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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Shlach Lecha
The portion of the M’Raglim, the spies, or scouts in our Sedra, is a dramatic turning point in Jewish history. We were poised to enter the Land of Israel, to complete our transformation from slave people to preeminent nation.
We had been miraculously liberated from Egypt, had received the Torah at Har Sinai, we had built the magnificent Mishkan. All that remained to complete our metamorphosis was to take control of our G-d given homeland of Israel.
But, alas, it was not to be. We suddenly, tragically lost faith and declared that we were unable to conquer the land. As a result, we would wander in the desert for 40 years, and a whole generation of 600,000 souls would die out.
What happened? What fatal flaw brought us down?
The answer can be encapsulated in just one word: "Efes." In classic Freudian style, the spies throw in this word – which essentially means, "nothing" and actually has no meaning at all in the pasuk (13:28) – as a subconscious reflection of themselves. It is what they thought, deep down in their psyche, of their ability – or lack thereof - to invoke Hashem’s blessing and win the land.
In short, the spies primarily lost faith not so much in G-d, as they did in themselves. They saw the other nations as giants, while they saw themselves as tiny, insignificant grasshoppers. They revealed their faults in a simple sentence: "So we were in our own eyes, and thus we appeared in their sight." If you think of yourself as a nobody, a nothing, that is exactly how others will view you. It was this crippling self-doubt that weakened the spies' resolve and prevented them from going forward.
For years, the Arab enemies on our northern border looked down from the Golan Heights and shot at everything that moved, killing many of our people and forcing us to go about our lives in great danger, But we never capitulated, never ran away. When finally we captured the Golan – making it a permanent part of Israel – we found a record of what the Syrian commander there had said about us: "From this great height," he remarked ironically, with awe and grudging admiration, "the Israelis look 10 times bigger!"
The lack of self-confidence and self-esteem is the single greatest barrier to our walking tall and claiming our rightful destiny. A human being, and certainly a Jew, must know that he counts mightily in G-d’s eyes. In fact, if we do that which He expects from us, we are no less than Number One. And that is a world away from being an Efes, a zero.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
