The Happiness Game 

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah (www.bircas.org)

The parsha discusses the mitzvah of bikkurim (first fruits) — bringing the first fruits of the shivas haminim (seven special species) up to Yerushalayim, presenting them to the Kohen, and reading the parsha that declares: “And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the land, which You, Hashem, have given me.” (Devarim 26:10)

The mitzvah of bikkurim is essentially one of the matanas kehunah (gifts to the Kohen). But unlike other gifts to the Kohen here we also have a full parsha to read, and special ceremonies surrounding it. The fruits themselves were beautifully decorated in baskets, adorned to honor the mitzvah. When a person would leave his town with the bikkurim people would escort him, as the Mishnah describes, with musical instruments and singing. When he arrived in Yerushalayim, people came out to greet him also, with song and music.

Why did they make such a celebration about bikkurim? We don’t find this among all the other gifts to the Kohen. Why is bikkurim special?

Rav Yaakov Neiman explained: This mitzvah is fundamental because it expresses hakaras hatov (recognition of the good), giving gratitude to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. The declaration of bikkurim teaches: “Even though I plowed, planted, harvested, and worked so hard in the fields, it is not me. It is all from HaKadosh Baruch Hu.” This is a profound lesson. The farmer might be tempted to think: “Look at my efforts, my skill, my labor — I brought forth this produce” but the Torah commands him to stand in the Beis HaMikdash, fruits in hand, and declare: “It is not my effort, not my strength, not my success. Everything is from Hashem.”

Bikkurim is surrounded by music and joy; the grandeur of the mitzvah is portrayed to strengthen us in hakaras hatov — uprooting the ego of “koḥi v’otzem yadi asah li es ha’ḥayil hazeh” (my strength and power made me successful).

The Ramban writes (Shemos 13:16) that this is the very purpose of creation. For a person to recognize and thank Hashem, who created them. The Chovos HaLevavos (Sha’ar Avodas HaElokim) likewise explains that our entire obligation of avodas Hashem is rooted in gratitude, and the mitzvah of bikkurim gives this foundation a vivid expression.

Today, most of us are not farmers, and we no longer live with agriculture as our daily reality, but the issue remains timeless. We too struggle with gratitude.

We work, and we think: If I put in more hours, I’ll make more money. It’s all dependent on me. Even more so in areas we cannot control, health, family, children, longevity. No one can say: “I lived to 110 because of myself.” And yet, we often take Hashem’s gifts for granted. We think: “That’s just the way it is, that’s who I am, I deserve it.” We often assume life runs on its own, but in truth, every day Hashem grants us life, health, family, livelihood, and countless gifts. Our avodah is to deepen our emunah and awareness, so that we live with gratitude for Hashem’s gifts — and the primary tool to begin with is tefillah.

The Midrash (Ki Savo 1) teaches that when Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw that bikkurim would one day no longer be observed following the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, he instituted tefillah (prayer) three times a day as its replacement. How can davening do the same thing that bikkurim used to do — helping us say thank You to Hashem?

When we daven, it is a declaration of our emunah that everything we have comes from Hashem: parnassah (livelihood), refuah (healing), daas (understanding), even our very seichel (intellect). Every yeshuah (salvation) we seek, we turn to Hashem.

We daven every day, three times a day. Morning, afternoon, and evening — none of it is automatic. Each time we ask, we declare again: “It is You, Hashem, giving me life today, again, anew.”

The idea of gratitude is central in tefillah. The first brachos of Shemoneh Esrei are praise, the bracha of Modim, and every ending “Baruch Atah Hashem” is a declaration of thanks. The seforim say that the more we thank Hashem, the more He will hear our tefillos.

Together with gratitude comes simchah (joy). The climax of the parsha of bikkurim is: “v’samachta b’chol hatov” (Devarim 26:11) — to rejoice in all the good Hashem has given you. Gratitude and joy are bound together.

Rav Baruch Mizrachi said: When you truly notice that Hashem is giving you endless gifts every moment, you naturally feel joy. “Wow! Thank You, Hashem, for all You give me!” But without gratitude, there is no joy, only a feeling of always needing more. If someone feels unhappy, it shows that their gratitude is not yet deep enough. He explained that simchah is not an extra — it is the sign that our gratitude is real. If we thank Hashem but still feel bitter or lacking, our hakaras hatov is shallow. Real gratitude brings real joy.

My esteemed friend Rabbi Pinchas Winston, a talmid of Rav Noach Weinberg, once shared this with me. Rav Noach had encouraged him to write down the things Hashem gives us daily. At first, he was reluctant to do it, thinking it was unnecessary. But one time, Rav Noach had to travel, and asked Rabbi Winston to teach the newcomers. One of the lessons was what Rav Noach called “the Happiness Game.”

The game was simple: Write down at least ten things Hashem has given you — health, eyesight, food, family, and so on.

Since he had to teach it, Rabbi Winston decided to try it himself. He wrote ten things… and then kept going. He realized how many blessings he had always taken for granted. Writing them down changed him.

From then on, he continued this practice daily. Every day, while walking to shul, he would thank Hashem for the countless gifts of life. And he told me: “It brought me closer to Hashem, it filled me with ahavah (love) for Hashem, and it made me truly happy.”

He would say: “People are searching for happiness. I found the secret: Thank Hashem for everything He gives you, every single day.”

Each of us can play the “Happiness Game.” Write down, count, or verbalize the gifts Hashem has given. The act itself transforms us and deepens our connection to Hashem.

May we merit to strengthen our hakaras hatov and thank Hashem more for all of His endless blessings.