Pretty much everyone is familiar with the old cliché, “Is your glass half full or half empty?” We are all aware of how we can perceive different things in a positive or negative light. In this week’s Parshah, however, this phenomena can be seen in a startling and ultimately tragic episode.
G-d commanded Moshe to send spies. They were to tour the Promised Land, compiling a report of the natives’ military strengths and the agricultural qualities of the land, as well as obtaining crucial knowledge of other aspects of the land. The spies spent 40 days touring the land. Upon their return to the Hebrews in the desert, however, they gathered the whole nation and proceeded to lambast the (future) Land of Israel: “It is a land which consumes its inhabitants”, they said. The people panicked: “The entire congregation of Israel complained to Moshe and Aharon, saying ‘It would have been better for us to die in Egypt or in the desert…let’s return to Egypt’”. This collapse of morale and trust in G-d led to G-d decreeing that the entire generation, save for a few righteous individuals, would not be granted entry into Israel. As a result of the 40 days spent touring the Land, they would wander in the desert for 40 years, and their children would be taken into the Promised Land.
The story is a sad and complex one, and there are many layers of understanding to explore. However, one simple questions jumps out. Why was the punishment for this sin 40 years of wandering, corresponding to the 40 days spent touring Israel? Surely the sin of the spies was in their negative report, and the sin of the Jews was the acceptance of this report and subsequent lack of faith in G-d? Perhaps a more fitting punishment would be 1 year per negative word of the report?
Digging down and finding the root of the sin, however, shows that actually the punishment is spot on. The lashon hora said about the Land was in fact just the manifestation of a deeper, more entrenched sin. This sin was the actual way the spies viewed the Land. When they walked around Israel, instead of seeing Hashem’s blessings and being impressed with what good they saw, all they could see was the negative. Rashi gives us one example of this: the spies saw many funerals being held, and concluded that it was a “land which consumes its inhabitants”. In actual fact, this was planned by Hashem as a distraction to serve as cover for the spies and allow them free passage of Israel! The negative attitude of the spies led them to perceive everything they saw in an adverse light. This is why the punishment was based on the days they spent in the Land. Each of these days, days spent looking with cynicism and negativity, was inherently a day of sin.
Unfortunately, the spies were not the only people to travel to Israel, and due to their destructive attitude, see only negative things. In our day, so many people seem to make terrible conclusions about Israel. Instead of seeing the incredible country of Israel which we know and love – the democracy, the amount of kindness in action, the economic freedom and opportunities, the rights and respect for everyone, regardless of race or religion, the most moral army in the world – they see racism, occupation and oppression. This should not surprise us; as we see from the story of the spies, it is perfectly possible for 2 individuals to see exactly the same scene but to come away with diametrically opposing thoughts and reactions.
It is up to us to decide what sort of person we want to be. We have the capability to choose our own prescription for our own, individual glasses of how we view the world. Do we want to be positive, able to see the good which G-d gives us, to appreciate the opportunities we receive, to be grateful and loving to our spouses and friends? Or do we want to adopt the attitude of the spies?
The choice is ours.
Good Shabbos, Dovi