Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
Bnei Yisroel were on the cusp on entering Eretz Yisroel, this wonderful land Hashem had promised them. Yet, Bnei Yisroel now became hesitant and unsure about the success of their journey. According to details added in Parshat Bamidbar, Bnei Yisroel approached their leader Moshe requesting further assurance of the positive conclusion to their journey of redemption. We can extrapolate and fill in parts of the conversation between Bnei Yisroel and Moshe and the intervening conversation between Moshe and Hashem from these two accounts in the Torah: "Shelach lecha anashim veyaturu et Eretz Canaan/Send for [of] yourself and let them spy out the Land of Canaan." In other words, I am not commanding you to send out spies, but I am giving you permission to do so, as Rashi translates lecha, ledaatcha/according to your judgment, knowledge. Moshe agreed to the request of the people, hoping that his agreement would reassure them enough so that they would abandon their request. As we know, that did not happen.
As Rabbi Druck and Rabbi Dunner explain, Hashem wanted to send two spies whom he knew would represent the proper views of the Land. He chose Yehoshua and Caleb. But Bnei Yisroel were not satisfied with just these two. They wanted to add men of their own choosing. These were the additional leaders in the other tribes. The two that Moshe chose as per Hashem's permission did not present a problem. But Moshe agreed to send all the representatives, and the other ten brought back the negative report that delayed the entrance to the Land by forty years.
On the first level of understanding this tragic episode in our history, we must admit that in some way, in spite of all the miracles Bnei Yisroel had witnessed, there was still a lack of faith in Hashem's promises about this wonderful land and the ability of Bnei Yisroel to acquire it. As Rabbi Goldstein notes in Shaarei Yosher while generally people are required to put in their own effort toward success, the greatest tzadikim know that all success lies in Hashem's hands, and they put no faith in people. When they put in their own effort, it is only because they know Hashem wants man to work, not because they expect their work to be the source of their success. That is why Yosef Hatzadik was punished for relying on the chief butler's report to Pharaoh to release him from prison and spent two additional years in the dungeon.
This generation had achieved the greatest spiritual heights of any generation. God had revealed Himself directly to them. Yet they still needed the reassurance of checking out the Land with the eyes of their personal human representatives. The Ohr Doniel, citing Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt"l, suggests that the fact that their faith was a result of revelation, of a gift, rather than a result of their own struggle to achieve faith, was the source of the weakness of this faith. Faith in Hashem requires personal investment and struggle, not just inspiration.
But Bnei Yisroel were not even on the level of being convinced by the knowledge Moshe tried to impart to them, writes the Zichron Meir in Chochmat Hamatzpun. That's why Moshe felt compelled to acquiesce to their demand to send spies to reconnoiter the Land.
There are three levels of emunah/faith, teaches Rabbi Neiman, as cited in Yalkut Lekach Tov. The most elementary level is the belief that there is a Creator of the world. On the second level, one recognizes that whatever one achieves is a result of Hashem's continuous involvement in the world. The uppermost level acknowledges that Hashem is in charge and coordinates all events for the good, even if events seem to make no sense in human understanding. [This is the only logical way one can understand current world and social phenomena. We live in a Purim-like, upside down world. CKS]
It is within this context that we can try to understand the broad strokes of the songs in our Holy Writings. All the songs in Tanach are holy, but tradition tells us that Shir Hashirim/Song of Songs is Holy of Holies. The Song of the Sea [after the splitting of Yam Suf], the Song of Devorah, the Song of Channah, for example, extol a sense of intimacy with Hakodosh Boruch Hu. In contrast, while Shir Hashirim is definitely a song of intimacy, it also includes instances of distance, of searching for the Beloved, of being beaten during the search. Recognizing God's love even through these trials elevates the sanctity of Shir Hashirim above the other odes in our Tanach.
The generation of the desert wanted an eye witness report of what would await them when they would cross over into Eretz Canaan. We counter this lack of faith with our daily declaration of faith. We cover our eyes with our hands as we recite the Shema, the ultimate belief that what we perceive as compassion and what we perceive as strict justice are actually One and the same; they are simply two facets of our perception of the One, Unique God. We are covering our eyes to proclaim that we are not letting our eyes, our human senses, our limited human intellectual perceptions, lead us into false beliefs, writes Rabbi Schorr in Halekach Vehalebuv. Rather, we are looking internally to access the love of and faith in Hakodosh Boruch Hu that exists within each of us. Right before we recite Shema, we thank Hashem and proclaim His Oneness with love. It is this love that we must strive to access in challenging times. This is the work necessary to build emunah/faith. This work according to Rabbi Dessler, is a positive commandment that is part of the first of the Ten Utterances at Sinai, "I am the Lord your God."
To counteract the path our wandering eyes may lead us through, the Parshah ends with the mitzvah of tzitzit. We are to look at the tzitzit and reinforce our commitment not to follow the lure of our hearts and our eyes.
Sometimes we may refuse to "see Hashem's hand" as a necessary part of our lives. We start considering following the rituals and laws of our Torah based on our personal schedules and convenience. But our faith must animate our lives and dictate our schedules. This truly takes work, writes Rabbi Goldstein in The Emunah Reality, and this is the knowledge that Moshe hoped to impart to Bnei Yisroel.
Chabad teaching, as explained in Be'er Hachaim, states that Master of knowledge created two kinds of thought. Higher level thought says that whatever is above, in the world of spirit, exists, and whatever is below, in the physical world is illusion. Lower level thought reverses these two. Do we look at the world through physical "realities," or do we recognize Hashem's spirit as the animator of all?
In Channah's song of gratitude and praise to Hashem after the birth of Shmuel, she sings, "Ain Tzur k'Elokeinu/There is no Rock like our God." Our Sages homiletically read the verse as, "There is no Tzayar/Artist like our God." The greatest artist is the one whose creation is so lifelike that birds will try to peck at the fruit of its tree, or that a passerby will stop to greet the statue with good morning. The world of illusion can appear completely real, and the Creator of the world is the greatest Artist and Illusionist. The only reality is Hashem's will.
Hashem and Moshe, His devoted servant, wanted us to enter Eretz Yisroel to be filled with true daat/knowledge of Hashem, for its spiritual qualities, but Bnei Yisroel and the spies wanted to enter Eretz Yisroel to enjoy its fruit and physical characteristics. All the ten spies saw, besides its magnificent fruit, was a land that consumes its inhabitants, a land of giant warriors. Moshe was unsuccessful in entering their hearts with the true, higher knowledge.
We are often trapped by similar lures of the physical world, whether it is the piece of cake that we enjoy for the moment and later regret [A moment on the lips, forever on the hips. CKS], or the newest technology and games we grow weary of after only a short while. Only the spiritual values remain forever.
When we recite Shema and acknowledge Hashem's Oneness, writes Rabbi Bernstein in Laboker Rinah, we declare that we exist only because Hashem so wills it. Therefore, everything I have should be used in His service and has value only in His service. But the darkness of this world contradicts this idea, and our physical eyes see intrinsic value and power in physical entities, thus contradicting the Oneness of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Therefore, we cover our eyes when we recite the Shema so that the sight of the physical world does not dilute or negate that primary belief in Hashem's Oneness. [In the innermost recesses of the Jewish soul, we absolutely know that seeing in and of itself is not necessarily believing. CKS]
We also see with a psychological eye. While Hashem and Moshe wanted Bnei Yisroel to see the spiritual greatness of the Land, Bnei Yisroel understood that the battle for the Land would involve a spiritual battle more than a physical battle. Bnei Yisroel lacked the confidence in their own ability to vanquish the enemy on these terms. As the Tosher Rebbe zt"l explains, the spies saw the inhabitants as baalei midot/men of great measure/men of great character. Bnei Yisroel recognized in the inhabitants the seven kabbalistic attributes or spheres through which Hashem manifests Himself in the world. These attributes can can be pure and holy, or can be corrupted into evil. The seven nations of the land had corrupted these seven attributes of our world and used them for evil purposes. [As examples, Knowledge and Wisdom, two of the attributes and spheres, can be used toward positive or toward negative purposes. CKS] Hashem wanted Bnei Yisroel to uproot the negative influences of the seven nations and replace them with the positive manifestations. But Bnei Yisroel lacked the confidence in their own ability to do so, and Moshe was unsuccessful in implanting this confidence in them. The spies, instead of rising to the challenge and choosing to trust that Hashem had given them the ability to meet the challenge and conquer it, met the challenge with despair.
Just as the spies had a challenge and a choice, to believe that if Hashem gave them a challenge, He also provided them the tools for success, so do we each face the same choices in our own lives. We have to believe in ourselves and that Hashem will help us. The spies saw the challenge the seven nations represented, but they failed to see how their own qualities were more than a match to overcome and transform the land.
When we think we no longer have the capability to overcome our challenges, Rabbi Friefeld zt"l urges us to pray to Hashem to release the hidden reserves of energy within us and help us. [I am told that when your cell phone is on empty, there is a way to release hidden, backup energy to be used in an emergency situation. CKS]
Rabbi Kirzner z”l in The Art of Jewish Prayer notes that in Modim we thank Hashem for "our souls that are entrusted to You." While Hashem has animated our bodies with a soul, that is only a partial soul, and Hashem has kept the rest in reserve for emergency situations. When we feel enveloped in darkness, we should pray to Hashem to give us more of the light of our neshamah so that we can tap into our hidden resources. But we have to ask.
Hashem created each of us in His image. Therefore, just as He is unique and One, so is each of us unique with a personal mission no one else can accomplish. This idea is perhaps best articulated when we use our hand to kiss a mezuzah or when we cover our eyes with our hand when reciting Shema. The striations on each fingerprint or hand print are unique, no two are alike. When we touch the mezuzah with our fingertips or cover our eyes with the palm of our hand, we are connecting our personal uniqueness with the oneness of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. We are accepting our mission as the general of our personal army in the completion of the task Hashem has assigned us, writes Rabbi Brazile in Bishvili Nivra Haolam.
You must believe in yourself, in your own uniqueness, and in your own ability to accomplish whatever is before you. Then you can begin rectifying the sin of the spies. You can declare and prove ain od milvado/nothing exists beside Him, and therefore everything can be accomplished with Him.