Two of the spies said yes, 10 said no and an intense debate ensued. Even though God had promised the Land to our ancestors from the time of Abraham and Sarah, the people saw themselves as weak, comparing themselves to grasshoppers. They were frightened and cried out that they wanted to return to Egypt, demonstrating that they were not prepared for what would be required of them, whereby the wandering continued for another 38 years, until that entire generation had died in the desert. The parasha concludes with the instruction to place fringes (tzitzit) on the four corners of our garments so that we should remember to fulfill the mitzvot. These words are likely familiar to you from the last part of the Ve-ahavta section of the Shema ("l'ma'an tizkiru v'aseetem...that you shall remember and do...").
An extra bit of Torah: The great commentator Rashi refers to the 10 spies as 'wicked'. What was their 'crime'? Their reporting was not balanced; they reported only the negative and rendered themselves and the Israelites insignificant, instilling fear in a place where what was needed was courage, something so needed today, if only we - and our leaders and officials - would rise to the challenge!
Another bit of Torah: Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin taught that 'the Torah of being a person' is that we should never say that we are insignificant or that we are powerless or our deeds insignificant. Every detail of our words, deeds and thoughts rises to Heaven and impacts on what Heaven sends back down to us!
You are not insignificant.
Attitude is infectious.
You matter. Your thoughts matter. Your deeds matter most of all.
