If Hashem desires us, and He will bring us into this Land...
When the spies came back from Eretz Yisrael, they succeeded in sowing fear in the hearts of Bnei Yisrael. Yehoshua and Kalev tried to rally the faith of the Jewish people, declaring, “If Hashem desires us, and He will bring us into the Land.”
Using the word “if” seems to suggest that this was subject to doubt. But since Hashem had told them that He would bring them into the Land, why should there be any room for doubt?
The Tiferes Shlomo presents a novel interpretation of these words. First, he points out that the spies were Tzaddikim, who would not speak slanderously about the Holy Land.
In truth, the spies were afraid that the prosperity of Eretz Yisrael would cause the Jewish people to forget about Hashem. This is why they brought back the bountiful fruit and described the Land as one that “devours” its inhabitants.
Kalev was telling the Jewish people that they had nothing to fear. The challenge of wealth and success did not have to take them away from Hashem. אם חפץ בנו ה' - “If Hashem desires us”, can also be read as “if the desire of Hashem is within us”. If we strengthen ourselves in the fear of Hashem and not get caught up in the pursuit of physical indulgence, there is not reason for fear. If the primary desire within our hearts is for Hashem and to serve Him, He will bring us into the Land.
And not only that, but ועלה נעלה וירשנו אותה - “We will surely go up and conquer it”. We will raise ourselves spiritually and conquer the temptation for material pleasure, pushing it aside to attain our true desire of serving Hashem.
In the eyes of the giants, was because “we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes”. The giants were challenging but not insurmountable. Bnei Yisrael had Hashem’s assistance and possessed great strength. Their failure was not believing in themselves. It was their low self-image in the shadow of the challenge, that caused them to see the challenge as being impossible to overcome, believing that everyone else saw them as weak as well.
The Alter Rebbe teaches a similar insight. In Parshas Vaeschanan, Moshe told Bnei Yisroel that Hashem will cause them “to inherit (the land belonging to) גוים גדולים ועצומים ממך, “Nations who are greater and mightier than you”.
The word ממך can also be read as “from you”. The Torah is teaching that the greatness and strength of the nations which seem so overpowering, is coming from you, from your projection. You have built them up with your own insecurities, lack of faith and not knowing your true inner strengths and potential.
Instead of “growing” our opponents and magnifying our fears and challenges, we should “lower them down” by realising our potential and believing in our own strengths.
This was Yehoshua’s reaction. He saw the very same formidable giants as the other spies, yet he was courageous and undeterred. Yehoshua told Bnei Yisrael not to fear them, because “their protection has departed from them and Hashem is with us”.
This is an incredibly empowering lesson. Even more restrictive than the limitation placed on us by others, is the limitations we place upon ourselves. I can’t do that! It’s too hard! It’s impossible! Look at who I am, how could I possibly achieve that?
Conquering Eretz Canaan and transforming it into Eretz Yisrael represents the overcoming of spiritual challenges.
We have to know that in this conquest, we are not grasshoppers. We are the giants and Hashem is with us. We possess tremendous inner strength from our Neshama that is a part of Hashem Himself. With these strengths, nothing can stand in our way and we can overcome any adversity.
When we advance with this perspective, knowing that we are capable and have the strength, believing in ourselves with confidence and faith, all of the difficulties and concealments will disappear.
We all experience challenges in our lives. Sometimes these challenges seem overwhelming and insurmountable and we give up without even trying. But is the basis for such resignation always true? Perhaps the problem is not the challenge, but our perception of it and of ourselves.
In Kislev 5717 - 1957, the Rebbe sent a letter to one of the great pioneering Chassidim in Melbourne, Reb Zalman Serebryanski. Reb Zalman had written to the Rebbe about challenges facing the fledgling community and the institutions that the Chassidim were trying to build. The Rebbe replied;
“Concerning that which you write about facing difficulties and concealments; you have certainly heard the allusion in the verse ונהי בעינינו כחגבים, .... If only those who fear Hashem ... would recognise the tremendous strengths that have been given to them, they would approach all issues with much greater courage than until now. Then automatically the difficulties and the concealments would disappear”.
The Pasuk quoted in the Rebbe’s response, comes from the report of the spies on their return from Eretz Yisrael found in this week’s Parsha.
Hoping to scare the Jewish people and dissuade them from wanting to enter the Land, they described the mighty inhabitants whom they would have to fight, “And there we saw the Nefilim, the sons of giants”. They continued ונהי בעינינו כחגבים וכן היינו בעיניהם , “And we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes and so we were in their eyes”.
Rashi quotes the Midrash, which describes how the spies overheard the giant inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael saying that they had seen grasshoppers that looked like people. This explains how the Meraglim knew that they were like small grasshoppers in the eyes of the giants.
But why did they preface this by saying that we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes? This is the insightful allusion that the Rebbe was referring to in his letter.
In face of the giants, the Meraglim felt inferior and insignificant. They were insecure and felt small and weak - like grasshoppers - in their own eyes. They could not believe how they could be capable of overcoming such mighty and formidable opponents.
The Torah is hinting to us that in truth, the reason that they believed that they were like grasshoppers in the eyes of the giants, was because “we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes”.
The giants were challenging but not insurmountable. Bnei Yisrael had Hashem’s assistance and possessed great strength. Their failure was not believing in themselves. It was their low self-image in the shadow of the challenge, that caused them to see the challenge as being impossible to overcome, believing that everyone else saw them as weak as well.
The Alter Rebbe teaches a similar insight. In Parshas Vaeschanan, Moshe told Bnei Yisroel that Hashem will cause them “to inherit (the land belonging to) גוים גדולים ועצומים ממך, “Nations who are greater and mightier than you”.
The word ממך can also be read as “from you”. The Torah is teaching that the greatness and strength of the nations which seem so overpowering, is coming from you, from your projection. You have built them up with your own insecurities, lack of faith and not knowing your true inner strengths and potential.
Instead of “growing” our opponents and magnifying our fears and challenges, we should “lower them down” by realising our potential and believing in our own strengths.
This was Yehoshua’s reaction. He saw the very same formidable giants as the other spies, yet he was courageous and undeterred. Yehoshua told Bnei Yisrael not to fear them, because “their protection has departed from them and Hashem is with us”.
This is an incredibly empowering lesson. Even more restrictive than the limitation placed on us by others, is the limitations we place upon ourselves. I can’t do that! It’s too hard! It’s impossible! Look at who I am, how could I possibly achieve that?
Conquering Eretz Canaan and transforming it into Eretz Yisrael represents the overcoming of spiritual challenges.
We have to know that in this conquest, we are not grasshoppers. We are the giants and Hashem is with us. We possess tremendous inner strength from our Neshama that is a part of Hashem Himself. With these strengths, nothing can stand in our way and we can overcome any adversity.
When we advance with this perspective, knowing that we are capable and have the strength, believing in ourselves with confidence and faith, all of the difficulties and concealments will disappear.
