Viewing Life Correctly

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah (www.biracs.org)

The sin of the spies is recalled as one of the greatest tragedies of our nation. For these ten tribe leaders, it was a personal ruination, and it caused the generation that left Egypt to remain as wanderers in the desert for 40 years, where they died.

What was their sin? The spies were sent to give an assessment of Eretz Yisrael so that the nation could prepare its conquest of the land. They went, observed and reported back what they saw. Why was that wrong?

Furthermore, the sages (Erchin 15a) compare the spies’ deed to the sin of “motzi shem ra,” meaning they lied. Whatever they reported were things that they actually saw. How can the spies be accused as liars?

Rav Dessler explains that while they indeed reported what they saw, had they seen with a more spiritual perspective, their conclusions would have been different. They are not faulted for what they saw but rather how they saw it.

For example, they saw giant fruits, far greater than what grow naturally. Rashi (13:23) relates that they concluded that the Canaanite peoples as well possessed super-natural strength.

This was not the only possible conclusion. Seeing giant fruits didn’t have to spell disaster. The spies could have seen in the fruit that this was indeed a holy land bursting forth with Hashem’s bounty. They could have seen Hashem’s awesome chessed and looked forward to the time that they could inhabit such a blessed land.

Also, throughout their journey the spies saw people mourning. They concluded that Eretz Yisrael was “a land that devours its inhabitants.” Why? Perhaps they could have concluded the way Rashi (ibid., 32) explains, that Hashem had arranged this so that the Canaanites would be distracted and not pay attention to them as they made a thorough exploration of the land. The message also could have been that Hashem will wipe out the Canaanites without their lifting a finger, irrespective of their size and power.

By contrast, when Yehoshua sent spies to Yericho, they were unable to roam the land freely. They kept out of sight and had to be smuggled out of the city. Nevertheless, they returned to Yehoshua with the report that the inhabitants were full of fear and that the land would soon be theirs. The spies sent by Moshe witnessed miracles and saw how Hashem was overseeing their affairs. Instead of looking at Eretz Yisrael in strictly military terms, imagining how hard it would be to conquer, they should have realized that Hashem was showing them that victory would be supernatural.

This is a lesson for us — everything depends on how you look at it. Let’s say things don’t go our way. We find ourselves under financial pressure and unable to afford things we want. If we assess our situation with purely physical eyes, we will pity ourselves. If we develop a spiritual perspective on life, however, we will be able to find joy in our situation. Perhaps this is for our benefit. Perhaps wealth would bring us temptations we would not resist, and we would later regret our actions and the wealth that led to them. Instead, one can feel grateful to Hashem for what one has and rest assured that it is exactly what is best for him, and not one penny less.

In addition, on a more subconscious level, the spies had a hidden motivation for seeing the land negatively. Rav Chaim Friedlander notes (based on the Zohar 158) that the spies feared that once in Eretz Yisrael, they would lose their positions as heads of tribes. While their report was not a deliberate trick to maintain their positions, on a sub-conscious level, their desire for power prejudiced the way they looked at Eretz Yisrael.

Rav Yisrael Salanter notes that this is something of which we are all guilty. Our bad middos often impact on how we interpret reality. If one is jealous of another, he will tend to view him negatively in many matters, even those that have nothing to do with the cause of his jealousy.

How can we make sure that we are viewing things correctly?

Rav Friedlander advises that several times each week, we take time to analyze our deeds. We should ask: What was my motivation? Did I act leshem Shamayim? Were any bad middos involved in what I did? Also, am I pushing myself to reach my spiritual potential? By pushing myself in this direction, there is hope that my viewpoint on life will become more spiritual.

Next, Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein (based on Rambam, Hilchos Dei’os 6:1) notes that our viewpoint on life is greatly affected by the people around us. If we choose to be in the company of tzaddikim and chachamim, they have an effect on us. Alternatively, if we are in the presence of irreligious Jews, this makes its mark as well. It is an error to counter: “I’m different from them, I don’t drive on Shabbos and being around them won’t make me start.” Even if this is true (but unfortunately, it isn’t always), nevertheless, when among irreligious Jews for a long time, little by little one begins to adopt their value system. What they admire, he begins to admire. What they scorn, he too will start to scorn. We have no idea the impact our society has in shaping our ideas. Therefore, it is so important to maximize the time we spend with talmidei chachamim.

Once, when Rav Yerucham Levovitz was mashgiach of Yeshivas Mir in Poland, two fathers arrived at the same time to the yeshiva, both looking for a suitable son-in-law. One was a wealthy owner of a flour mill, and the other was the rav of a small town. Many people expected Rav Yerucham to direct the wealthy man to the yeshiva’s best bachur, as he had the means to keep him in learning as long as possible. Instead, Rav Yerucham matched the best bachur to the daughter of the rav, who was quite poor.

Rav Yerucham explained: “Today, it’s not enough just to choose to be good and not bad. Our choice is with whom we associate. This bachur will be part of this rav’s family, who are bnei Torah, and his kehilla, who are simple, pious Jews. Perhaps one day he will serve there as rav.

“Yes, the mill owner could keep this bachur in learning, but he has no connection to Torah, nor do the people where he lives. How can I send this bachur there? I must connect him to a place of Torah.”

May we be zoche to view life with spiritual eyes!