Community Magazine June 2012

Many of us have the great privilege of visiting Israel occasionally, if not frequently. Rarely, if ever, do we return unaffected, uninspired, and unchanged by the experience. The beauty, history and holiness of the land are evident and palpable, and any Jew with a tinge of spiritual sensitivity will feel invigorated and uplifted by a visit to our sacred homeland. We must wonder, then, why this did not happen to the meragelim , the scouts who toured the Land of Israel for 40 days in anticipation of the nation’s entry into the land?With the exception of twomembers of the group – Kalev and Yehoshua – the scouts presented a frightening and offensive report about the land. Whereas we return from a trip to Israel full of excitement and fervor and ready to plan our next visit, the scouts came back and warned the people not to proceed into the land. They reported that the land “devours its inhabitants,” and they mocked the unusual size of its fruits. This negative report succeeded in dissuading the people from continuing their travels to Israel, as they broke down crying and announced their intention to return to Egypt. Why did the spies bring back such a dreadful report about Israel? Gd’s harsh response to this incident also deserves some explanation. Gd punished the generation with 40 years of desert travel, and He specified that the 40 years correspond to the 40 days the scouts spent in the land: “For the number of days that you toured the land – forty days – a day for a year, a day for a year, you shall bear your iniquity…” (Bamidbar 14:34). Yet, the scouts were supposed to tour the land; the sin of the scouts lasted just one evening, when they gave their negative report and the people accepted it. Why did Gd punish them an entire year for each day of scouting? Dedicated inmemory of Mr.&Mrs. Jacques&Rachel Gindi  RABBI ELI J. MANSOUR T en scouts returned from their excursion complainingbitterly about the land, while the other two excitedly proclaimed, “The land is very, very good!” How could two groups of people have such drastically different reactions to the same trip? Dangerous Perspectives 12 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE