terrible curses come “as the result of your not
having served the L-rd, your G-d, with joy
and with good spirit (b’simcha u’vtuv leivav)
when you had and abundance of
everything” [Devarim 28:47]. This is an
unbelievable statement. It seems harsh that
such terrible curses should befall the Jewish
people, just because people are lacking what
seems to be a “hidur mitzvah” [glorification
of a mitzvah, which is not absolutely
necessary] of observing commandments in a
state of joy.
Moreover, there is another difficulty: Our
Sages tell us that the Tochacha that we find at
the end of Sefer Vayikra [Leviticus]
corresponded historically to the events of the
First Temple period; this Tochacha —
in Parshas Ki Savo — is referring to the
period leading up to the destruction of the
Second Temple. We all know that the Sages
tell us that the reason the Second Beis
HaMikdash was destroyed was because of
baseless hatred (sin’as chinam). So these two
teachings of Chaza”l, our Sages, seem
contradictory. What was the reason for the
destruction of the second Temple — Was it
‘baseless hatred’ or was it ‘failure to
serve G-d with joy’?
Perhaps there is no contradiction. The Torah
is referring to the underlying cause of the
churban Bayis Sheni [destruction of the
Second Temple]. The underlying cause of the
churban Bayis Sheni was lack of Simcha
[joy]. Failure to serve G-d with joy, in turn,
leads to Sinas Chinam.
What does this mean? Chaza”l say that
Talmidei Chachomim [scholars] increase
peace in the world. How is this done? I once
saw, written in the name of Rav Chatzkel
Abramsky, z”tl, that a person who is a Talmid
Chachom, in the real sense of the word, is a
person who is at peace with himself. He is
happy and satisfied with what he is
accomplishing in life. As a result, he exudes
his inner happiness and inner peace and that
has an effect on other people.
When a person is happy with himself, the
feeling is contagious. He is willing to share
that peace and that happiness. Those feelings
affect other people. When a person is not
happy with himself, he is miserable and he
dislikes other people’s happiness or success.
Just as happiness rubs off, so too unhappiness

rubs off and such a person cannot be satisfied
with anyone else’s success.
Chaza”l are telling us that because you were
not happy with your lot and you were not
b’simcha, therefore the consequence is
baseless hatred. When a person is not happy
with himself, he cannot tolerate others having

any kind of happiness either.
There is thus no contradiction. The Second
Temple was destroyed because of Sinas
Chinom, but Sinas Chinom results from
people who are not happy with themselves,
are not b’simcha, and are not
doing mitzvos b’simcha.