The Rambam concludes his treatment of the
laws of Sukkot with the following statement[i]:
The happiness with which a person should rejoice in
the fulfillment of the mitzvot, and the love of G-d who commanded them,
is a service of paramount importance.
So it is very important to serve G-d with joy and
inject enthusiasm into the fulfillment of the mitzvot.
But why
mention this at the conclusion of the laws of Sukkot?
One may draw the mistaken conclusion that one can
only experience joy when performing the mitzvot during a season
of joy, when the atmosphere is permeated with and is conducive to joy. Mitzvot
performed on ordinary days, however, lack the supportive ambiance of
the chagim to allow joy to spring forth.
The Rambam therefore emphasizes that after all the
fanfare and delight of the holidays are over, the “service of paramount
importance” to experience joy while fulfilling mitzvot on the ordinary
day takes center stage. And yes, it can be done!
The Talmud[ii]
relates that the sages considered removing the Book of Kohelet from
circulation due to ostensibly contradictory statements within it. An example
cited by the Talmud is where Kohelet extols the virtues of joy, and in
another instance dismisses it altogether[iii].
The Talmud proceeds to reconcile the two, saying that Kohelet derides
joy that is divorced of any association with a mitzvah, whereas joy born
out of the fulfillment of G-d’s commandments is, of course, a positive thing.
But should joy be restricted only to the time one
performs the mitzvot per se?
It is explained, that the totality of Jewish living
is for the purpose of serving G-d, and even one’s mundane activities are
intended to be “for the sake of heaven”[iv]
so as to “know G-d [even] in all your ways”[v]
– a Jew should perform them with joy in his heart, because it is precisely through
them that he “serves G-d”.
A unique dimension of the month of Iyar makes finding
joy in the ordinary even more profound. Iyar is the only month of the year
whose every day is, in fact, an inseparable component of a mitzvah.
Throughout the month of Iyar, we are commanded to
count the days of the Omer[vi]
in preparation for the giving of the Torah. Although many mitzvot are associated
with particular dates, the only mitzvah that is part and parcel with the
very day it is performed on is the mitzvah of Sefirat Ha’Omer, where
we count the actual days.
Because the very essence of each day of the month
is bound up with the performance of a mitzvah, it behooves us to appreciate
the fact that we are experiencing a period of time that is in-and-of-itself a mitzvah
and should bring us a parallel measure of joy.
