13 Jun LIVING THE DREAM

We read in Parshas Shelach about the episode
of the meraglim, the scouts exploring Eretz
Yisroel. A most difficult chapter in our
nation’s history to comprehend.
From the moment the Jewish nation left
Egypt, their life was one of miracles. The
splitting of the sea, the heavenly clouds that
guided and guarded them by day, and the
fires that protected and warmed them, by
night. Their clothes never wore out, and they
were blessed with a daily portion of manna.
They merited to stand at Mount Sinai, hear
the voice of HaShem, and receive His
precious Torah.
Yet, when it came time to enter Eretz Yisroel,
they hesitated, wanting to see what lay ahead
of them. As Moshe recounts, the people said
“Let us send men before us, that they may
search the Land.” (Devarim 1:22) Rashi
comments, that the nation approached Moshe
“b’irbuvia, with confusion, in a disorderly
manner”. The young pushing the elders, the
elders pushing the leaders.
How do we understand the actions of a

people who lived with HaShem’s kindness
every single day, yet displayed doubts and
suspicions upon receiving the G-d given gift
of the Holy Land, saying, wait a minute, we
first have to check it out?
When Moshe questioned HaShem as how to
respond, HaShem told him that He is giving
Bnei Yisroel the most beautiful land. The
Land promised to their forefathers, Avraham,
Yitzchak and Yaakov. While HaShem did not
command Moshe to send explorers, He said
if you feel the need to do so, “Shelach lecha,
Send for yourself”. Rashi teaches, “l’datcha,
for your understanding, for your knowledge.”
(Bamidbar 13:2)
Moshe felt that if he didn’t acquiesce, it
would appear as if he had something to hide.
As if he was not providing “full disclosure”
about this unknown land. He was hoping that
by going along with their request, Bnei
Yisroel would realize that all is good, and
there will be no need to search the land. That
their emunah and bitachon, their faith and
trust in HaShem would be sufficient.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. Moshe
was compelled to send “Kol nasi bahem,
every prince amongst them”. A representative

of each tribe. “Kulam anashim, each
one a man of great importance.”
After forty days of exploration, the
meraglim returned. They brought
back big, beautiful fruits. They spoke
of an “Eretz zavat chalav u’dvash, a
land flowing with milk and honey.”
And then they said a little word that
spoke volumes. “Efes – BUT”. Efes
also means “zero”, nothing. My
mother a”h would teach that when
one says “but”, it means that it’s not
happening. Forget about it. Zero. That one
little word negates everything positive that
may have been said just seconds earlier – no
matter the subject, no matter the issue. As in
“I’d love to invite you – but…” means there
is no invite. “I’d love to help you – but…”
means there is no help coming. “He’s a great
guy, or she sounds like a wonderful girl –
but…” means the shidduch isn’t happening.
With their words, the miraglim put a damper
on the nation’s spirit. Their report became
one of negativity. They painted a picture of
despair. “Eretz ocheles yoshvehah, a land
that devours its inhabitants”, alluding to the
large number of funerals they witnessed
while scouting out the land. They failed to
realize that even that was a gift from
HaShem. That HaShem caused the locals
to be so pre-occupied with tending to their
deceased, that they wouldn’t even notice
the miraglim, strangers in their land. What
was a miraculous gift from HaShem was
viewed as problematic.
The Torah tells us that from the group of
twelve, only two, Yehoshua and Calev,
stood strong and spoke positively about
Eretz Yisroel. Unlike their peers, they
were able to see the good, and appreciate
the holiness of the land. Sadly, their voices
were drowned out by the larger boisterous
contingent.
The miraglim, who were so used to living
a miracle-filled life in the desert, were
afraid that once the nation entered Eretz
Yisroel, they would be forced to live a
“natural” life. They were apprehensive.
Will HaShem continue to be with them?
They erred by failing to realize that no
matter where or when, HaShem would
always be with them. The sea doesn’t have
to split, and manna doesn’t have to fall
from Heaven for HaShem to be at their
side. As we say in the Amidah, “V’al
nisecha she’bchol yom imanu, v’al
nif’le’osecha v’tovosecha she’bchol eis,
for your miracles that are with us every
day, and for your wonders and goodness at
all times.” One needs only to open his eyes
to see them.
The root of the word miraglim is regel,

foot. For the miraglim traveled to Eretz
Yisroel by foot. Recently, I read about
Shlomo Mula, an Ethiopian Jew, who at age
sixteen left his family, his home, his country,
to make it to Israel by foot.
Mula wrote about growing up listening to his
parents and town elders speak of the beauty
of Yerushalayim, a magical city. It was the
beginning of a burning desire within him to
somehow, some way get to Eretz Yisroel. He
shared his dream with his friend, who came
up with a plan – to walk from Ethiopia,
through Sudan, to Egypt, and reach Be’er
Sheva. A crazy dream, but one that became a
reality.
Eventually, seventeen boys, all Ethiopian
teenagers, joined together to make the trip.
Where they summoned the courage from, I
don’t know. They traveled over 500 miles by
foot in a week, crossing hot desert sands, and
a dangerous jungle laden with lions, tigers
and poisonous snakes. Upon reaching Sudan,
they were arrested and imprisoned for three
months, where they were brutally tortured.
Subsequently, they were transferred to a
Sudanese refugee camp, where Shlomo and
his group were approached by a stranger who
said “I know you, come with me”. Shlomo
thought this was the beginning of their end.
They were taken by truck on a circuitous
route through the desert, eventually reaching
an airplane – the first time Shlomo had ever
seen one in his life. He innocently asked if it
was a “giant bird”. Only after being
transferred from the truck to the plane did
they find out that the person who picked
them up from the refugee camp was a Mossad
agent who arranged for their escape to Israel.
The Israeli soldiers on the plane began
singing Hevenu Sholom Aleichem. Thus
began their new life. In fact, Shlomo later
became a member of Knesset.
What a powerful lesson. Mula and his friends
grew up hearing about the beauty and
holiness of Eretz Yisroel and risked their
lives to fulfill their dream. How fortunate we
are to live in a time where we could easily
get on a plane and in a few hours arrive on
admas kodesh, a Holy Land. If only the
miraglim would have seen HaShem’s
miracles, so much pain and anguish could
have been avoided, not just then, but for
thousands of years.