A Word From The Rabbi

Dear Friend,

Imagine that the owner of a wide network of factories would send his representative to a new country to see if he could expand his operations and build a new factory there. The representative goes to the new land, checks out the conditions, and returns to his boss with a full report, suggesting that it is not a good idea to build there, and that the land will not suit the boss's purposes. What does the factory owner do? He punishes him for bringing back a negative report.

When we look at this week's Torah portion, Shelach, it seems as if we have a similar situation. Moses sent spies to the Land of Israel in order to get a report on the conditions there. The spies returned with the gloomy news: "The people dwelling in the land are strong, the cities are very strongly walled and great, and we also saw the children of giants there." The spies were harshly punished by G‑d for their message, and the Torah describes them as having "brought an evil report against the land."

Why were they punished at all? Were they not merely fulfilling their mission? Their job was to check out the land, "What it is, and whether the people dwelling in it are strong... the cities, if they are open places or fortified," and this is what they did. Is it their fault that the land was occupied by giants and the cities were reinforced? Should they have given a false report upon their return?

The true sin of the spies was that they digressed from their mission. They were only required to describe the Land of Israel, in order for the Jews to know how best to approach and conquer it in a natural manner. The spies were not satisfied with a mere description; they had to editorialize as well and added their opinion as to the likelihood of it being conquered. When they added their own deductions, this caused the Children of Israel to lose faith in G‑d and begin to despair. The sin of the twelve spies lies in their comment, "We will not be able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than us."

The spies' transgression was that their faith in G‑d's commandment was not great enough. When G‑d commands that something be done, a Jew must have faith that it is possible. G‑d does not require anything of man which is above his capabilities. Even a mortal, possessing the minimum of understanding and responsibility, will not ask a person to do something which is impossible. Every artisan who fashions a vessel creates it so that it will fulfill its purpose and not break. How much more so is this true about G‑d. When the King of Kings commands us to do something, there is no doubt that it is within our grasp, or else it would not have been commanded.

However, we must remember that although man must be sure of his ability to perform mitzvot, he must not rely on miracles to accomplish them. Indeed, mitzvot must be done through natural means, as this is the will of G‑d. A Jew must find the best way according to the laws of nature, to succeed in his tasks. That is why Moses sent the spies; to discover the best approach to conquer Israel militarily. The sin of the spies was that they put all their faith in nature itself, and forgot Who created that very nature.

Wishing you a successful week,

Rabbi Yudy Shemtov
Senior Rabbi/Executive Director