As Moshe Rabbeinu prepared to send the Meraglim into Eretz Yisrael, he instructed them to discover “how good it is, or bad.” The Chiddushei Harim explains that Moshe Rabbeinu was telling the Meraglim that Eretz Yisrael is indeed a very good land, even if it may appear bad at times. The essence of the Land is good and holy, always — however, the goodness may be covered up and thereby skew our perception.
As Rashi notes in his commentary on the parshah, the Meraglim were taken in by the apparent negative aspects of Eretz Yisrael and interpreted the constant funerals as a sign that the Land “ate up” its inhabitants. Had they reminded themselves that the Land is absolutely good, they would have been able to see beneath the surface and realize that the funerals were directly from Hashem, to ensure that the Kenaanim would be too busy to notice the Meraglim’s presence.
When we remind ourselves of the goodness in everything Hashem has in store for us, we can overcome our skewed perceptions and see things for what they truly are. This is particularly true regarding every single Yid we encounter. As the Sefer HaTanya explains at length, the essence of every Yid is absolutely good and pure, as it is a part of Hashem Himself. Anything that appears bad is simply covering up that good essence.
It’s relatively easy to remind ourselves of this when we look at Yidden in the abstract. It’s when we live with others — our spouses, parents, and children — that we are more challenged because the “bad” is in sharper focus and affects us too. That’s why it’s actually even more important when it comes to those close relationships to remind ourselves of the essential good in those around us, to notice it and believe in it, reminding ourselves that anything “bad” is just a challenge to be overcome.
