On the most basic level, the Sin of the Spies was that they were overcome by fear and communicated their despair to the nation. The lessons of this episode are very relevant to the current situation.
Fear and Emotional Mastery
This week’s Parsha, Shlach, recounts the tragic story of the Meraglim (spies). Their report about the Land of Israel led to Hashem’s decree of a forty-year sojourn in the Wilderness; delaying Bnei Yisrael’s (Children of Israel) entry into the land. On the most basic level, the Sin of the Spies was that they were overcome by fear of the land’s inhabitants and communicated their despair to the nation.
Their report induced a panic in the people. In this regard, it should be noted that the sin was not that they experienced the emotion of fear. One is not held responsible for their emotions, for we have no control over them. However, one’s responsibility lies with how one chooses to respond to one’s feelings. There are times in life when we must master our emotions and not allow them to gain control over our actions.
A perfect example of this can be found with Yosef, when his brothers came to Egypt to obtain a supply of food. Though he maintained a tough exterior in order to keep his siblings on edge, inwardly he felt great compassion and at times had to make a hasty exit in order to cry in private.
Finally, after he heard the plea of Yehuda, “he could no longer hold himself back, and he emptied the room so that there would be no outsiders present when he revealed himself to his brothers. (Bereishit 45:1)” This, therefore, was a case of Yosef being fully cognizant of his emotional makeup and acting with complete control, in order to fulfill a higher purpose-the reunification of this unique family, which had been torn asunder.Fear and Emotional Mastery
This week’s Parsha, Shlach, recounts the tragic story of the Meraglim (spies). Their report about the Land of Israel led to Hashem’s decree of a forty-year sojourn in the Wilderness; delaying Bnei Yisrael’s (Children of Israel) entry into the land. On the most basic level, the Sin of the Spies was that they were overcome by fear of the land’s inhabitants and communicated their despair to the nation.
Their report induced a panic in the people. In this regard, it should be noted that the sin was not that they experienced the emotion of fear. One is not held responsible for their emotions, for we have no control over them. However, one’s responsibility lies with how one chooses to respond to one’s feelings. There are times in life when we must master our emotions and not allow them to gain control over our actions.
A perfect example of this can be found with Yosef, when his brothers came to Egypt to obtain a supply of food. Though he maintained a tough exterior in order to keep his siblings on edge, inwardly he felt great compassion and at times had to make a hasty exit in order to cry in private.
Finally, after he heard the plea of Yehuda, “he could no longer hold himself back, and he emptied the room so that there would be no outsiders present when he revealed himself to his brothers. (Bereishit 45:1)” This, therefore, was a case of Yosef being fully cognizant of his emotional makeup and acting with complete control, in order to fulfill a higher purpose-the reunification of this unique family, which had been torn asunder.
The “Grasshopper Mentality”
The Sin of the Spies was that they “were drawn after their hearts and their eyes”. [Note: The third paragraph of the Shema pertaining to the Mitzvah of Tzitzit (garment fringes) containing these words appears in the last verses of this Sedra (Torah portion) (BaMidbar 15:39)]. They were undone by what they saw and what they imagined. In their report to Moshe and the people, they said,
“… The land through which we passed, to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants! All the people that we saw in it were huge! There we saw the Nephilim, the sons of the giant from among the Nephilim; we were like grasshoppers in our eyes and so were we in their eyes” (BaMidbar 13:32-33).
One may ask how did they know that they appeared like Chagavim (grasshoppers) in the eyes of the inhabitants? Rashi says, “We overheard them saying, there are ants in these vineyards that are like people”. But does Rashi mean to say that they actually heard them saying these things? That is certainly possible, but it can also mean that they projected their own feelings onto the giants they encountered. They felt so small in comparison to the natives that they assumedthat they looked at them in that light. And when you are truly convinced that this is what someone thinks of you, you might also believe that you actually heard them say it.
In a sense, one can say that the Spies defeated themselves. Since the enemy appeared to be invincible, they assumed he was. But this constitutes the mistake of determining reality on the basis of mere appearances. They should have stopped immediately and reminded themselves that Hashem promised that He would be with them, and that they would conquer the land. And they should have realized that physical dimensions by themselves do not determine the battle. Superior height does have advantages, but it contains liabilities as well. The smaller fighter must study the situation carefully to detect the vulnerabilities of his bigger opponent and devise his strategy accordingly.
David’s Clarity and Courage
This was demonstrated by David HaMelech (King David) who went up against the mighty and fearsome Goliath and rendered him a helpless giant against his slingshot tactics. David was not affected by the “grasshopper mentality” and regarded his blaspheming enemy as nothing of any consequence. He said to the antagonist:
“You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin—but I come to you with the Name of Hashem, Master of Legions, the G-d of the battalions of Israel that you have ridiculed. On this day, Hashem will deliver you into my hand. I shall smite you and I will remove your head from upon you; and I shall offer the carcass of the Philistine camp this day to the fowl of the heavens and to the beast of the earth! Then the whole world will know that there is a G-d in Israel, and all this assembly will know that not through sword and spear does Hashem grant salvation; for unto Hashem is the battle, and He shall deliver you into our hands! (Shemuel I 17:45-47)”
David HaMelech was not intimidated by the fearsome appearance of Goliath. He was not drawn after his heart and his eyes. He looked beyond the physical and recognized that his opponent was not much more formidable than the lion and the bear he had slain in order to save his sheep from their clutches. Animals are very limited and predictable and can be controlled by those who have courage and confidence. David knew that Hashem rules the world and that if we are in line with His Will and conscientiously develop the requisite skills, we can approach difficult challenges from a perspective of calm confidence.
Inside the Mind of the Enemy
The Meraglim lacked the proper perspective in their encounter with the seeming challenges which confronted them in the land, and they allowed their initial impressions to determine their reaction. But all they saw was the superficial exterior. Did they have any accurate sense about what their enemies were like in terms of morale? It turns out that their depiction of overconfident “giants” disparaging them as “grasshoppers” was far from accurate.
A clear picture about the inner attitude of these “giants” can be gleaned from the information that was obtained by the two spies who were sent by Yehoshua prior to his invasion of the land. The righteous woman Rachav told them:
“We have heard how Hashem dried up the waters of the sea of Reeds….and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were across the Jordan—to Sichon and to Og—whom you utterly destroyed. We heard, and our hearts melted—no spirit remained in any man because of you—for Hashem, your G-d, He is G-d in the heavens above and the earth below. (Yehoshua 2:10-11)”
What an irony! The land’s inhabitants had become afraid of Hashem and the people for whom He had performed these mighty miracles. But the Jews who had actually experienced those wonders suddenly lost sight of them and became extremely fearful of mere mortals.
The lessons of this episode are very relevant to the current Matzav (Situation).
I sincerely affirm that we must believe in miracles, but not rely on them. We must strive to develop and maintain the most effective military machine possible. But that by itself is not enough. We must equally strive to be the special nation that Hashem designated us to be.
We must strengthen our relationship to Hashem and His Torah and consider all the seemingly daunting challenges we confront, from that perspective. And just as Hashem granted victory to David HaMelech and all the great heroes who rose up to fight for the sake of His glorious Name, so too may He bless us with a great triumph in our current battles.
Shabbat Shalom.
Questions? Comments?
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