Parashat Shelah tells the tragic story of the meragelim – the spies who were sent to see the Land of Israel before the Jewish People journeyed there. The spies conspired to bring back a frightening report about the land and the strength of the nations who lived there, in order to convince the Jewish People to refuse to go into Eretz Yisrael.
The plan, unfortunately, worked, and the people decided they didn’t want to go.
Hashem punished the people by keeping them in the desert for another 39 years – so that they would be in the desert for a total of 40 years. These 40 years, Hashem said, were a punishment for the 40 days the spies spent in their mission scouting Eretz Yisrael. The people would stay in the desert one year for every day spent by the spies in the Land of Israel.
What kind of equation is that? Why should the people stay in the desert ONE ENTIRE YEAR for every day spent by the spies in the land?
The answer might be that Hashem was teaching the people an important lesson: every single day is HUGE. Every day can mean so much – for good, or, as in the case of the spies, for the opposite.
The Gemara in Masechet Hagigah tells of a certain Rabbi who had a most peculiar schedule. He would travel three months each way to yeshiva, and stay there for… ONE DAY!!!
Imagine – six months of travel for one day of learning!
The other Rabbis in the yeshiva called him בר בי רב דחד יומא – the “one-day yeshiva student.”
This might sound like they were poking fun of him, but they weren’t.
The Gemara tells us about this Rabbi to make us think about what that one day looked like – so that we could imagine the kind of rigor and passion he learned with on that one day. After spending three months to get there – he must have put his all into that one day, and used every minute!!
And this is how we are to approach every day. Every day can be so valuable. We can change the entire trajectory of our lives in just one day.
This was the message to the scouts – each and every one of those 40 days mattered. Every day they spent plotting to instigate the people to rebel against G-d mattered. Each of those days was a catastrophe, because it was used for something terrible.
But this means that the opposite is also true. Every day can be a priceless gem.
This is a scary thought. It’s much easier just to go about our business without thinking about how significant today can be. But we are to strive to look at every day like the בר בי רב דחד יומא looked at his day in yeshiva – as an inestimable opportunity for us to take full advantage of!
Today we can change somebody’s life by making a phone call, having a friendly conversation, paying a visit to a shivah or in the hospital, offering to help with something, or bringing a gift.
Today we can bring ourselves inspiration by attending another class or reading a Torah book.
Today we can drastically enhance our relationship with our spouse, or with our child, through a meaningful conversation, a smile, a gift, a drive, or an evening out.
One day can make a world of difference. Let’s not be frightened by this concept – but energized by it, and do what we can to live every day to the fullest!!!!!