Devarim/Deuteronomy 28:45-48, focus on verse 47 בְּשִׂמְחָה וּבְטוּב לֵבָב Joy and a good heart are not optional

מה וּבָ֨אוּ עָלֶ֜יךָ כָּל־הַקְּלָל֣וֹת הָאֵ֗לֶּה וּרְדָפ֨וּךָ֙ וְהִשִּׂיג֔וּךָ עַ֖ד הִשָּֽׁמְדָ֑ךְ כִּי־לֹ֣א שָׁמַ֗עְתָּ בְּקוֹל֙ יְקוָֹ֣ק אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֛ר מִצְוֹתָ֥יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֖יו אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוָּֽךְ: מו וְהָי֣וּ בְךָ֔ לְא֖וֹת וּלְמוֹפֵ֑ת וּֽבְזַֽרְעֲךָ֖ עַד־עוֹלָֽם: מז תַּ֗חַת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־עָבַ֨דְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְקוָֹ֣ק אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב מֵרֹ֖ב כֹּֽל: מח וְעָֽבַדְתָּ֣ אֶת־אֹֽיְבֶ֗יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְשַׁלְּחֶ֤נּוּ יְקוָֹק֙ בָּ֔ךְ בְּרָעָ֧ב וּבְצָמָ֛א וּבְעֵירֹ֖ם וּבְחֹ֣סֶר כֹּ֑ל וְנָתַ֞ן עֹ֤ל בַּרְזֶל֙ עַל־צַוָּארֶ֔ךָ עַ֥ד הִשְׁמִיד֖וֹ אֹתָֽךְ:

45 All these curses–coming to nothing will come to you. They will pursue you and stay close to you until you're destroyed, for the reason that you didn't listen with implication to obey the Eternal One, your God, or endearingly guard His precepts and His unchangeable statutes, which He enjoined upon you, 46 these curses which will be a sign in your midst and an amazing thing to warn you and your descendants perpetually. 47 Since you are under the curse as you didn't serve the Eternal One, your God, with joy and good heart, even though you had an abundance of everything. 48 Then you will serve your enemies, whom the Eternal One will send in your midst. You will serve them even though you are already hungry, thirsty, naked, and in need of everything. The Eternal One will put a heavy burden of hard work on you until he destroys you.

Questions for reflection and insight:

Describe this negative context and what it is all about.

Do you think God still ‘operates’ this way, or is this some ancient, strange way of explaining things that go wrong?   How does this context avoid this dismal picture?

Interpret and remark on the trajectory of ‘listen with implication to obey the Eternal One, your God.’

What would you define as ‘an abundance of everything’? How much is enough?

Interpret how the stitch ‘joy and good heart’ functions in this context.

Are ‘joy and good heart’ optional?  Why? Or why not?

What is a Hebraic Perspective of having ‘joy and good heart’?

In this stich, ‘joy and good heart’ is one to interpret this as two different ideas and definitions, or is one to interpret this as describing one idea with one picture?

How can you continually have ‘joy and good heart’?

Discuss: How would you describe the anthropological outlook from this section? Like, what is the identity of a person or the psychological makeup of a person?

What question do you have regarding this verse? What discussion would you like to see take place regarding this verse?

Is there something personally meaningful about this verse for you? Why? Is there something you can ‘take home’ or ‘take away’ that is helpful?

How could an application, actualization, or the trajectory of this verse impact a person(you) and your worldview?

Discuss: How and why does this verse inform an understanding of a Hebraic Perspective in contrast to the Other Culture?

Analysis, Interpretations, and Reflections on Devarim 28:45-48:

This is a strange section, no matter how you cut it up or understand it. Here is the threat that everything will go to the dogs and to the worst life you could ever imagine, and even worse. The sense of a curse here is that everything is coming to nothing. That is the next generation, or those around you never think of you, you do not exist. You go out of existence. This status of going out of existence is chasing you in a way that life depends on the pursuit. It is a life and death deal here, not just some intriguing idea to entertain or discuss. In the midst of this is the refrain that runs throughout Devarim/Deuteronomy of keeping the commands and the statutes. See for exactly the same Devarim 28:16; 30:10; 30:17. For similar, see Devarim 6:1, etc. This can go in two simple ways. One is to atomize it and expand on every detail. Thus, one has codes and commentaries on codes and different groups from the differences in the history of their discussion. The other direction is the too simple and so profound statement that this is ‘to love the Eternal One your God...’ This appears to get worked out into the social world of how you treat others is how you treat the Eternal One; this is both the teaching in the Teaching of the Sages and the Teaching of the Apostles.

     If any person is tuned in and listening to the voice of the Eternal One then that person will not go against this sense and mistreat another person. But there are a variety of complexities with everything and this too.  But nevertheless, there is a starting point of listening to the Eternal One with a desire and intention to ‘obey’ the Eternal One. But this obedience is really the straightforward push of intuitively tuning in and listening. That process within itself is a long pull with many possibilities of service and worship.

     Then the stich which is of great interest here, ‘a joyful and good heart–בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב.’ Should not be interpreted within a  box with a simple definition and give it to you to walk away with and then forget. The context is screaming out that this is not optional, but the ingredient that it takes, ‘The What’ that would alleviate the whole bad omen from coming onto your head. Any path with, following, pursuing, looking for, seeking spirituality with the Eternal One has to have this ‘a joyful and good heart.’ We need to let this wash over us and enfold around us and encase us and motive us.

     Muffs in an article brings out an understanding with the use of Akkadian that could be the context within the book of Devarim. This stich with joy and a good heart–בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב has the sense metaphorically to have a meaning of willingly and with spontaneity.^[1]  This is to be understood as the relationship that takes place within a covenantal partnership. This is thus the encouragement and the state that those who are preparing to enter the Land are to have. That is, they are to maintain the covenantal relationship with willingness and with spontaneity. This is the opposite of rote obedience.

     Let this be communicated with a paraphrase from Fishbane to drive on this point and its clarity. Within Devarim the state of joy is a particular emphasis of the religious psychology. So much so that within this context of the curses, it is not so much the disobedience as the root cause of the curses, as one would expect, rather the reason is that they did not serve with joy and a good heart in response to the abundance of everything. The failure to have joy and a good heart is thus condemned even more than any outright disobedience.^[2]  This could be spelled out differently and even more pointedly; not having ‘joy and a good heart’ can cause one to forsake the Holy One of Israel and bring about the full force of curses mentioned in Devarim!^[3] 

     Let’s put this in a different light. If this is being understood ‘correctly’, then serving the Eternal One, loving the Eternal One, doing the Eternal One’s commandments, or any such practice that your community does, attending services regularly, keeping halacha, donating to your religious community, or praying in any and all ways. Reading your Bible and or studying the Talmud. If any of this or all of this is not done with ‘a joyful and good heart–בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב,’ then it is nothing. You have wasted your time, energy, thoughts, your commitment, etc. So, our activities, if not done within the sphere of ‘joy and a good heart,’ amount to nothing.

     In coming to The Teaching of the Apostles and Sages, this stich ‘joy and a good heart’ occurs only here in the Mikra. Thus, one who is verbally inundated with the Mikra, if that person hears ‘joy and a good heart’ in Hebrew, would know that it comes from this reference. In the Teaching of the Apostles, we find,  Luke 8:15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.^[4] It is of interest that those with a good heart can receive the word, and it takes root and produces something positive. I would entertain the idea that this ‘good heart’ for the listeners who would know the Mikra would have heard this reference to Devarim and associated it with the verse under examination here. Thus, the Jew Jesus is making the point that this is joy, and the state that the person is in with this good heart is the status of the inner cosmic reality which one possesses for obedience and receptivity for God’s work within one’s life. So, the trajectory here is a state which brings receptivity for implanting God’s word, which would be the midrashic application that by the Jew Jesus of Devarim 28:47.

     Within the Talmud Arachin 11a,^[5] there is a long discussion about singing the Hallel Tehillim/Psalms, what instruments are to be used, and when. Then the discussion brings in sacrifices with the idea that it was obligatory that they were always accompanied by songs. Then the stich, ‘joy and a good heart’ is used to show that songs are what is meant. The intriguing point here is that the stich ‘joy and a good heart–בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב’ is understood as singing. So, what is the definition of ‘joy and a good heart’ is that one is singing. Perhaps one could add the sense of chanting, since the Hallel is chanted. Rambam, in explaining the ideal way to serve the Eternal One, stresses that a person can reach this supreme goal only through an inner feeling of happiness and goodness of heart.

     Typically, a Hebraic Perspective is holistic and unified, ‘a joyful and good heart’ that is this would be one large idea, one big picture, with many trajectories. A state that is positive and wholesome.  On the other hand, one can be drawn to the sense of joyful being located as an energy and emotion. Whereas good heart would have a sense of positive thoughts and being in a sphere of good, which produces a favorable outcome. The word Good - tov is a possible technical term for a sphere within which positive things happen. Good fortune if you wish. One must understand that the ‘abundance of everything’ is the good fortune. The good heart is a means, sometimes, for bringing this, ‘an abundance of everything.’  Having a good heart is a term of great significance. entering into a state of relationship with the Holy One of Israel, which is not on a level that many perceive or contemplate its existence. There may be two ends to this reality, one end of which is simple to be in a happy state, but the other end is a state beyond happiness into a surrender with confidence that has an inner cosmic bliss of the presence of the Holy One of Israel.

     This journey through a variety of possible meanings and trajectories for the stich, Joy, and a good heart  hopefully, can propel us on the journey. The journey is now to chant - hegea this phrase, בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב to let it find its way and impact our inner cosmic reality to move into better energy patterns with more bliss, meaning, happiness, and joyfulness. For then we will reach an exalted state through life’s realities as we hegea this stich:

with joy and with a good heart—בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב

[1]    Muffs, Yochanan Love and Joy as Metaphorical Expressions of willingness and spontaneity in Cuneiform, Ancient Hebrew, and Related Literatures in Jacob Neusner, ED., Christianity, Judaism and Other Greco-Roman cults, Part Three (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 2004) p 121-24.

[2]    Fishbane, Michael , The Exegetical Imagination on Jewish thought and Theology (Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 1998) p 152.

[3]    Munk, Rabbi Elei, The Call of the Torah, Devarim (New York, ArtScroll, 1995) p 302.

[4]    NIV New International Version

[5]    See also for the sense of this being a song:

ילקוט שמעוני תורה פרשת כי תבוא רמז

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