1. A Sin of Spin
The Parsha tells the story of the spies sent by the Jewish people to survey the Land of Israel and report back. Upon their return, ten of the twelve spies said, "We came to the Land to which you sent us and indeed it is flowing with milk and honey and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people that dwells in the Land is fierce, the cities are very greatly fortified and we also saw the offspring of the giant there" (Chap. 13, verses 27-28). Two of the other spies, Calev and Joshua, dissented, but the spies were insistent, telling the people there was no chance of defeating the nations of Canaan. The Jews were distraught at the news and wanted to return to Egypt. G-d grew angry and considered wiping out the entire nation (verse 12), but Moshe pleaded on their behalf. G-d decided to forgive the Jews and not destroy them, but decreed that the Generation of the Desert would not enter the Land of Israel (except for Calev and Joshua).
The question: What was the sin of the spies? Isn?t it the job of a spy to report back on what he has seen?
The answer: The Ramban (Nahmanides) states that, ?the wickedness of the spies consisted of saying the word ?efes? [which in modern Hebrew means ?zero?] which signifies something negative and beyond human capability, something impossible to achieve, under any circumstances? Thus, the spies told Moshe that the Land is fertile? and the fruits are good, but it is impossible to fight against ?the people? because they are ?fierce and the cities are very greatly fortified?. ? Hence, according to the Ramban, the sin of the spies was a sin of spin - by portraying the challenge of conquering the Land as having no chance of succeeding, the spies sowed doubt among the people of Israel and undermined their faith in G-d. Some commentaries note how with just one word ? ?efes? ? the spies went beyond their mandate, offering not just the cold, hard facts, but an assessment of the chances of success, something they were not supposed to do. They strayed beyond their task and instead broke the spirit of the people by telling them that capturing the Land and defeating its inhabitants was impossible.
The lesson:The root of Israel?s current crisis is no different from the one it faced in the Parsha. Go back to the archives for 1993, check the newspapers, and you will see that the concept underlying the Oslo Accords was a simple one, taken straight out of the spies? rhetoric. ?The dream of a Greater Israel is unrealistic?, we were told, ?for it is impossible for us to hold on to all of Judea, Samaria and Gaza. The Palestinians want self-determination and we can not subdue their national aspirations,? they said. And like the spies, the authors of Oslo ultimately brought despair and disaster upon the Jewish people. The spies had witnessed the hand of G-d during the Exodus from Egypt, just as the architects of Oslo had witnessed the rebirth of the State of Israel and its stunning victory in the Six-Day War. Both knew the heights to which the Jewish people are capable of rising when they are united and confident in the justness of their cause. Yet somehow, both lacked faith in the power of Jewish destiny. They refused to believe that G-d could or would fulfill His promise to the Jewish people and give them the Land of Israel. Since the root of the problem was and is a lack of faith, the only way to correct it is to reinforce our own belief and to remind ourselves that spies and politicians may come and go, but promises from Heaven are forever. G-d promised us the Land of Israel, the entire Land of Israel, and no amount of political weakness or spiritual shortsightedness can alter this basic, fundamental truth. The spies were wrong and the Oslo fan club is wrong, and if we put our faith and our efforts where they should be, then soon enough the Jewish people will be proven right for all the world to see.
2. When Public Opinion Comes in Second
After Calev had silenced the people and tried to lift their spirits, the spies spoke up again and insisted that it would be impossible for the Jewish people to ascend to the Land and defeat the nations of Canaan. They sought to frighten the people by telling them, ?The Land through which we have passed, to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants. All the people that we saw in it are huge? we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes and so we were in theirs? (Chap. 13, verses 32-33).
The question: What is the meaning of ?we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes and so we were in theirs??
The answer: The Kotzker Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, said that this verse constitutes one of the sins of the spies. He explains that it is possible to understand why the spies said, ?We were like grasshoppers in our own eyes?, since that is how they may have really seen themselves. But the second part of the verse - ?and so we were in their eyes? ? is inexplicable, says the Kotzker Rebbe, for they had no right to say such a thing. What difference did it make to the spies how they appeared to the nations in Canaan? They should not have cared how they looked in the eyes of others, says the Kotzker Rebbe, hence this statement of theirs was one of their errors.
The lesson: The spies were given the task of spying out the Land of Israel on behalf of the Jewish people. They were entrusted with their mission by Moshe, and fulfilling that mission should have been their primary focus. Instead, they were overly concerned with how the non-Jewish nations residing in Canaan would view them, a condition that sadly exists among many of the Jewish people to this day. Of course, world public opinion matters and must be taken into account in the formulation of policy. But when maintaining world public support clashes with our highest and dearest principles, such as protecting Jewish lives, than even PR must take a back seat. Rather than concentrating on fulfilling our mission in this world, which includes building and settling the entire Land of Israel, we often push aside our primary objective, for fear of how the world will react. But when Jewish lives are at stake, or when the Land of Israel is endangered, nothing else can or should take precedence. Restraint in the face of attack is indeed a courageous act, but we must never allow the fleeting applause of the world to deafen us to a Jew?s cry for help. The mistake of the spies was to pay too much attention to what the nations thought of them. We dare not repeat their error.
3. The Danger of Despair
After hearing the spies? report, the Jewish people were downcast and depressed. The Torah says they reacted as follows: ?The entire assembly raised up and issued its voice; the people wept that night? (Chap. 14, verse 1).
The question: How is it that the ?entire assembly? came to weep?
The answer: The Midrash Tanchuma says as follows: ?Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Yossi HaGalili says: ?They wept like a man cries over someone who has died.? When the spies had returned from traveling in the Land, each one dispersed to his tribe and retreated to a corner in his home. And his sons and daughters came to him and said, ?Why are you bitter? ?? and he said to them: ?Woe is to me for you, my sons and daughters. The Amorites shall rule over you. Who can bear to even gaze at one of them? ? Then, they all broke out in weeping, they and their children and their daughters, until their neighbors heard and they too began to weep, as one family would hear another, until the entire tribe was in tears? And so, one by one, until [the entire people] were as one group, wailing and crying to heavens. This is why the verse says, ?The entire assembly raised up and issued its voice; the people wept that night?.
The lesson: Despair is contagious. It can spread rapidly, sowing gloom in its wake. Even without telephones or the Internet, the spies were able to rapidly deflate the morale of the entire Jewish people, leading them to doubt G-d. Bear in mind that the spies were not dealing with an ordinary audience: the Jews had experienced and witnessed first-hand the Exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Torah at Sinai and the various other miracles that G-d had performed for them in the desert. Yet even with all of that under their belts, the spies were still able to sway public opinion with their disheartening predictions. Nowadays, with all the violence and terror going on around us in Israel, it is likewise easy to fall into the trap of pessimism and sadness. Sometimes, it seems as if each news bulletin brings with it reports of yet another attack, yet another Jewish casualty. Thanks to modern technology, the news spreads faster and wider, invading our living rooms, jumping on to our computer screens and even flashing on our Internet-capable mobile phones. The challenge for us is to overcome the bad news (overcome, not ignore), and to prevent it from sinking us all into needless and unproductive despair. For tradition tells us that the date upon which the Jews wept in the desert was the night of Tisha B?av (the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av). Consequently, because the entire Jewish people wept without cause, G-d declared that day would later become a day of weeping for all generations, a day upon which the two Temples in Jerusalem were subsequently destroyed. Hence, we see the power of spreading disillusion and destroying other people?s hopes, for the tears shed by the spies in the corner of their tents are still with us today. We cannot allow them to drag us down. We cannot give in to despair.
The Parsha tells the story of the spies sent by the Jewish people to survey the Land of Israel and report back. Upon their return, ten of the twelve spies said, "We came to the Land to which you sent us and indeed it is flowing with milk and honey and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people that dwells in the Land is fierce, the cities are very greatly fortified and we also saw the offspring of the giant there" (Chap. 13, verses 27-28). Two of the other spies, Calev and Joshua, dissented, but the spies were insistent, telling the people there was no chance of defeating the nations of Canaan. The Jews were distraught at the news and wanted to return to Egypt. G-d grew angry and considered wiping out the entire nation (verse 12), but Moshe pleaded on their behalf. G-d decided to forgive the Jews and not destroy them, but decreed that the Generation of the Desert would not enter the Land of Israel (except for Calev and Joshua).
The question: What was the sin of the spies? Isn?t it the job of a spy to report back on what he has seen?
The answer: The Ramban (Nahmanides) states that, ?the wickedness of the spies consisted of saying the word ?efes? [which in modern Hebrew means ?zero?] which signifies something negative and beyond human capability, something impossible to achieve, under any circumstances? Thus, the spies told Moshe that the Land is fertile? and the fruits are good, but it is impossible to fight against ?the people? because they are ?fierce and the cities are very greatly fortified?. ? Hence, according to the Ramban, the sin of the spies was a sin of spin - by portraying the challenge of conquering the Land as having no chance of succeeding, the spies sowed doubt among the people of Israel and undermined their faith in G-d. Some commentaries note how with just one word ? ?efes? ? the spies went beyond their mandate, offering not just the cold, hard facts, but an assessment of the chances of success, something they were not supposed to do. They strayed beyond their task and instead broke the spirit of the people by telling them that capturing the Land and defeating its inhabitants was impossible.
The lesson:The root of Israel?s current crisis is no different from the one it faced in the Parsha. Go back to the archives for 1993, check the newspapers, and you will see that the concept underlying the Oslo Accords was a simple one, taken straight out of the spies? rhetoric. ?The dream of a Greater Israel is unrealistic?, we were told, ?for it is impossible for us to hold on to all of Judea, Samaria and Gaza. The Palestinians want self-determination and we can not subdue their national aspirations,? they said. And like the spies, the authors of Oslo ultimately brought despair and disaster upon the Jewish people. The spies had witnessed the hand of G-d during the Exodus from Egypt, just as the architects of Oslo had witnessed the rebirth of the State of Israel and its stunning victory in the Six-Day War. Both knew the heights to which the Jewish people are capable of rising when they are united and confident in the justness of their cause. Yet somehow, both lacked faith in the power of Jewish destiny. They refused to believe that G-d could or would fulfill His promise to the Jewish people and give them the Land of Israel. Since the root of the problem was and is a lack of faith, the only way to correct it is to reinforce our own belief and to remind ourselves that spies and politicians may come and go, but promises from Heaven are forever. G-d promised us the Land of Israel, the entire Land of Israel, and no amount of political weakness or spiritual shortsightedness can alter this basic, fundamental truth. The spies were wrong and the Oslo fan club is wrong, and if we put our faith and our efforts where they should be, then soon enough the Jewish people will be proven right for all the world to see.
2. When Public Opinion Comes in Second
After Calev had silenced the people and tried to lift their spirits, the spies spoke up again and insisted that it would be impossible for the Jewish people to ascend to the Land and defeat the nations of Canaan. They sought to frighten the people by telling them, ?The Land through which we have passed, to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants. All the people that we saw in it are huge? we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes and so we were in theirs? (Chap. 13, verses 32-33).
The question: What is the meaning of ?we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes and so we were in theirs??
The answer: The Kotzker Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, said that this verse constitutes one of the sins of the spies. He explains that it is possible to understand why the spies said, ?We were like grasshoppers in our own eyes?, since that is how they may have really seen themselves. But the second part of the verse - ?and so we were in their eyes? ? is inexplicable, says the Kotzker Rebbe, for they had no right to say such a thing. What difference did it make to the spies how they appeared to the nations in Canaan? They should not have cared how they looked in the eyes of others, says the Kotzker Rebbe, hence this statement of theirs was one of their errors.
The lesson: The spies were given the task of spying out the Land of Israel on behalf of the Jewish people. They were entrusted with their mission by Moshe, and fulfilling that mission should have been their primary focus. Instead, they were overly concerned with how the non-Jewish nations residing in Canaan would view them, a condition that sadly exists among many of the Jewish people to this day. Of course, world public opinion matters and must be taken into account in the formulation of policy. But when maintaining world public support clashes with our highest and dearest principles, such as protecting Jewish lives, than even PR must take a back seat. Rather than concentrating on fulfilling our mission in this world, which includes building and settling the entire Land of Israel, we often push aside our primary objective, for fear of how the world will react. But when Jewish lives are at stake, or when the Land of Israel is endangered, nothing else can or should take precedence. Restraint in the face of attack is indeed a courageous act, but we must never allow the fleeting applause of the world to deafen us to a Jew?s cry for help. The mistake of the spies was to pay too much attention to what the nations thought of them. We dare not repeat their error.
3. The Danger of Despair
After hearing the spies? report, the Jewish people were downcast and depressed. The Torah says they reacted as follows: ?The entire assembly raised up and issued its voice; the people wept that night? (Chap. 14, verse 1).
The question: How is it that the ?entire assembly? came to weep?
The answer: The Midrash Tanchuma says as follows: ?Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Yossi HaGalili says: ?They wept like a man cries over someone who has died.? When the spies had returned from traveling in the Land, each one dispersed to his tribe and retreated to a corner in his home. And his sons and daughters came to him and said, ?Why are you bitter? ?? and he said to them: ?Woe is to me for you, my sons and daughters. The Amorites shall rule over you. Who can bear to even gaze at one of them? ? Then, they all broke out in weeping, they and their children and their daughters, until their neighbors heard and they too began to weep, as one family would hear another, until the entire tribe was in tears? And so, one by one, until [the entire people] were as one group, wailing and crying to heavens. This is why the verse says, ?The entire assembly raised up and issued its voice; the people wept that night?.
The lesson: Despair is contagious. It can spread rapidly, sowing gloom in its wake. Even without telephones or the Internet, the spies were able to rapidly deflate the morale of the entire Jewish people, leading them to doubt G-d. Bear in mind that the spies were not dealing with an ordinary audience: the Jews had experienced and witnessed first-hand the Exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Torah at Sinai and the various other miracles that G-d had performed for them in the desert. Yet even with all of that under their belts, the spies were still able to sway public opinion with their disheartening predictions. Nowadays, with all the violence and terror going on around us in Israel, it is likewise easy to fall into the trap of pessimism and sadness. Sometimes, it seems as if each news bulletin brings with it reports of yet another attack, yet another Jewish casualty. Thanks to modern technology, the news spreads faster and wider, invading our living rooms, jumping on to our computer screens and even flashing on our Internet-capable mobile phones. The challenge for us is to overcome the bad news (overcome, not ignore), and to prevent it from sinking us all into needless and unproductive despair. For tradition tells us that the date upon which the Jews wept in the desert was the night of Tisha B?av (the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av). Consequently, because the entire Jewish people wept without cause, G-d declared that day would later become a day of weeping for all generations, a day upon which the two Temples in Jerusalem were subsequently destroyed. Hence, we see the power of spreading disillusion and destroying other people?s hopes, for the tears shed by the spies in the corner of their tents are still with us today. We cannot allow them to drag us down. We cannot give in to despair.