Torah Portion of the Week

Building Character through the Themes of the Weekly Torah Portion

Torah

Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8

Next Reading:

September 13, 2025

20 Elul, 5785

Haftarah

Isaiah 60:1–22

וְהָיָה כִּי־תָבוֹא אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה וִירִשְׁתָּהּ וְיָשַׁבְתָּ בָּהּ׃

V’ha-yah ki–ta-vo el–ha-a-retz a-sher A-do-nai E-lo-hei-kha no-ten l’kha na-cha-lah vi-rish-tah v’ya-shav-tah bah,

And it shall be, when you come into the Land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it,

Deuteronomy 26:01

Ki Tavo means “when you enter”—referring to entering the Land that the Lord was giving to the Children of Israel as a possession and an inheritance. In this portion, Moses pronounces the blessings that the Children of Israel would be rewarded with in keeping the commandments of the Torah, then gives a warning of the harsh punishments that would come upon them if they disobeyed God’s commandments. These punishments include illness, famine, war, poverty, and exile. The section which lists these punishments incurred for disobedience are known as tokhachah, meaning “rebuke.”

What’s interesting is that the portion goes on to say that these punishments are: “because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things;” (JPS 1917, Deuteronomy 28:47).

It’s not that God punishes the people for being unhappy; rather, He warns them about the difficulties and trouble brought about by unhappiness. He reminds them that they could gain so much more by serving Him with joy rather than heaviness of heart.

Likewise, God wants us to be joyful and enthusiastic in serving Him—just as joyful and enthusiastic as we are when doing other things that we love, such as engaging in our favorite hobbies or eating our favorite foods. When you are joyful in serving God simply because you love Him, your children and the people around you will see it and be impacted by it. You can inspire them with your joy.

Turn the Joy On

The Hebrew word for “joy” is simchah. Many of us mistake joy as a result of positive things that happen to us. In truth, joy is a decision that we have to make an effort to make. It’s a decision that can be made in both good and difficult times. Even hard things in life can be done with joy, and in fact, when they are, it lightens the load and makes things easier.

Joy is a great healer.

Smiling and laughing positively affects your physical and mental health. Smiling and laughing releases “feel-good chemicals” of the brain: endorphins (which act as natural painkillers) and serotonin (which acts as a natural anti-depressant). This helps relax the body, reduces stress, supports lung and heart health, and promotes a healthy immune system, among many other benefits.

Joy is not only something we are obligated to have for ourselves, but is something we are obligated to bring to others as well. Even if you don’t feel like it inside, you can express joy outwardly in order to gladden someone else. When you make an effort to bring joy to someone else, it improves your own countenance as well. When you bring other people joy, you’re doing what God wants you to do.

Joy comes with an unlimited amount of blessings; it is powerful and contagious, and impacts others. Think of a moment when you felt down, but you saw or heard a child or a complete stranger laughing up a storm. Inevitably, their laughter put a smile on your face, too, and you ended up laughing with them—even if you didn’t know what they were laughing about!

Consistency cultivates strength and real change. So smile and laugh every day. Today, practice smiling and laughing, even if you’re by yourself. Go ahead and turn the joy on!

A merry heart is a good medicine; But a broken spirit drieth the bones. (JPS 1917, Proverbs 17:22)

A Glance of Hebrew | Ki Tavo STBM Messer

Pronunciation Guide for Transliterated Hebrew Words

a

[a] as in arm

ai

[ai] as in Thailand

e

[e] as in red

ei

[ei] as in eight

i

[i] as in ski

o

[o] as in score

oi

[oi] as in oil

u

[u] as in rule

ui

[ui] as in gluing

ch/kh

[ch] as in the Scottish loch

g

[g] as in good (not as in giant)

tz

[ts] as in hats

‘

short “eh” or “uh” sound

The Hebrew Scriptures in this text have been derived from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC), and the English translation is based off of the JPS 1917 Tanakh.