17 Jun SHELACH: YETZER HARA – AN ILLUSION

Kalev and Yehoshua
told the nation that
they don’t have to be
afraid of the nations
living in Eretz Canaan
because (14:7-9) Sar
Tzelem M’aleihem,
“Their shadow has left
them.”
The Sfas Emes (5638)
explains that a shadow
appears real, but there
is nothing there at all.
Try to touch it, but you
can’t. Shine some light
on it, and it disappears. A shadow represents
the yetzer hara. The yetzer hara comes up
with many ideas, and at first, they seem so
rational and true, but there is nothing to his
claims. For example, this time, the yetzer
hara devised a plan to frighten them. They
were certain it was so dangerous to enter
Eretz Canaan. But it was like a shadow, an
imagination, an illusion.
Kalev and Yehoshua said that they attained
that realization and knew there was nothing
to fear. Sar Tzelem, they uncovered the
shadow and revealed that there was nothing
to take seriously.

The Sfas Emes (5638) elaborates, “The
yetzer hara’s strength is merely an illusion,
like a shadow with no substance. Someone
who battles with the yetzer hara properly will
see that it’s nothing more than a mirage. The
meraglim’s test was certainly a great test, but
after Yehoshua and Kalev uncovered that it
was just a shadow, as they said Sar Tzelem…
the other meraglim should have believed
them and strengthened themselves with
trust in Hashem. [They should have taken
Yehoshua and Kalev’s conclusion seriously
and recognized that there was nothing to
fear.] But they remained stuck with their
first impression and they were therefore
punished. Similarly, when we see tzaddikim
overcoming the yetzer hara, we must [learn
from them to] be strong and believe that the
yetzer hara is just a shadow. With emunah
and reliance on tzaddikim, one can overcome
the yetzer hara.”
In this week’s parashah, the nation was afraid
to go up to Eretz Canaan. They cried, they
protested, and they were certain that if they
went up to Eretz Canaan, they would be
killed by the nations living in the land. As it
states (14:1-3) “Why does Hashem bring us
to this land to fall by the sword; our wives
and children will be as spoils.”
The next morning, some people had a change

of heart. They were ready to go
to Eretz Canaan. (14:40) “They
arose early in the morning and
ascended to the mountain top,
saying, ‘We are ready to go up
to the place of which Hashem
spoke, for we have sinned.’”
Moshe warned them that
they won’t succeed. Moshe
said “Why do you transgress
Hashem’s word? It will not
succeed.”
Despite Moshe’s warning,
“They defiantly ascended to the
mountain top…”
Suddenly, they weren’t afraid. They were
ready to go to Eretz Canaan, even after Moshe
warned them not to go. What happened to
their fear?
The answer is that the yetzer hara wins
over us by making us imagine things. When
they should have had bitachon, the yetzer
hara incited them to be afraid to go to Eretz
Canaan. Afterwards, when it was an aveirah
to go to Eretz Yisrael, the yetzer hara placed
in their hearts that there was nothing to fear.
Since the yetzer hara is a dimyon, an illusion,
it’s helpful to push off acting upon the yetzer
hara’s whims, even if just for a short while,

as the person might come to the realization
that it’s just an imagination and not worth
pursuing.
Therefore, the Torah says (13:30) “Kalev
silenced the nation” and he encouraged the
nation to believe they could conquer Eretz
Canaan.
It doesn’t seem that Kalev accomplished
anything at that time. The meraglim and the
nation were still afraid. But the pause was
important because when one stops in the
middle of pursuing his imagination, there’s a
possibility that he’ll catch himself and realize
that it’s all a mistake.