Mr Big Bucks wasn’t just any lawyer, he was the top in his field. Situated in the penthouse of a New York skyscraper and overlooking Central Park, a visit to his office would cost the client a minimum of six hundred dollars an hour! It was no wonder that Mr Big Bucks was exceptionally busy, only spending a few hours at home – ‘time is money’ he would say – and in his case it certainly was.
‘Knock knock’ went the door – this was a new client, a young girl, who according to the paperwork was only fifteen years of age. Intrigued, he went himself to open the door…
‘Oh…Danielle… what are you doing here’ he said looking at his own daughter standing at the door.
‘Well Daddy’ she said ‘I never get to see you – at home you’re always running off to work too busy to spend time with me. So I reasoned, if I pay six hundred dollars and make an appointment, I’ll finally get your undivided attention’…
I once heard a similar story about a young Bar Mitzvah boy. His father was a business man of international repute – his son had now come of age and was offered any gift he could possibly want, regardless of its cost.
‘No thank you Daddy’, he said. ‘I don’t want a private jet nor an Island in the Pacific nor a luxury yacht… Daddy, for my Bar mitzvah I’d like to have a daddy again.’
In this context I am reminded of a sign I once saw while attending a Pesach Seder some years ago. On the wall there was a framed sentence that read ‘the best things in life aren’t things’. I looked at the family and friends around me, all sitting with glowing faces enjoying the evening and could not but strongly agree with those words.
Perhaps the spies in our Sedra were influenced in a similar manner. Some commentators note that their prestigious communal position was due to be stripped from them once they entered Israel – a reality they struggled to handle. They therefore made it their mission to discourage the Jews from entering while ignoring its great benefit to the people. It seems that their career came before the most important of matters – those things in life that aren’t things.
One lesson to be gleaned is that no one is immune to the challenges of wealth and prestige. Once money/success has been tasted and found to be sweet, long hours might be justified in its pursuit. The spies were selected as they were great people, experts in Torah law and leaders of the tribes, yet they fell prey to this test and suffered the consequences. If they, in all their greatness failed – all the more so could we. However the good news is it’s never too late to change – the episode of the spies allows us to reflect on how our time is allocated – to make sure to prioritise those important matters in life that aren’t things.
Mychiel
Shabbat Shalom