Timeless Torah

Have you ever dreamed that one day our world could actually become a better place, only to conclude that such hope is merely a utopian fantasy? Our flawed world, brimming with evil and suffering has placed man on the moon, and yet at the same time humanity has sunk to new depths, to an extent that one would not have believed possible. Therefore to fathom a perfect world evokes ridicule. And the idea that we, mere human beings can be the catalysts for this utopian state is entirely preposterous!
Yet Judaism teaches that this redemptive epoch is not mere fantasy, but a reality that will be experienced in the Messianic Era. Furthermore, it is the cumulative efforts of puny man that will eventually usher in this revolution. How are we, who recognize the imperfection of the world and of ourselves, to view this seemingly impossible mission?
The Jewish people encountered a similar dilemma 3311 years ago. After the exodus from Egypt and the revelation at Sinai, we were entrusted with precisely this directive. All that we lacked was a land, where we could translate this ideal into a physical reality. Then, tragedy struck. The Jewish people, surrendering their faith in G-d demanded that twelve spies be dispatched to assess their military campaign.
Forty days later, the spies returned from their mission and issued their assessment: “We came to the land...the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very great; we also saw giants there. The Amalekites dwell in the Negev; the Hittites, the Jebusites and the Emorites dwell in the hills, and the Canaanites dwell at the sea and on the banks of the Jordan.”
By what argument could the spies persuade the other Jews that G-d was unwilling or incapable of a repeat performance of the miracles He had displayed in Egypt? According to the Bible, they produced three arguments to support their stance:
#1. “The people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very great.” The first accusation was that the mission of conquering the nations of the land was simply too difficult. Thus, they began their propaganda with scare-tactics, insinuating that giant inhabitants were too awesome to overcome.
#2. “The Amalekites dwell in the Negev.” That initial argument was not entirely effective for a people who had first hand witnessed G-d’s power. It was therefore necessary to imply a more dangerous assertion, one that hit closer to home: that the Jews of that time were not worthy enough to merit G-d’s miraculous aid. The very fact that the people demanded spies was proof that they lacked faith in G-d and that their worthiness of His continued miracles was not assured. There was even a historical precedent for this: their being attacked by Amalek was a result of their doubting G-d.
#3. “The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Emorites in the hills, and the Canaanites at the sea and on the banks of the Jordan.” The necessity of this third argument stemmed from the weakness of their previous claim, for G-d’s eventual allowance proved that spies being sent was not contrary to the Divine Will. The spies therefore countered with their final argument: we may have been promised success in conquering the land, but who says that G-d will help us against the nations that we will encounter prior to reaching the land?
Calev’s response cited by Rashi mentions three miracles answering their specific challenges.
#1.You assert that the task of conquering the land is too difficult. Do you not remember G-d splitting the sea and how quickly that insurmountable obstacle vanished?
#2. You also claim that we are unworthy of G-d’s miracles! How soon you forget your demand for meat, which was miraculously granted despite the wantonness of your intentions.
#3. Although we have not settled in the Land and are merely traversing the desert, G-d showers us with His supernatural blessing of daily bread from heaven! How can you even entertain the idea that G-d would not provide salvation on the road to our future homeland?
Now, as then, there is a mission that must be fulfilled, a goal that stands just ahead on the horizon. We, the Jewish people, have been charged to change the world and perfect it. This process however begins with refining our own character. We can refuse to accept this mission, offering excuses that #1, it is too difficult and we are too weak, #2, that we are unworthy and #3, that there are unforeseen challenges that lie in wait along the journey. Or we can embrace the challenge, knowing that success is not just a possibility, but a guaranteed reality.
Now, as then, the choice is ultimately ours. However, we have the benefit of hindsight, the ability to draw lessons from our history, making sure we never again repeat the tragic mistakes of the past Let us enter the Holy Land.