It is one of the greatest disasters in Jewish history.
The tragedy of the negative report about the land of Israel led to forty years of wandering in the wilderness. According to the rabbis ( Ta'anit 29a) the crying by the pessimistic picture painted by the spies took place on the ninth of Av, a day known as a terrible time on the Jewish calendar.
The negative report was not inevitable. In fact, some commentators suggest that the spies really had positive things to recall, but for various reasons, his the positive and highlighted the challenges and the negatives.
What could have caused such behavior?
The Zohar offers a really interesting explanation. It states that the spies, who were upright leaders of the people, reasoned that they would lose their leadership position once the People of Israel entered the promised land. Perhaps they thought that their style of leadership was suitable for the desert, but insufficient for the task of settling the land.
At first glance, this seems selfish and self centered. That may be true, but there is a different way to look at it.
Perhaps what led these leaders to think that they would be replaced was a lack of self confidence and belief in their work. After all, there was no indication that there would be a leadership change.
Lack of self-confidence or belief in what we do can lead to terrible results. Exhibit A is this story. But there are so many other examples of this that can be culled from real life. Lack of self - confidence may hinder us from pursuing our dream. Lack of confidence sometimes causes us to react to challenges in extreme ways. If we lack the vocabulary to articulate what we believe and why, when challenged we may get defensive. It can also rob the community of the leadership necessary for success.
Rabbi Norman Lamm made a powerful observation related to our idea.
He teaches the following. The Rabbis in the Talmud (Bava Metzia 61b) state: “ani hu she'atid li-para mi-mi she1 toleh kala ilan be’vigdo v’omer tekhelet hu…” "I will punish one who affixes a thread of blue dyed with kala ilan and announces that it really is tekhelet.
Tekhelet, the special blue dye meant to color our Tzizit is expensive and hard to find...kala ilan is a cheap imitation.
Rabbi Lamm explains as follows. “This gemara teaches that God does not approve of counterfeit piety...but a very wise Rabbi Abraham Chen,("Be’malkhut Ha-yahadut" , Vol. II, p.161) taught that the reverse is true as well! God is also displeased with toleh tekhelet be’vigdo v’omer kala Ilan hu, one who possesses the genuine tekhelet and yet proclaims that it is merely the artificial kala ilan. God not only will punish the hypocrite who passes off the artificial as genuine, but He also dislikes one who contains real potential and ability - tekhelet - yet, feigns inability - kala Ilan - and does not realize their potential.
What a powerful insight. To be sure, humility is an important character trait. Yet, the Zohar and Rabbi Chen remind us that self confidence (as long as it is born out of study and consideration) is also important.
Perhaps the desert leaders would have been suitable for similar positions in the Holy Land. Their inability to believe in themselves led to one of the greatest tragedies in all of Jewish history.
I saw a Facebook post recently that really resonated with me. The poster suggested that many
Jewish leaders got their start (at least their start in thinking about being a professional Jew) because a senior leader gave them an opportunity to teach or lead. It was the confidence in the younger person that catapulted them to become a Jewish leader. This is so true and corresponds to my experience.
There is another element as well and that is the younger person's belief that they could and should accept the offer. Jewish life can flourish when there is two way confidence. Confidence of senior leaders that the younger generation has the right stuff coupled with willingness of the up and coming leaders to accept the challenge.
Oh - how Jewish history may have been different if the spies had trusted themselves.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Barry Gelman
The tragedy of the negative report about the land of Israel led to forty years of wandering in the wilderness. According to the rabbis ( Ta'anit 29a) the crying by the pessimistic picture painted by the spies took place on the ninth of Av, a day known as a terrible time on the Jewish calendar.
The negative report was not inevitable. In fact, some commentators suggest that the spies really had positive things to recall, but for various reasons, his the positive and highlighted the challenges and the negatives.
What could have caused such behavior?
The Zohar offers a really interesting explanation. It states that the spies, who were upright leaders of the people, reasoned that they would lose their leadership position once the People of Israel entered the promised land. Perhaps they thought that their style of leadership was suitable for the desert, but insufficient for the task of settling the land.
At first glance, this seems selfish and self centered. That may be true, but there is a different way to look at it.
Perhaps what led these leaders to think that they would be replaced was a lack of self confidence and belief in their work. After all, there was no indication that there would be a leadership change.
Lack of self-confidence or belief in what we do can lead to terrible results. Exhibit A is this story. But there are so many other examples of this that can be culled from real life. Lack of self - confidence may hinder us from pursuing our dream. Lack of confidence sometimes causes us to react to challenges in extreme ways. If we lack the vocabulary to articulate what we believe and why, when challenged we may get defensive. It can also rob the community of the leadership necessary for success.
Rabbi Norman Lamm made a powerful observation related to our idea.
He teaches the following. The Rabbis in the Talmud (Bava Metzia 61b) state: “ani hu she'atid li-para mi-mi she1 toleh kala ilan be’vigdo v’omer tekhelet hu…” "I will punish one who affixes a thread of blue dyed with kala ilan and announces that it really is tekhelet.
Tekhelet, the special blue dye meant to color our Tzizit is expensive and hard to find...kala ilan is a cheap imitation.
Rabbi Lamm explains as follows. “This gemara teaches that God does not approve of counterfeit piety...but a very wise Rabbi Abraham Chen,("Be’malkhut Ha-yahadut" , Vol. II, p.161) taught that the reverse is true as well! God is also displeased with toleh tekhelet be’vigdo v’omer kala Ilan hu, one who possesses the genuine tekhelet and yet proclaims that it is merely the artificial kala ilan. God not only will punish the hypocrite who passes off the artificial as genuine, but He also dislikes one who contains real potential and ability - tekhelet - yet, feigns inability - kala Ilan - and does not realize their potential.
What a powerful insight. To be sure, humility is an important character trait. Yet, the Zohar and Rabbi Chen remind us that self confidence (as long as it is born out of study and consideration) is also important.
Perhaps the desert leaders would have been suitable for similar positions in the Holy Land. Their inability to believe in themselves led to one of the greatest tragedies in all of Jewish history.
I saw a Facebook post recently that really resonated with me. The poster suggested that many
Jewish leaders got their start (at least their start in thinking about being a professional Jew) because a senior leader gave them an opportunity to teach or lead. It was the confidence in the younger person that catapulted them to become a Jewish leader. This is so true and corresponds to my experience.
There is another element as well and that is the younger person's belief that they could and should accept the offer. Jewish life can flourish when there is two way confidence. Confidence of senior leaders that the younger generation has the right stuff coupled with willingness of the up and coming leaders to accept the challenge.
Oh - how Jewish history may have been different if the spies had trusted themselves.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Barry Gelman