"See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing - that you listen to the mitzvos of Hashem…and the curse - if you do not listen" (Devarim 11:26-28). At first glance, the language of the possuk seems asymmetrical. When discussing the curse, the Torah stipulates that it will take effect if you do not listen - im lo sish’me’oo. But when talking about the blessing, the Torah does not use the conditional word im. Instead, it says asher tish’me’oo - that you should listen. Although both Rashi and Rashbam explain that here too, the Torah means to stipulate that the blessing will be given only on condition that the Jewish people observe the mitzvos, the question remains: if both the blessing and the curse are conditional, then why does the Torah use the word im only regarding the curse?
Perhaps the answer lies in a deeper understanding of what true blessing really is. In Parshas Eikev, the Torah makes a remarkable statement. “And now, Yisrael, what does Hashem, your G-d, ask of you? Only to fear Hashem, your G-d, to go in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, to observe the commandments of Hashem and His decrees which I command you today, for your benefit. (10:12-13)” Initially, the Torah makes it seem like Hashem is not asking much of us, but then it provides a long list of requests.
Chazal understood that the focus of the Torah’s introductory statement is really the first point, namely fear of Hashem. The Torah is saying, “What is Hashem asking? Ki im l’yirah es Hashem - only to fear Hashem.” And yet Chazal are troubled with this explanation. After all, is yiras shamayim such an easy level to achieve - is it such a milsah zutresa? But even without this interpretation, the possuk is difficult, because the simple reading of the text would seem to imply that Hashem is asking for much more than just yiras shamayim. And that long list of demands certainly is not a simple request. What then is meant by the Torah’s introductory statement, “What does Hashem ask of you?”
The Ramban suggests that the Torah itself answers this question with two words: “l’tov lach - for your benefit” (10:13). In other words, it might seem like Hashem is asking for a lot, but in reality, He is not asking for much, because it is not for Him; it is for you. Hashem is giving you a blueprint for a life that is full of meaning and purpose, a life that can enrich and elevate you. Someone who is offered a lucrative position in the business world does not view all the time and effort the job entails as an inconvenience. He sees it as an opportunity to achieve the financial success his heart desires. Similarly, one who appreciates the gift of Torah and mitzvos does not view yiras shamayim and ahavas Hashem as a burden; rather, they are natural expressions of a heart that yearns to achieve its full potential.
This perhaps is what the Torah is alluding to in the beginning of Parshas Re’eh. On one level, the Torah is promising physical blessing on condition that we observe mitzvos properly. But the Torah is also making an additional statement, and that is “the blessing - that you listen to the mitzvos of Hashem.” In other words, the ultimate blessing is the meaningful life that a person enjoys when he observes mitzvos properly.
The Ohr Hachaim notes that this idea is hinted to in the extra word es in the phrase es habracha. When referring to the curse, the Torah uses the word vehaklala - and the curse. But when discussing the blessing it uses the phrase es habracha. The extra word es implies that in addition to the physical blessing that one receives for performing mitzvos, he also receives another benefit, and that is the enjoyment he gets from the mitzvah observance itself because, as the Ohr Hachaim writes, “listening to the Torah is incredibly pleasurable and spiritually invigorating.”
The month of Elul is a time to adjust our perspective and recalibrate our sense of priorities. The first step is to realize that a life of Torah and mitzvos is not a burden. It is a privilege and an opportunity that we should take full advantage of.