The entire congregation raised their voices loudly and the people cried on that night. All the people of Yisrael complained against Moshe and Aharon. (Bemidbar 14:1–2)
The Torah tells us a really awesome message here about the Meraglim and their complaints against Hashem. We can all learn a lesson from it to be applied in daily life.
Let’s zero in on this important detail:
“You complained perniciously in your tents, saying, ‘Hashem took us out of the land of Egypt because He hates us.’”
This is really astounding. Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim with open miracles. He split the Sea for us, He fed us Mon, He supplied all our needs in the Midbar in a most wondrous way.
And why did He do all this? For just one reason. Because He hates us. That’s what they said! This is why He carried us on eagles’ wings, to bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey, whose fabulous fruits were right there before their very eyes. What was all of this for? “To place us in the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.” That’s what they said. It’s hard to get it. How could they even cook up such a crazy explanation?
Indeed, the reaction of the people to the Meraglim’s report sounds so ridiculous, but what about us? What do we do every day? A person lives in Hashem’s world, he has health, he has parnassah, he has a family, he has thousands of good things in life. And when something happens, let’s see what he says.
It might be something little, like he is running to the bank to take care of some business before closing hours, and just as he rushes up, huffing and puffing, the door locks.
It might be something more serious, such as suffering a loss, whether it be in gashmiyus or in ruchniyus. Or maybe he or a family member falls ill.
What conclusion jumps up in his mind? It looks like Hashem doesn’t love me. That’s what he thinks. That’s what the parshah is about. And it teaches us not just how silly it is to think that way, but also how dangerous it can be.
They all cried that night. Chazal say “that night” was the night of Tishah b’Av.
Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to them: You cried a needless cry; I will set for you a crying for generations on this night.
This is when it was decreed that Beis Hamikdash will eventually be destroyed and the Jewish people will go into exile among the nations of the world.
The Midrash compares this to a king who brought a person in to be judged, and the person was so distraught that he bitterly blurted out the harsh punishment he thought the king would give him. The king said to him: What you said is what I decree upon you. What you said is what will happen to you.
What’s the point of the Midrash?
If you think the king is so cruel and mean that you imagine he will do such and such to you, then that’s what you will get.
We are the same way. Every morning, when we recite Ahavah Rabbah, we bless Hashem for His great love of us. Then, in Modim, we thank Him for our lives that are in His hands, and for the miracles He does for us every day, and for His constant acts of kindness. But afterward, during the course of the day, when something happens, it is common to forget all this, and starting thinking, “Hashem must be angry with me.”
Don’t fall into this way of thinking. It’s a false narrative. Don’t be like the distraught man in the above-mentioned Midrash.
And the biggest mistake of all: usually, what we are complaining about so bitterly is in fact very good for us.
That’s how it was with the Meraglim. They complained that “The land we passed through is a land that devours its inhabitants.” Chazal explain why they said this: everywhere they went, they saw funerals.
So was this good or bad?
They thought it was bad. People are dying all the time over here. But in fact, it was good, because Hashem caused a lot of funerals to take place just as they were spying out the land, so the locals will be busy mourning for their dear departed loved ones, and won’t notice that there are twelve spies walking around.
It’s like this with us, too. How many times did something happen that you thought was bad, and it turned out in the end to be very good? There are so many wonderful stories about cases like this. We need to remember this during difficult moments, to know that Hashem loves us dearly and always. The biggest danger is forgetting that Hashem loves us.
If a person remembers Hashem’s love for him even in the difficult moments, that love will always accompany him, and all his troubles will transform into blessings and good news.
