09 Jun NO WORRIES

In this week’s parsha, we are introduced to the
meraglim, the scouts chosen to explore Eretz
Yisroel prior to the Jewish nation settling
there.
Meraglim comes from the word regel,
meaning foot, for the scouts trekked across the
terrain of Eretz Yisroel.
“Shelach lecha, send for yourself.” (Bamidbar
13:2).
In response to the people’s request to explore
the land, HaShem told Moshe “Send for
yourself”, for your interest, for your desire.
The Torah tells us that the meraglim were
anoshim, men of importance. They were
neseeim, each one the leader of his respective
tribe. After forty days of exploration, they
returned, carrying beautiful, grand-sized
fruits. They captured the nation’s attention by
beginning their report with words of praise,
saying it was a land of milk and honey. But
they continued on to speak of walled cities
and giants who inhabited the country. They
painted a picture of doom and gloom, saying it
was an “Eretz ocheles yoshvehah, a land that

eats its inhabitants”. A land that would be
impossible to conquer and settle.
There were only two amongst the twelve
meraglim, Yehoshua and Calev, who stood
strong and spoke positively, giving the nation
words of encouragement.
How could this have happened? How could it
be that leaders would speak negatively about
Eretz Yisroel, HaShem’s eternal gift to His
people? The nation witnessed the Yad
HaShem, the Hand of G-d, and experienced
multiple miracles. Where was their faith and
trust in HaShem?
From the time of their exodus from Egypt,
Bnei Yisroel’s existence was one of miracles.
From crossing the sea to receiving the Torah
at Sinai. From the daily portion of manna, to
the Ananei HaKavod, the Clouds of Glory,
that guided and protected them by day, to the
fire that warmed and shielded them at night.
For them, life was one big miracle. But now,
they were facing the next chapter of their
journey – to settle in the Holy Land. This next
step was fraught with anxiety and fear. Rather
than having all of their needs provided for by
HaShem, they were genuinely afraid of the
responsibilities and labor that settling the land
entails. They doubted their very ability to

survive in a natural environment.
Here was the nation’s undoing. They
failed to trust that HaShem’s presence
would continue even after the nation
entered a more natural way of life. They
didn’t realize that every day was filled
with miracles. That no matter where they
were, HaShem was with them, then and
always, in ways both big and small.
The most spectacular of miracles is
waking up each day, a functioning body,
the sun shining, fruits and vegetables
growing, the gift of life. As Albeit
Einstein famously said, “There are two
ways to live your life. One as though nothing
is a miracle, the other as though everything is
a miracle.”
The meraglim, as great as they were, were
lacking a belief that HaShem truly controls
the world, and can do anything. Even make it
easy for Bnei Yisroel to settle the land. To
understand that Eretz Yisroel is HaShem’s
land, a land that He watches over. A land
whose very existence is a miracle.
The challenge of recognizing HaShem’s hand
in history did not end in the wilderness. It
remains a challenge for every generation. The
miracle of Eretz Yisroel continues to this
very day. Just a few days ago, Israel’s
ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, wrote,
“Iran fired 11 ballistic missiles at Israel
today. Each one of those missiles can level
an entire neighborhood, and kill hundreds.”
But HaShem was watching over His land
and His people. Virtually no injuries and
no significant damage. US ambassador to
Israel, Mike Huckabee, unquestionably one
of today’s chassidei umos ha’olam, amongst
the righteous of the nations, wrote, “Iran
fired missiles at Israel last night and early
today. The missile alert sounded at 6AM in
Jerusalem. They were intercepted. Thank
G-d.”
We are a nation of miracles. “Hinei lo
yonum v’lo yishon Shomer Yisroel, He who
watches Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.
(Tehillim 121:4) Shouldn’t it be evident
that after more than thousands of rockets
launched into Israel, HaShem’s watchful
eye was ever present? Yes, there is Iron
Dome and a great military. But shouldn’t it
be obvious to all, that the real protector of
the Holy Land and its people is HaShem?
One question still remains. How were
Yehoshua and Calev able to avoid falling
into the trap of the other scouts? Perhaps the
answer can be gleaned from their very
names.
Before the meraglim left on their mission,
Moshe turned to Yehoshua, whose name
was then Hoshea, giving him a bracha for
success. Moshe feared that due to Hoshea’s

humble nature, he would be negatively
influenced by the other scouts. Therefore, he
added the letter yud to his name, changing
Hoshea to Yehoshua. The letter yud, symbolic
of HaShem’s name, served as a bracha that
HaShem be with him. Rashi tells us that
Moshe blessed Yehoshua with the words,
“May HaShem save you from the advice of
the meraglim.” (Bamidbar 13:16)
The midrash teaches that the yud added to
Hoshea came from our matriarch Sara’s
original name, Sorai. HaShem added a hei to
her name, changing Sorai to Sara. For
generations the yud was in safekeeping, until
Moshe added it to Hoshea. With it came the
strength of Sara. A woman who spoke up
when she saw something wrong. Sara knew
that Yishmael was harmful both spiritually
and physically to Yitzchak. She insisted to
Avraham that Yishmael be sent out of their
home. Adding the yud to Hoshea gave him
that same strength to stand up to the negativity
of the meraglim.
Calev means ca-lev, like a heart. Calev’s heart
was one with HaShem, and one with His
people. In fact, whereas the Torah relates the
details of the meraglim’s mission in the plural,
the language is changed to the singular in
verse 13:22. “Vayovoh ad Chevron, and he
arrived at Chevron”. Rashi explains that only
Calev stopped off at the holy city of Chevron,
known as “the heart” of Eretz Yisroel, to pray
for the power to resist the collusion of his
fellow meraglim.
HaShem is always watching over us –
collectively and individually. HaShem
performs miracles for us each and every day.
We just need to recognize these special gifts.
We need to learn from Yehoshua and Calev
pray, to always have HaShem in our hearts
and minds. In turn, HaShem will be there for
us. He will spare us from misfortune and
negative influences.
A life lesson for us. When worries arise,
whether about family, health, livelihood, or
the future, we can follow the example of
Yehoshua and Calev: daven, remember the
blessings already present in our lives, and
trust that HaShem continues to guide us at all
times.