In this week's portion, Shelach Lecha, (Numbers 13:1-15:41) Moses sends out twelve spies, one
from each tribe, to scout out the land
of Canaan. When they return, the report is at first
reasonable – it is a good land but well-defended, and the inhabitants are
strong and it will require an effort to overcome them. But as they speak, ten of the twelve lose
faith and begin to exaggerate the situation.
“They were so big, we looked like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so
we must have looked to them”, they report.
The people panic, and the two good spies, Joshua and Caleb, cannot
convince them to give up their fear and go about the task that God has given
them. A midrash examines the
situation. God says to the evil spies,
“You looked like grasshoppers in your own eyes; that I can forgive. But how do you know how you looked in their
eyes? Perhaps I made you appear like
angels to them!”
Our lives present many challenges, and sometimes we
don't feel up to the task. But don't ever forget that even when you
feel small, someone else may be counting on you, and in their eyes, you
may appear far greater than you feel.
Shabbat Shalom!
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