Parshat Shelach 5782
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week’s parsha about the sin of the Meraglim. They went to scout out Eretz Yisrael and they brought back a scary report, replete with descriptions of the giants living there. And they round off their report with the statement (Chapter 13, Pasuk 33), ונהי בעינינו כחגבים וכן היינו בעיניהם. We felt like small grasshoppers, and they viewed us the in the same insignificant manner. As Rashi teaches on the pasuk, we heard them referring to us as ants in the vineyard.
Their report brings fear into the hearts of Bnei Yisrael who begin complaining to Hashem. Yehoshua and Kalev did not join in their report and tried to encourage the people. One of the ways they tried to calm the people was by claiming they should have no problem defeating the local population. They referred to them as (Chapter 14, Pasuk 9), כי לחמנו הם. We will eat up them like bread, or perhaps as we say, it will be like a piece of cake.
How could Yehoshua and Kalev say they will consume them like bread if they were viewed by the local people as ants?
The Medrash Tanchuma (7) questions the Meraglim’s perception. Who says they viewed them as tiny ants? Maybe they viewed them as angels!
The Sfas Emes teaches that they were probably right, for whatever level a person is on, he is immediately met with a similar challenge. If they felt humbled and low, they were certainly perceived by others in the same way. It’s a spiritual application of Newton’s law that every reaction is met with an equal and opposite reaction. Being perceived as small and insignificant is certainly challenging. But rather than cry and complain, they needed to understand that this is a positive phenomenon. It gives us an opportunity to constantly grow and move on to the next level.
In a similar vein, Chazal teach in the Gemara in Succa 52A כל הגדול מחברו יצרו גדול הימנו. The greater a person becomes, the greater his evil inclination. This is not intended as a means of discouraging and depressing us and presenting life as Sisyphean struggle. Rather, this is an expression of the idea that every move forward immediately brings with it the opportunity to achieve even greater heights.
This is why though the Meraglim said we were perceived as ants, Yehoshua and Kalev said לחמנו הם. The word לחם means bread, but it is also the root of the word מלחמה, which means a war. They were saying, this is our struggle and we will be victorious! Let us not complain and back down. This is our opportunity to move forward and merit Eretz Yisrael.
The Sfas Emes adds that the word לחמנו has additional significance. The Yerushalmi in Arlah, Chapter 1, Halacha 3 teaches, דמאן דאכיל דלאו דיליה בהית לאסתכולי באפיה. The one who eats from that which is not his, is embarrassed to look the person in the face. It’s not comfortable for us to receive handouts. We can’t look the person in the face. The best feeling is when we accomplish something on our own. Bnei Yisrael were told that now they have an opportunity to earn Eretz Yisrael; it will be לחמנו. It will be our struggle and our victory.
Hashem had many ways He could have given us Eretz Yisrael. In the desert, everything was given to Bnei Yisrael. From the Torah to the mahn, everything came to them direct from heaven. The move to Eretz Yisrael was a transition to a life of earning things in the world. Moving from an idyllic existence to one of struggle and success, of work and achievement. Part of the failure of the Meraglim was in not understanding this transition, and this was the message that Yehoshua and Kalev attempted to give over. כי לחמנו הם also suggests that our sustenance is now changing. Instead of receiving לחם מן השמים, now it is up to us and we must move on to לחם מן הארץ.
Good Shabbos
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