פרשת שלח
This week’s Parsha describes the unfortunate events in which the Jews erroneously decided to send spies into Israel in order to determine whether or not they should enter into the land. From the outset, Hashem warned Moshe and the Jews that this was not a good idea, and attempted to dissuade them from it, but they were insistent, and went ahead with their plan. The results of this error can still be felt today. First, all 600,000 Jews during that generation perished in the desert. Second, the Jews had to wander around the desert aimlessly for forty years instead of entering into the land after a few days as they would have. And third, the day the Jews returned was Tisha B’av, and the crying they did triggered the ensuing crying done from that day until now. All these disastrous results were due directly to that fateful decision of the spies. On the other hand, when Joshua sent spies forty years later upon the Jews’ actual entrance into the land, we find that this decision was met with great success and went quite smoothly, and in fact, was encouraged by Hashem! How can we understand the drastic contrast between these two events recorded in the Tanach?
The Midrash Raba at the beginning of this week’s Parsha explains that there was a fundamental difference in attitude between the spies in the times of Moshe, and the spies in the times of Yeshohua. Yehsohua’s spies viewed themselves as “Shluchei Mitzvah”, or messengers of good deed, and they therefore acted accordingly. When they left for their mission, they were completely absorbed in the thought that what they were doing, was what Hashem wanted, and their entire journey was with that underlying motif fueling each of their steps during their mission. It is not surprising, explains the Midrash, that the results of that operation were overwhelmingly positive. But during Moshe’s time, the spies, (save for two of them) had another agenda entirely, a personal one. Their modus operandi was not one which was based solely on what Hashem wanted from them, and the Zohar asserts that it contained an admixture of selfishness or ego, and that tainted intention was what generated all the aforementioned chaos.
There are two more interesting examples brought in the Tanach which demonstrate to us what a proper messenger must and mustn’t do. When Avraham sent Eliezer to seek out a wife for his son Yitzchak, the Torah goes to great lengths to extol Eliezer on the thorough job he did as Avraham’s emissary. Eliezer had a strong personal interest to fail in his mission. Chazal teach us that Eliezer himself had a daughter whom he was saving carefully, and praying fervently would be suitable for Yitzchak. Had he failed in his mission, perhaps his fondest desire of being able to marry into his beloved master’s family would have come true. Yet this powerful motivation did not distract Eliezer in the least bit when it came time to carry out his mission. He did exactly as he was told, not even allowing himself to eat until his assignment was carried out in full. This was because he knew that even the slightest distraction could have easily put him off course, and weakened his resolve to carry out his master’s instructions. Furthermore, he prayed ardently that he succeed in his mission, because although his success wasn’t good for him personally, he knew that was what his master wanted. This depiction of Eliezer’s service is a primary example of proper “Shlichus” being executed with perfection.
On the other hand, the Tanach tells us another story of a failed undertaking which can also teach us how not to act. Elisha the prophet had a sidekick named Gechazi, whom he once sent to bring a boy back to life with a staff. On this epic journey, Elisha warned Gechazi not to become distracted in any way. He told him that the slightest disturbance would certainly cause him to fail, and told him to even ignore basic etiquette such as greeting people on the way, or returning people’s greetings, which is normally against Jewish law. Unfortunately, along the way, Gechazi ignored Elisha’s warnings, and began bragging about the staff in his hand, and how he was on his way to bring a dead boy back to life. In the end, Elisha had to come in himself and bring the boy back to life. Gechazi served as an excellent example of how to bungle a job as an emissary, by getting distracted along the way, and inserting his own ego.
We, as servants of Hashem, should be keenly interested in any tips on how to improve our roles as messengers or ambassadors. Just as the spies in the times of Yehoshua were successful according to the Midrash, only because they viewed themselves as messengers of Mitzvah, and Eliezer was successful because he refused to get distracted from his mission, these two sagely pieces of advice would do us well in our role as servants of Hashem. Rabenu Yona in Sharei Tshuva (2:21) says, “Anyone who has been blessed by Hashem with wisdom will constantly remind himself that Hashem has sent him to this world to complete his task by keeping the Torah, and all its statutes and laws, and he will singularly place his eyes on this notion. And at the end of days, if he has managed to carry out this mission suitably, he will emerge with elation and true joy, similar to an emissary of the king who has managed to return to the king having fulfilled the king’s instructions with great accuracy!” From these moving words of the Rabenu Yona, it is quite clear how central this idea of us being on a constant mission must be in a Jew’s life, and how every action we take, or every move we make must be with this idea in mind.
Another lesson from this Rabenu Yona should be to view our employment in Hashem’s servitude with pleasure! Many people incorrectly sigh and comment, “It’s difficult to be a Jew” when they become aware of the responsibilities involved. Based on all we have said, being an indentured servant to Hashem for a lifetime can be a formidable and daunting notion. Yet from the Rabenu Yona, we find the exact opposite. A Jew must view his responsibilities with a sense of joy and enthusiasm at being able to carry out the word of the King of all kings! Chazal say, the servant of a king is also royalty. Why is this true? One would have thought that responsibility brings stress, not happiness! There is an innate sense of pleasure that every human being feels in fulfilling tasks. We all have some deeper sense of purpose, and when we satisfy that sense, it is incredibly gratifying, and perhaps there is no greater ecstasy in life. If a woman cannot have children, we don’t usually find her celebrating her independency and vacation from child rearing. Why not? We all know the burden involved in raising a family. The answer is that Hashem put inside of every woman a sense of purpose to raise children, and if she can’t fulfill that need, she has a vague sensation that something is lacking in her life, but cannot quite place what it is. For this reason, women who can’t have children subject themselves to incredibly painful procedures, only in order to be able to further subject themselves to the great financial burden and the joys of sleep deprivation that children can offer. On the other hand, in marriage, this desire for responsibility is not always apparent. In marital strife, perhaps the most common subtext in every fight is, “Why aren’t you doing more for me?” This kind of attitude stems from a faulty premise which was present at the outset of the marriage. The spouse who is asking that question got married without ever really taking on the accountability that marriage demands, which is, “What can I do for you”? If a person can graduate into this understanding, he will enjoy a twofold benefit. First, his marriage will succeed, and second, he will enjoy the great pleasure we discussed of acceptance and fulfillment of responsibility. This is true in raising children and marriage, but certainly concerning Mitzvah observance, the more we recognize the reality that keeping the Torah is the sole purpose for our occupancy on this planet, the more we will be able to reap the tremendous delight which comes along with that understanding.
May we all merit to always recognize that we are servants of Hashem, and enjoy the great bliss which comes with that recognition!