The Value of a Righteous Person
היש בה עץ אם אין
Are there trees in it or not? (13:20)
Rashi explains that Moshe Rabbeinu’s mention of a tree is an allusion to a tzadik. He wanted the spies to find out if a righteous person was living in the land, in whose merit the people would be sheltered from attack. This refers to Iyov, who was a saintly and virtuous man – but who died right before the spies reached the land. With this in mind, we infer that Moshe did not require the services of the meraglim to ascertain the Jews ability to conquer the land. Hashem would provide for their triumph. If a righteous man lived in the land, his merit would protect the populace. One person, whose devotion to Hashem was unequivocal, had the power to save the country. Can we imagine what our Torah study achieves?
Horav Shmuel Gefen, Shlita (Shemuah Tovah), suggests that the fact that the meraglim ignored the presence of a righteous person indicates their own lack of Torah values. Had they cared, they would have sought out this tzadik. The fact that they ignored this part of the mission is indicative. Eretz Yisrael is a land reserved for the Torah committed Jew. A young child is not given diamonds to play with, because he neither knows nor appreciates their value. These men may have been distinguished leaders, but apparently, they did not understand the power of a tzadik. Lacking this appreciation, they never thought to look.
The presence of a tzadik in one’s midst is a treasure of immeasurable worth – but only to those who sincerely recognize its value. We can derive a powerful message from here. If we wish our children and students to appreciate greatness, to seek out and be influenced by tzaddikim, we must first instill within them a sense of value for what a tzadik represents. It is insufficient to point and say, “There goes a great man.” One must teach what constitutes greatness.
A child who is raised to admire Torah, to revere kedushah, and to understand the protective and transformative power of righteousness will naturally gravitate toward it. He will seek a tzadik, just as one who values wealth seeks opportunity. If this appreciation is absent, however, even when standing in the presence of greatness, he will remain unmoved – like the child holding a diamond, unaware of the treasure in his hand.
This is one of the areas in which the meraglim erred. They saw, but did not perceive. They looked, but did not seek. Their tragedy was not only in what they reported, but also, in what they failed to value. On a personal note, we must remember: Only one who values a treasure will ever truly possess it. We must teach our children (by example) that a life can be more successful than a life characterized by a large house and exotic vacation. No one says it should be rejected – only that it should not be the focal point and barometer of success.
The following story is related in the Menoras HaMaor. I cite it as a motivation for those who either choose to complete an entire meseches, or just want to review what they have learned and require an extra push. There was once a chasid (not today’s conventional chasid of an Admor, but one of the pietists, as they were called, who was wholly devoted to Torah and mitzvos – nothing else). The man studied Meseches Chagigah over and over. He spent his life reviewing the meseches until he was fluent in every aspect of its multi-faceted dialectic. When he left this world, the chasid was alone at home. No one was aware of his passing. A woman (a spiritual entity in the image of a woman) entered the house, raised her voice loudly, and began to weep and lament his death. The more she wept, the greater her sound carried out to the town. People congregated in the house and listened to her words of eulogy. She declared, “Bury this chasid with the reverence that he deserves, for he honored me and saw to it that I was neither rejected nor forgotten.”
Everyone joined in the massive, honorable funeral. The woman kept on weeping. They asked her name. She said, “Chagigah.” As soon as the burial was complete, the woman disappeared. The people then realized that this was Meseches Chagigah that came to render kavod acharon, final honor, to a chasid who had devoted his life to preserving its honor.
