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The sin of the meraglim was tragic on so many levels, to the point where Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, zt”l, the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, believed that the Jewish people still suffer the consequences of that terrible transgression to this day in the form of the exile that we experience even now.
How is it that aside from Yehoshua and Calev, the other ten spies, who were great men and respected leaders, erred so significantly? Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, zt”l, referred to this incident as being one of the greatest collective failures of leadership in the Torah. He notes that after the incredible miracles that Bnei Yisrael experienced, which included the Ten Plagues, the splitting of the Yam Suf, and defeating the mighty Amalek, it is almost unfathomable that the spies would think that God would not help them overcome any obstacles as they journeyed to Eretz Yisrael. Other nations, including those that inhabited the Land of Israel at the time, were afraid of the Jews because they all knew that God was in Bnei Yisrael’s corner. The meraglim should have known better.
The notion of having emunah, faith, in God is one of the foundations of Judaism. Trusting and believing in God is how we are supposed to live our lives as Jews, and it dictates our day-to-day activities. Rather than helping to renew Bnei Yisrael’s faith in God, the spies shattered it by abandoning their own emunah when they allowed the fear over what they observed to cloud their faith.
Rabbi Sacks noted that in Judaism, “hope,” the belief that together we can make things better, is paramount. No matter what happens, Jews must always have hope. The meraglim failed, both as leaders and as Jews, because they exhibited a degree of negativity and relinquished their sense of hope and faith. Their lapse in judgment was a serious blunder that had major ramifications for an entire generation of Jews.
The concept of having emunah was particularly poignant this past week as I sat shiva for my father. It was an incredibly exhausting week, both emotionally and physically, and having faith in God unquestionably helped me tremendously during this difficult time.
The deep and unwavering sense of emunah that my father had was something that I thought about often this week, and it has been a source of comfort to me as I try to emulate him by maintaining that same abiding faith in God.
However, there was another source of comfort that helped me get through the week, and that is our Kohelet community. Whether it was traveling to New Jersey for the funeral, being menachem avel, providing meals for our family, sponsoring learning in my father’s memory, or thoughtful texts and phone calls, the care and concern that everyone showed was so touching and very meaningful. I am extraordinarily grateful to be part of such a special community and was very moved by your kindness.
Wishing everyone an enjoyable summer! I cannot wait to see everyone back in school at the end of August!
Shabbat Shalom,
Mrs. Becky Troodler
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