“You know the story, Dinah. Let’s try to figure it out together, and then you’ll see why I told you that you reminded me about the miraglim. I asked you to check out the room, right?”
“And I described exactly how it looked. Believe me Shifi, I wasn’t exaggerating one bit!” insisted Dinah.
“But you added something that I did not ask you.”
Dinah thought. “Yes. I said that it was so messy we would never finish by four o’clock. I get it. That’s like the miraglim, who also said: ‘We could never conquer the land, it’s too difficult.’ ”
“That’s right,” explained Shifi. “You see, Moshe Rabbeinu only asked the miraglim for information. He never asked them for an opinion. He didn’t ask them if they thought the Jewish people could conquer the land. He new they would be able to do it, because HaShem promised to help them.
Everything they said was true: the cities were fortified and the people were strong. The Jewish people could use this information as they planned their entrance to the land. The miraglim were not asked to add their own ideas. They should not have doubted whether the Jewish people would succeed. HaShem had promised that they would be successful.
When I asked for a report on the room, I just wanted to get an idea how long it would take us to do it. I didn’t expect you to announce that we’d never get it done in time. You knew that I would help you. Now, get busy ‘conquering’ that mess.”
(Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXIII, Parshas Shelach)
