Do you know how to produce happiness? I am sure you know the things that make you happy but do they always work? From the Or Hachaim in Parshas Eykev we can learn a little formula for happiness.

Devarim 7,12 states: And it will be, because of your listening to these ordinances and your observing and performing them, then the Lord, your God, will safeguard for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers.

The Or Hachaim asks: Why did the Torah have to write "And it will be"? If the words "because of your listening to these ordinances" etc. refers to G-d's safeguarding His covenant with us, it would have sufficed for the Torah to write without the introduction "And it will be".

Another problem is the use of the word "eykev" (because), instead of simply "if." In a similar situation in Leviticus 26,3 the Torah wrote " if you walk in My statutes."

The Or Hachaim brings the Bereshis Rabbah 42:3 which explains that whenever the Torah uses the terms "And it will be" it implies that something pleasant is being discussed. And he also explains the word "eykev" refers to the end or finale of something, like it says in Gemara Sotah 49: "with the heels of the Messiah", which refers to the end of days.

So now the verse reads like this: And it will be, because of your listening to these ordinances and your observing and performing them (and completing them) then the Lord your God, will safeguard for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers (and it will be pleasant for you ie. happiness)

Moses was explaining to the Israelites that being happy in this world is a two edged sword. One the one hand it is not fitting for a person to rejoice unless he feels secure in the knowledge that he has fulfilled all his obligations to G-d. As long as a person is conscious of failing to perform either certain positive or negative commandments he must not deport himself in a joyful manner. Yet on the other hand "because of your listening to these ordinances and your observing and performing them" and completing them you will become joyful.

So it is the fulfillment of the mitvoth which beings on true happiness. The greatest pleasure and happiness in life is to serve Hashem with all your heart and being.

You may ask yourself, well that's nice, but I am full of sin. At what level do I really do the mitzvoth anyway? My debts to my Creator are piled up to the heavens. How can I expect to be happy when I know the Day of Judgment is coming with no hope in sight?

The Chovot Halevavot explains in chapter 4 in his treatise dealing with Perishut. 'Any person deserving of the title Parush (ascetic) is sad on the inside but exudes joy on the outside." The reason he does not feel this joy is that it is not fitting for a person who will eventually appear before his Maker for judgment feeling full of shame and embarrassment to be prematurely joyful in this life. If this applies to people deserving the name of ascetic or pious, then an ordinary mortal who may be guilty of death for sins committed must most certainly not feel joyful.

Boy, now were in trouble. Are we doomed to a life without joy? Baruch HaShem, the OrHachaim explains that our verse also contains an allusion to Psalms 19,9: "The precepts of G-d are just, rejoicing the heart." Accordingly, we have to read the verse as if it said: "you will be joyful as a result of hearkening to G'd's commandments." The joy may even be the reward (eykev- completion) of your Torah-study. This may be an aspect of what we are told in Avot 4,2 that performing one commandment results in that person performing more commandments. This next mitzvah may be the joy one experiences.

The learning of the Torah itself brings Joy. HaShem gave us the wonderful gift of Torah study to uplift us and give us happiness and hope. It even makes HaShem happy. The Zohar 3: pg. 213 says there is no joy before G'd equal to the joy G'd experiences at the time Israel studies Torah. The Torah uses the words "And it will be" without being specific to show that this joy will be of a very general nature, it will embrace the whole earth all because you hearken to the Lord's commandments.

So the best formula for happiness is Torah learning. If you put time and energy in your learning you're guaranteed to feel happy.

Good Shabbos