The Parsha opens with the instruction regarding the first fruit. When the first fruit ripen, some of every fruit are brought to Jerusaelm. And there a prayer is offered. A prayer of gratitude. The Torah concludes with a promise, Visamachta bichol hatov “then you will rejoice with all the good that G-d your G-d has granted you and your household.

The Torah is telling us a simple equation, to be joyous, to have Simcha, it must be preceded by gratitude. One who is grateful and expresses their gratitude will find joy in what they have.

But there is one part to this equation that comes even before the gratitude. And that is the effort that one puts in, the hard work.

When you put the effort into planting those trees, nurture them and bring them to a place where they produce delicious fruit, and then with humility recognize that you are the recipient of Hashem’s blessing every step of the way, then you can offer gratitude and you can be joyous.

Hazorim bidima birina yiktzaur, those that plant with the tears of hard work, rejoice in the harvest.

During this month of Elul, in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah, we are re-establishing our relationship with Hashem.  Ani Lidodi Vidodi Li.  I am to my beloved first, I put the effort in to show up in my relationship with you Hashem, with you my beloved and then and only then are we able to offer the gratitude for what we receive, that you my beloved are to me. You get out of it what you put in.