Giants.
Not our baseball team; they’re good guys. I’m referring to the giants that the spies encountered in ancient day Israel. While journeying through the desert, Moses had sent a group of 12 men to scout out the land. They came back with a frightening report. The cities were fortified. The natives were huge and mighty. The fruits were larger than life (eight men were needed to carry a single bunch of grapes). There was just no way that the Jews would be able to conquer them.
The Jews were disheartened and broke down crying. Caleb and Joshua (the two spies who refused to talk badly about the land) rebuked them for their lack of faith. As a result of this episode, the Jews had to remain in the dessert for 40 years - one year for each day the spies had been in the Land.
What’s up with that? Why are the spies punished for doing their job? They reported precisely what they saw. Shouldn’t they be commended? Where did they go wrong?
Well, here’s the thing. They weren’t tasked with figuring out if they would be able to conquer it. Of course, they would; after G-d had taken them out of Egyptian slavery, with miracles galore, it wasn’t even a question. The mission of the spies was to see how they would be able to best accomplish it. And they completely missed this point.
In our life, when faced with challenges, don’t get caught up in the particulars, the statistics, or the issues. We have the ability to conquer any trials and tribulations that we are faced with. Instead, focus on the how, maintaining our faith that G-d will help us through it.
Knowing that we can overcome any challenge and accomplish anything we set our mind to, is the truest freedom. #LandOfTheFree
Shabbat Shalom and Happy 4th!
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