Mati Kirschenbaum
In this week’s Torah portion Shlach Lecha (Hebrew for: “Send for Yourself”) Moses sends twelve spies whose task is to gather information about the Land of Canaan. After they complete their spying mission they are supposed to go back to Moses and tell him that it is indeed a land flowing with milk and honey. However, ten of them bring him truly woeful tidings:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “The country that we traversed and scouted is one that devours its settlers. All the people that we saw in it are men of great size; we saw the Nephilim [giants] there — the Anakites are part of the Nephilim [giants]— and [compared to them] we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them” (Numbers 13:32-33.) [/perfectpullquote]
The Israelites respond to this report with communal despair, which is described as follows:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “The whole community broke into loud cries, and the people wept that night. All the Israelites railed against Moses and Aaron. ‘If only we had died in the land of Egypt,’ the whole community shouted at them, ‘or if only we might die in this wilderness! Why is the [Eternal] taking us to that land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be carried off! It would be better for us to go back to Egypt!’” (Numbers 14:1-3.) [/perfectpullquote]
The interpretation of the challenge faced by the Israelites provided by Rashi, the French medieval Torah commentator, helps us gain a better understanding of their despair. He claims that the Anakites were given such a name because they were so tall that they obscured (maanikim) the view of the Sun. According to tractate Sota 35a of the Babylonian Talmud Moses’ emissaries, frightened by the enormity of the Anakites, climbed on trees in search for shelter. In relation to this tractate Rashi claims that as the spies were sitting at the top of the trees, they heard the Anakites wondering about the origins of these creatures who resembled ants due to their small size and who were hiding in their vineyards – that is how Rashi explains the meaning of the above mentioned verse: “…and so we must have looked to them.”
Most of us have not encountered many giants, perhaps only at basketball games. However, sometimes in our lives we face seemingly overwhelming situations. Usually it happens when we decide it’s time for a major change, such as moving to a different city or country or starting a new job. In the first days after we immigrate to a new country its native residents seem to hold an enormous advantage over us because they’re familiar with the local reality and they can rely on the support which stems from being rooted in the local community. At a new workplace our colleagues’ skills seem to surpass our own, as they can easily carry out tasks which we still need to familiarize ourselves with or we have yet to learn. During such interim periods it is all too easy to become discouraged and to look back at the past with nostalgia, just as it happens in our Parashat to ten out of the twelve Moses’ emissaries.
In our Torah portion the remaining two of Moses’ emissaries, Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, speak out against such a mindset by saying:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“The land that we traversed and scouted is an exceedingly good land. If the [Eternal] is pleased with us, He will bring us into that land, a land that flows with milk and honey, and give it to us” (Numbers 14: 6-8.)[/perfectpullquote]
The above mentioned words can be a source of inspiration for us in times of despair. They remind us of the reward which awaits us in exchange for our perseverance and trust in Divine providence. This being said, I must admit that the most impatient among us will not find immediate reassurance in these words – and of course they are right: struggling with giant challenges can be extremely exhausting and at times it’s hard to believe we’ll ever be successful and to maintain unwavering faith in ourselves as we seem to be surrounded by nothing but giants. And it is exactly to such people – i.e. those who long for immediate reassurance regarding their own self-worth and sense of agency – that the words of the Haftarah (a reading from the Prophets) for Parashat Shlach seem to be addressed. It comes from the Book of Joshua and it describes the mission of Joshua’s emissaries to the Land of Canaan in order to obtain information which will help the Israelites conquer Jericho. It describes the story of the harlot Rahab who decides to hide Joshua’s spies from the emissaries of the King of Jericho who are looking for them. Rahab’s motivation is described as follows:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I know that the [Eternal] has given the country to you, because dread of you has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land are quaking before you. For we have heard how the [Eternal] dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds for you when you left Egypt” (Joshua 2:9-10.)[/perfectpullquote]
Rahab’s story teaches us that even those who seem to hold an enormous advantage over us can in fact notice and appreciate our value – and sometimes they can be actually afraid of us. Therefore even in the most difficult times which come at the beginning of a new stage of our lives we should never stop believing in ourselves. On the contrary, we should trust that the talents which the Eternal has endowed us with will prove to be enough and will enable us to overcome whatever new challenges we may face. This Shabbat I encourage you to think about how often you paint a gloomy picture of the world, just as the ten emissaries of Moses did. If you are prone to such a pessimistic view yourself, just think of Caleb and Joshua. I believe that remembering their optimism will give you more strength in your own journeys to your own Promised Lands – wherever (and whatever) they might be. Shabbat Shalom!
Translated from Polish by: Marzena Szymańska-Błotnicka
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