19 Aug RE’EH- HAPPINESS UNDER ALL CONDITIONS

Parashat Re’eh
concludes with
the command
to celebrate the
festival of Sukkot.
The Torah instructs:
“You shall rejoice on your festival…
For seven days, you shall celebrate for
Hashem your G-d…for Hashem your
G-d will bless you with all your grain,
and in all your endeavors; and you shall
only be joyous” (16:14-15).
Twice in these verses the Torah appears to
command us to rejoice on Sukkot. It first
commands, “Ve’samahta Be’hagecha”
(“You shall rejoice on your festival”),
and then says, “Ve’hayita Ach Samei’ah”
(“you shall only be joyous”). What is the
meaning of this dual imperative?
Rashi brings two interpretations of
these verse. First, he suggests, the Torah
adds “Ve’hayita Ach Same’ah” not as
a command, but rather as a promise. If
we properly fulfill the Misva of Simha
(rejoicing) on Sukkot, then we will
be assured to experience genuine
happiness and joy throughout the
coming year. Secondly, Rashi cites the

Gemara’s understanding of the phrase
“Ve’hayita Ach Same’ah,” as extending
this obligation to the eighth day, the
day of Shemini Aseret. The Torah first
introduces the Misva to rejoice during
the seven days of Sukkot, and then adds
that we must joyously celebrate also on
the eighth day.
Rav Meir Simha of Dvinsk, in his Meshech
Hochma, suggests a different explanation
of “Ve’hayita Ach Same’ah.” He notes
that in the first verse, the Torah commands
celebrating the year’s crop, which is
gathered into the warehouses around the
time of Sukkot – “You shall rejoice…
for Hashem your G-d will bless you with
all your grain…” The celebration of
Sukkot is integrally linked to the harvest,
to the farmer’s joy upon completing that
year’s agricultural cycle, having just now
brought all his produce into storage for
the winter. However, Rav Meir Simha
notes, there are some years when no
produce is collected. Every seven years,
farmers must observe Shemita, refraining
from agricultural work for an entire year,
and granting all people free access to their
fields. At the end of the Shemita year, the

farmer does not harvest
anything, because he
had not worked the
fields, and anything
that grew was taken by
other people. Rav Meir
Simha thus suggests
that the additional
command “Ve’hayita
Ach Same’ah” refers
to Sukkot after the
Shemita year. The
Torah emphasizes
that even during this
year, when there is no
harvest to be thankful
for, the farmer must still observe a festive
Yom Tob, and celebrate his relationship
with Hashem.
Baruch Hashem, most of us have “filled
warehouses” for which to be grateful to
Hashem. The vast majority of us have
an income, a home, and the ability to
purchase all that we need, and much
more. But the Torah here teaches us
that even when our “warehouses” are
not “filled,” even in times of financial
uncertainty, we can and must still retain

our joy. We must be able to celebrate
our relationship with Hashem, and the
privilege we have to serve Him, under all
conditions, even in times of hardship. No
matter what we are going through,
we can find comfort and joy in the
knowledge that we are Hashem’s beloved
children, and that He has chosen us as His
servants. The command “Ve’hayita Ach
Same’ah” calls upon us to experience joy
in our connection to Hashem at all times
and under all circumstances, even during
life’s more challenging moments.