פרשת שלח
In this week’s parsha a delegation of leaders is sent to scout out Eretz Yisrael. Unfortunately, the delegation returns with an unfavorable report, claiming that the opposition the Jewish People would inevitably face when trying to conquer the land would be too great for them. The Jewish People sadly accept the report, abandoning the hope of living in the land G-d promised them. This event ultimately impacted Jewish destiny and the people would spend another 40 years in the desert before entering Eretz Yisrael. However, we must understand. How was the entire nation fooled into accepting the claim of the spies? Rashi says that even the greatest of the people who presided over the Sanhedrin bought into the spies’ devious and dubious report. How could such a holy nation not trust in G-d’s promise to bring them into Eretz Yisrael?
The Chofetz Chaim writes in Shmiras HaLashon that the Jewish people’s mistake in accepting the report of the spies did not stem from not believing in Hashem, has v’shalom. The error was that they didn’t believe in themselves. When a person faces a big challenge, one of the tricks that the yetzer hara uses to ensnare him is to merely make him believe that he can’t rise to the challenge. The yetzer hara laughs, as if to say, “Who do you think you are? You can’t do it!” This was the real sin of the Jews in the desert. When they heard the frightening report of what awaited them in Eretz Yisrael, they realized that Hashem would have to perform incredible miracles if they were to triumph over their enemies. Such miraculous Divine Providence would require tremendous merit, which they did not believe they had, due to the sin of the golden calf and other transgressions. Lacking the “necessary” prerequisites for success, the Jews thought that they surely weren’t the same people Hashem had promised to bring into Eretz Yisrael, choosing despondence and despair over trust in Hashem. Hashem had said they would win, and that He would be by their side each step of the way, regardless of how holy they may or may not be. Believing themselves to be inferior and incapable, the Jewish People forgot the Divine promise that assured them that they in fact were capable. The root of the people’s sin was that they gave up on themselves and this in truth is a struggle that every Jew faces. We must know that a mitzvah, by definition, is something that Hashem believes we can do. Hashem isn’t diabolical, has v’shalom. He would not demand of us something that we can’t do and punish us for not doing it. As Rav Shimon Green once said, we don’t merely have 613 commandments. We have 613 abilities. A Jew is a machine fully equipped and specifically designed for serving G-d. In order to keep the Torah, we don’t only have an obligation to believe in Hashem. We have an obligation to believe in ourselves too. We as Jews need to know that we are fully capable of being Jews.
Even once we’ve integrated the fundamental understanding that we are capable of doing everything Hashem wants from us, there is still yet another way that the yetzer hara can try to prevent us from doing the right thing. Even if we know we are capable of performing a mitzvah, the yetzer hara can still make us feel embarrassed to do so. Oftentimes, such embarrassment is triggered by other people who, if we do the right thing, may scoff at us for being “so religious.” However, the Rema in the very beginning of Orach Chaim in the Shulchan Aruch, chapter 1, makes it very clear that a person has an obligation to perform the mitzvos even if he is severely criticized and mocked for it. It is especially hard for a Jewish person, who is by nature very shy and easily embarrassed, according to the gemara in
Yevamos 79a, to overcome his fear of others’ ridicule so that he can do Hashem’s will. We nevertheless have a very rich legacy of humble and beautiful Jews who rose to this challenge. We see it first in Avraham Avinu. Even though Avraham saw himself as mere “dust and ash” he still found the courage to stand up against the entire world, declaring to all the truth of Hashem’s existence. He wasn’t even afraid of being thrown into a fiery furnace by Nimrod because of his beliefs. He decided, rather, to remain committed to the truth, and honor that commitment even if it meant giving up his own life. Moshe Rabbeinu just in last week’s parsha was called “the most humble man upon the face of the earth.” Nevertheless, when Hashem commanded him to go to Pharaoh’s palace, he did so without hesitation, even though Pharaoh had positioned wild beasts at the entrance of his chambers that threatened to devour all who tried to pass. Dovid HaMelech refers to himself in Tehillim as “a worm and not a man.” Nevertheless, he heroically chooses to fight Golias, defeating him in miraculous fashion. Regardless of how humble or embarrassed we may be, Hashem still expects us to keep the mitzvos. A Jew can never allow fear to rule his life and prevent him from doing Hashem’s will.
So how does one find the balance between humility and assertiveness? On one hand we must be as “brazen as a tiger” (Pirkei Avos chapter 5) in order to do Hashem’s will. On the other hand, we know that brazenness and chutzpa is very frowned upon by Chazal. In the very same chapter in Pirkei Avos, the Mishna says that those who have brazenness upon their faces are destined to go to Gehinnom. How does one reconcile these two ideals that are seemingly contradictory? The Rebbe of Slonim answers that brazenness is really something that one must keep to oneself. The only time it is proper to use it is when encouraging oneself to perform mitzvos. To use chutzpa for any other purpose is not Jewish and completely forbidden. Brazenness is something only meant for Hashem’s service. Rav Chaim Friedlander even says that this is the only reason why the trait of azus was created at all – to give a Jew the necessary courage to serve Hashem.
Rav Moshe Feinstein wasn’t only the gadol hador of America in the last century. He was also known to be one of the sweetest, gentlest, and most beautiful men in a generation desperately in need of love and affirmation. It was said of Rav Moshe that he gave people such incredible love and respect that others felt important merely by the way looked at them. However, Rav Moshe was never afraid to do the right thing, even if it meant being tough. One time, Rav Moshe overheard someone criticizing a certain talmid chacham. Feeling a personal obligation to defend the Torah’s honor, Rav Moshe stood up and yelled furiously at the man, “You should know that by making such comments you have made yourself pasool for edus!!!” Such behavior was out of character for Rav Moshe, but he didn’t let anything get in the way of doing Hashem’s will, and the Torah’s honor was successfully defended.
May we all be zoche to always find the strength and courage to do Hashem’s will!!!