This week's parashah is infamous for its curses; 98 of them in total, including financial, physical and mental anguish. Nowhere else in the Torah are we given such graphic images of pain, suffering and distress. Moses tells the Israelites that this is because they did not serve God with joy.

Really? Are these severe consequences justified for a lack of service of God with joy? Furthermore, the litany of curses begins with an introduction: “If you do not observe all the commandments of the Almighty”, then the following curses will befall you (28:15). So are these harsh curses a result of a complete rejection of God’s commandments or a result of the observance of commandments without the requisite joy?

The way I understand this is that the curses are indeed a result of the abandonment of God and His Torah. But why are God’s commandments rejected? Why do people feel that the “sweet and pleasant ways of the Torah’”(Proverbs 3:17) are not sweet and pleasant?

Because those who do serve the Almighty do so without enjoyment and delight. If, as a practising and observant Jew, I display a miserable and frustrated appearance, I can hardly expect those around me to experience the beauty and excitement of a life of Godliness.

The great halachic authority of the 20th century, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, was once asked why so many children of early 20th-century religious Eastern European immigrants to America abandoned the legacy of their ancestors. The rabbi’s response was simple: when after a week of hard work, the father would sit down on Friday night and sigh that “It’s so difficult to be a Jew” the message transmitted to the children was that observance is a bother and hassle.

It was no wonder then that the children hearing this on a regular basis found their own paths in life which they believed would bring them contentment.

As the festivals shortly are upon us, we can choose to embrace them and experience them with a glee, or we can mumble about how difficult it is to balance work with Jewish festivals. The former will certainly more likely inspire those around us to continue what we cherish and love.