We know that what started the downward spiral of the Jews in the Wilderness and the historical tragedies of Tisha B’Av was the negative report of the spies.
However, a simple reading of the Parsha this week makes it seem like Moshe was doing the same thing! He essentially said to us, (9:1-2) “You are about to face a nation greater and more powerful than you, with giants, and who can withstand giants?!”
Why is this different than what the spies did?
The answer is that Moshe was saying in the same breath that you will face these mighty people and overcome them. You will experience victory after victory and you should realize this is nothing short of miraculous.
How do you merit these miracles? It is not because of your righteousness, because you are stubborn and rebel. Rather, it’s because Hashem wants to fulfill His promise to your forefathers and the inhabitants are sinful.
Moshe was teaching us that in order to merit Hashem’s miracles, we must recognize that it is Hashem’s kindness which conquers all our enemies and problems. We spent forty years learning to rely on Him because that’s our key to survival.
By recognizing that everything that happens is from Hashem, we can become recipients of His daily miracles.
Thought of the week:
Don’t tell G-d how big your problems are. Tell your problems how big G-d is.
