As Heard from Rabbi Avigdor Miller ZT”L
“Instead of that (or because) you did not serve Hashem your G-d in joy and in merry heart from abundance in everything.” (28:47)
“And you shall serve your enemies…in nakedness and in lack of everything.” (28:48)
The word ‘Tachat’ (”instead of”) implies something more than ‘because.’ Not “Because you did not serve…in joy,” but “Instead of serving…in joy.” The purpose of the joy that Hashem bestows is in order that the recipient be full of gratitude to the Bestower. And this Awareness of the Bestower is a Perfection for which men are created to gain.
But when habit blinds men from seeing the kindliness which Hashem bestows upon them, they are failing in their life’s purpose. Therefore they are caused to become aware of the happiness which had been given to them, by being now deprived of that happiness. They now look back and begin to perceive what they had once possessed. And they now understand the joy and the abundance of everything that Hashem had formerly given to them. Thus retroactively, in ness and want, they gain the Awareness of Hashem’s benefactions, instead of gaining that Awareness while they had possessed those benefactions.
Therefore the affliction which they now experience helps them to accomplish the purpose of their lives: to recognize the Kindness of the Great Benefactor. Their present adversity is therefore a gift of true Knowledge, gained now by affliction, instead of this Knowledge which could have been gained in joy and with a merry heart.
“Any person that has no Knowledge must in the end suffer exile”: as is said, ‘Therefore My people are exiled because of lack of Knowledge’ (Yeshaya 5:13) (Sanhedrin 92A). When they forget that their prosperity was due to Hashem’s kindliness (”they have no Knowledge”), therefore the remedy to restore this Knowledge is to deprive them of their happiness; and now in their affliction they look back and gain the Knowledge of Hashem’s kindliness to them in the happy days of old.
Quoted from “Fortunate Nation” by Rabbi Avigdor Miller ZT”L
“Step 1 to Teshuvah-realizing how much Hashem has done for you”
Shabbat Shalom
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