G-d’s Ambivalence Is Also a Message
A child needs to do things on its own, so that which they do is considered their own effort, not only something they received from someone else. In the words of the Jerusalem Talmud, food obtained unearned is “Shameful Bread.”
The Great Disaster
One of the most enigmatic narratives of the Torah appears in this week’s Torah portion of Shlach. Moses, the greatest leader of the Jewish people of all times, sends spies to scout the Land of Cana’an, and his mission turns out not only unsuccessful, but it literally ends in one of the greatest disasters for the Jewish people for all times Ten of the spies return with a most negative view of the Promised Land, causing the Jewish people to cry and express their refusal to enter into the Land of Israel.
As a consequence of this rebellious stance, the spies die in a plague shortly after their return from Israel, and the Jews who wept (all men over the age of twenty) never lived to see the Land they scorned. Instead they die in the desert before reaching the age of 60.
All of this began when the Jewish people approached Moses and asked him to send the spies, as is recorded in the book of Deuteronomy. When Moses consulted G-d about this, G-d’s response was – as recorded in the Oral tradition – “Send them if you so desire, I am not telling you to do so.”
Why did Moses Take the Risk?
If G-d was so ambivalent about the sending of spies, why did Moses acquiesce to the requests of those who were not so sure about their desire to go to the Promised Land? Why did Moses not realize that G-d’s less than enthusiastic support for the plan was an indication that trouble lie ahead?
The answer to these questions lies in the understanding of how G-d guided us in the past and how we are to derive the proper lesson for our lives today. When the Jewish nation was in its infancy, G-d carried them on His “shoulders.” He liberated them from slavery, provided them with manna from heaven, water from a rock, surrounded them with Clouds of Glory which not only protected them from their enemies and from the elements, but also leveled all the ground and laundered their garments which miraculously grew with them! G-d then gave them a Torah, the most incredible blueprint for life. At Sinai, G-d revealed Himself to them in an unprecedented manner. Never before or after did a nation or an individual get as much support both physical and spiritual -from G-d. G-d did everything for them.
Stand on You Own Two Feet
But, that is not how a person grows. A child needs to do things on its own, so that which they do is considered their own effort, not only something they received from someone else. In the words of the Jerusalem Talmud, food obtained unearned is “Shameful Bread.” Moses therefore, acceded to their request to send spies to see the land. Moses wanted them to use their own minds and develop their own interest in G-d’s plan for them. He knew that it was a risk, but it was a risk that had to be taken in order for them to get out of the stage of infancy where the child depends on his mother exclusively.
Precisely because G-d was ambivalent, Moses understood that this must be the area that G-d felt; the Jews could express independent initiative. This is what would provide them with the opportunity to enter into the Promised Land with their own determination; so they did not have to be “carried” there. But, alas, this generation was not yet ready for such independence. They could not be separated from Moses and the desert conditions that provided them with all their physical as well as spiritual needs.
Mission Placed in Our Lap
The lesson for us is that as we prepare ourselves for the final transition into the Era of Redemption, we have to recognize that much has been placed in our lap. We cannot expect guidance for every move that we make. Within the framework of Torah, we have to come up with the final initiatives that will push us over the top and bring about the imminent Redemption. If we are not receiving explicit Divine directives, it is because G-d has already charted the course for us in the Torah, now it is our responsibility to use our own initiative to make the redemption a reality.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Shlach by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
