We wrote above that the Jewish nation thought that Hashem didn't love them due to their aveiros, and therefore, they were afraid to enter Eretz Yisrael. This is an example of when one has a false dimyon, imagination, that prevents him from serving Hashem. We have to know the truth of how precious we are to Hashem at all times.
It states (Tehillim 119:59) חשבתי דרכי ואשיבה רגלי אל עדותיך, "I considered my ways and returned my feet to Your Torah."
The Beis Aharon explains that חשבתי דרכי means that he should consider his deeds to be חשוב, important ואשיבה רגלי, and then he will be able to return his רגילות, his standard routine and habits, אל עדותיך, to keep the Torah. He will be able to leave his bad habits and change his ways because he considers all of his deeds special. But if he doesn't value himself and his ways, he won't be able to change his ways.
We quote the Beis Aharon:
"Even if a person is at a very low level, he should consider everything he does for avodas Hashem to be very important. He must believe that every good deed he does will go up very high. With this perception, he can change his regilus and his life patterns. חשבתי דרכי ואשיבה רגלי אל עדותיך, when your deeds are חשוב in your eyes, then ואשיבה רגלי, you can change your רגילות and change your life patterns to serve Hashem."
The Beis Aharon teaches that, therefore, a person should daven that Hashem should help him forget all the foolish things he did in the past. Then he will be able to consider himself and his ways special before Hashem, and then he can change his ways.
Chazal say, כל מה שאומר לך בעל הבית עשה חוץ מצא, "Whatever the baal habayis (host) tells you to do, you must do, except if he tells you to leave."
The Shlah teaches: The baal habayis is Hashem, the baal habayis of the world. You must listen to all His dictates, except when He tells you צא, to leave, that you can't do teshuvah. You must believe that no matter what you did in the past, you can do teshuvah.
The Gemara says, "Don't believe in yourself until the day you die." It seems that on the day one dies, he may believe in himself.
The Sfas Emes zt'l says that "the day one dies" means the days one falls from his levels (It isn't referring to the day that one literally dies; rather, it means the day that one falls from his levels). On the days that one falls from his levels, he must believe in himself. He must think about his greatness and specialness because that will help him overcome the yetzer hara.
Yosef HaTzaddik used this tactic when he was tested by aishes Potiphar. He said to her (Bereishis 39:9), איננו גדול בבית הזה ממני, "There is no one greater in this house than I." It is explained that he was building up his ego to believe in his greatness because that is how one can overcome his challenges.
It states (Rashi Bamidbar 1:49) כדאי הוא לגיון של מלך להיות נמנה לבדו, referring to Levi not being counted together with all Yidden. They were counted separately because "It is proper that the King's close servants should be counted separately." What made the Levi'im so precious and special? It is because they didn't sin by the eigel.
However, for the most part, Klal Yisrael also didn't sin! All in all, only three thousand people made the eigel. Out of 600,000 Yidden (and more), three thousand people are a tiny percentage. So, what makes Levi so special?
The Sfas Emes answers that it is because Moshe called out (Shemos 32:26) מי לה' אלי, and Levi came forward. The ability to pick oneself up after falling is what makes him precious in Hashem's eyes.
What Others Think
The meraglim told Klal Yisrael about the giants who lived in Eretz Canaan. They said (13:33), ונהי בעינינו כחגבים וכן היינו בעיניהם, "We felt like grasshoppers, and that is how they perceived us."
The Midrash states, "Hakadosh Baruch Hu forgave them for saying 'We felt like grasshoppers,' but Hashem didn't forgive them for saying וכן היינו בעיניהם, 'that's how they perceived us.' Hakadosh Baruch Hu told them, 'How do you know which impression I had them think of you? Perhaps they thought you are angels?'"
This is a crucial lesson. Many people have a low self-image and think everyone looks down on them. Other people's opinions are very important to them, and when others think negatively of them, it hurts them immensely. But one never knows what others are thinking. Perhaps Hashem put into the hearts of others to look up to you and to consider you special. Maybe they even think you are like a malach. Why do you think so poorly of yourself?
Thinking good about yourself is essential because this will encourage you to act in a proper way. If you think lowly of yourself, you will likely fall to sin and bad middos.
The Chidushei HaRim zt'l explains that the negative image of the people in the desert was their primary sin, which caused them to sin with the meraglim. Therefore, Moshe told the meraglim, והתחזקתם, "strengthen yourselves..." Moshe understood that they have negative self-esteem, and they have to strengthen themselves and think better of themselves.
The Sfas Emes asks that the Gemara (Sotah 35.) states that the meraglim heard the Canaanites say, "We see people; they look like ants, crawling in the vineyards." It seems that it wasn't only the meraglim's imagination. They actually heard the Canaanites looking down at them, thinking of them like insects.
The Sfas Emes answers that the problem began with their negative self-perception. This influenced others to look at them. "Since they were small in their own eyes, and they consider themselves like grasshoppers, this caused others to see them that way."
This happens often. The way one views himself is what he portrays to others. Since they considered themselves small, this caused others to see them as small.
Had they believed in themselves, the Canaanites would have respected them more. Perhaps they would even consider them like malachim. But they looked down at themselves, which is how others viewed them, too.