DEUT832 It is a positive commandment to be happy on the festivals as Scripture says, and you shall rejoice in your festival [this verse]. When the Sanctuary was in existence, the rejoicing was that a sh'lamim (peace offering) was brought in addition to the festival sh'lamim; and this was called the sh'lamim of rejoicing; and women were also obligated in this joy. At the present time, though, happiness is only through meat and wine. Then one has a duty to make his wife happy with pretty clothing, and to distribute sweet tidbits to the members of his household; and he is also obligated to make the poor people happy. If someone does not bring happiness to any poor people, his is no rejoicing in a mitzvah but only the joy of his belly; and a joy like that is a disgrace for him; as Scripture says, and I will spread dung upon your face is, the very dung of your festival (Malachi 2:3). Now, even though eating and drinking on the religious holidays is part of the positive commandment, one should not spend a long time with wine, amusement and frivolity, since that is wild foolishness and silly behavior, whereas we were commanded only about rejoicing that contains in it the worship of the blessed God; and it is impossible to worship Hashem amid unbridled amusement, frivolity or drunkenness, but only amid the happiness of a mitzvah. The happiness that a person enjoys while doing a mitzvah is a great form of worship.

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DEUT835 See [[DEUT828]] Deuteronomy 16:11 rejoice GREENBERG 268-9

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DEUT833 See [[DEUT820]] Deuteronomy 16:11 rejoice LEHRMAN 28-9

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DEUT834 See [[DEUT569]] Deuteronomy 12:18 rejoice TZADIK 175-7

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DEUT837 See [[EXOD668]] Exodus 22:21 ill-treat GREENBERG 72-3

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DEUT838 See [[LEV1093]] Leviticus 25:45 property OXFORD 47

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DEUT839 A child's happiness is essential to his sense of security and development of character. Parental love expressed by the giving of gifts is an important contributor to each child's stability. The biblical injunction "And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter" [this verse] mandates, according to rabbinic interpretation, the giving of gifts to children on festive occasions (Pesachim 109a).

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DEUT840 See [[EXOD827]] Exodus 23:6 rights DORFFWITO 238-41

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DEUT841 See [[DEUT6]] Deuteronomy 1:13 pick OXFORD 485

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DEUT842 Appoint judges and law enforcement officers. Obviously, when fear and respect for authority is in the hearts of the masses, our way of life will flourish, for after a person becomes accustomed to fulfilling the Torah out of fear, he eventually will fulfill it with love. Initially, one does what is virtuous and right mainly out of fear of punishment, but having done so for an extended period of time, one’s motivation changes, and one acts as he should out of love for the truth. When we reach this level, Heaven's blessings cling to us. Today, too, although we no longer have judges who have semichah (i.e., “ordination”), every Jewish community is obligated to choose virtuous members of their congregation and authorized them to make important decisions for the sake of fulfilling the Torah and its mitzvos. These individuals are to keep the members of the community from any sort of improper behavior. Vested with the power to force compliance to their decisions, they must take great pains to perfect their own behavior, so that they will serve as shining examples for everyone else. They also must be willing to sacrifice personal pleasures and instead concentrate on benefiting the community, teaching the people to live in peace with one another and always follow the path of truth.

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