As we know, the spies were sent to check out Eretz Yisrael, and they came back with a disastrous report. Everyone cried and eventually G-d made a decree against us. We spent 40 years in the desert, and we commemorate this tragedy every year on Tisha B’Av.
What went wrong? They were obviously great people.
The Chafetz Chaim explains that there was a misunderstanding in their Bitachon. The spies came to the land and saw people dying. They reasoned that Eretz Yisrael is very holy, and that G-d’s strict justice is meted there. You can’t compare someone that sins in the king’s palace to someone who sins outside the king’s palace.
The spies felt that the only people that could survive in Eretz Yisrael would be the completely righteous. “We aren’t on that level,” they thought. “We aren’t fit for it,” they said.
Furthermore, there were giants there. “When we saw them, our hearts melted,” they told Bnei Yisrael. “You’re also going to melt. And because you melt G-d won’t protect you.”
As is well known, G-d‘s protection is according to the level of reliance on Him, and “if you’re scared, you won’t be able to rely on Him.” The Chafetz Chaim says that that was their claim. How do we answer that?
The Chafetz Chaim says that their belief that Hashem’s guarantee to get the land was only for Sadikim was a mistake. Hashem never says, “I’ll only save you if you’re righteous.” He might say, “I won’t save you if you’re a מורד -rebel.” But there is a difference between someone who sins and a rebel. That’s why Yehoshua and Calev said “Just don’t be a rebel.”
As long as you’re not trying to be a rebel, or trying to purposely uproot the Mitzvot, you can hope for good and rely on Hashem for Yeshua- salvation. This is an important principle, and the Chafez Chaim says it’s based on a pasuk in Tehilim (32)that says
רַבִּ֥ים מַכְאוֹבִ֗ים לָרָ֫שָׁ֥ע וְהַבּוֹטֵ֥חַ בַּיהוָ֑ה חֶ֝֗סֶד יְסוֹבְבֶֽנּוּ׃
There are many pains of the wicked man, but the one that relies on Hashem will be surrounded by favor.
The Chafez Chaim quotes a Midrash that says even if a wicked man relied on Hashem, he’d be saved, because the rule is, Bitachon is not dependent on merits. Even if a person is not fitting, if he relies on Hashem, the power of Bitachon protects him. Bitachon itself is a merit. So even if you have no merits, but you rely on Hashem- that’s your merit. That’s the catch. And if you feel you’re so distant that it’s harder to rely on Hashem, לפום צרה עגרה- the harder it is, the greater the reward. So, if it’s for harder for you have Bitachon, that Bitachon is even greater. And Bitachon itself is a source of merit.
That’s what the Chafetz Chaim is saying. The Pasuk says עין ה׳ אל יראיו
The eye of G-d is on those that fear Him, to those that hope for His kindness, to save them from death and give them life during times of famine.
It doesn’t say that these people, who hope to Hashem, are Yirei Hashem- that they fear Hashem. This is another group called, “Those that hope for His kindness.” That hope will save them from death in times of famine.
This is an important principle, that we must know, and this is what the Jewish people’s mistake was that they didn’t understand the power of Bitachon on its own.
As we’ve mentioned recently, it says that, “Fortunate is the one that relies on Hashem,
In relying on Hashem, you will find all fortune, even if you don’t merit on your own. The reliance on Hashem brings with it all the fortune. This is an important concept, because this is a mistake that can be made in Bitachon.
The Chafetz Chaim says there is another mistake people make in Bitachon: Somehow, we feel that we are in exile, and that we haven’t seem great miracles recently. Additionally, there are so many people that ignore G-d, there are so many heretics. So how can we hope for salvation, and hope for miracles?
He brings a pasuk that says, “Rely on Hashem forever, because G-d is צור עלמים
The Rock of all worlds. As we have said many times, Tsur always denotes the rock
(We find refuge in the rock even though the rock never spoke to us). The Chafetz Chaim asks why it says to rely on Hashem “forever?”
Because even in our times, in exile, where we don’t see Hashem’s Divine Providence like they did in the times in the Bet Hamikdash, and where there are heretics and sinners that deny G-d and rebel against Him, even still, we should have Bitachon.
He uses a beautiful mashal of a king who rule over many different countries. The king had full control over everything. After a while, a group of people in a very small village rebelled against him. The courts convened to decide how to react to this non-threatening infraction.
At that same time the king went for a walk in his garden and he heard a bird chirping beautifully. The king decided to take the bird into his palace and place it by his throne. A silly servant commented, “I feel for this bird; the King is in the middle of a rebellion! How is the king going to be able to afford to feed the bird?”
A smart servant responded to him, “Our king rules over hundreds of countries, and he feeds them all. Do you think he lacks a few kernels for this bird? Even more so, he likes the bird and wants to hear its voice.
The nimshal, says the Chafetz Chaim, is a million times more. Hashem is King, not only of the physical world with its millions and billions of galaxies besides ours, but all physical words have spiritual contours. The lack of honor to Hashem is happening in one remote spot of our world. This rebellion has no impact on the larger picture.
The angels realize that even during these times, Hashem is supporting and giving life to all of existence. Like we’ve said before,“G-d is the G-d of the Hosts.”
People feel like it’s hard times, that the bank account of Hashem is depleted. They think His record might not be as good as it used to be. It’s like the people who collect money and are intimidated by the bad economy. They don’t realize that Hashem is never short.
We say, every day at the end of Vayevarech David, “You made the heavens... and all the celestial beings... the earth and the oceans, you give them all sustenance. And the angels bow to You. They know what You can do. They see and know how powerful G-d is.”
That’s the second mistake that the Chafetz Chaim warns us about: Never think that Hashem’s business isn’t doing well. Like a collector getting advice on whom to collect from, the angels are telling us, “Don’t worry, G-d is doing very well now, you can ask Him.”
Be’ezrat Hashem, we will overcome these two hurdles. Hashem is doing very well, and you don’t have to be a great Sadik for Him to give you. Just don’t be a rebel and rely on Him.
Have a Shabbat Shalom.