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Shlach(Numbers 13-15)
God Doesn't Need Angels
"If you want to endure this world, equip yourself with a heart that can withstand suffering." - Midrash, Vayikra Rabba 30
In this week's Parsha, the Jewish People send 12 spies to scout the Land of Israel. Upon their return, the conclusion everyone (with but a few exceptions) reaches is that it is dangerous and unwise to enter the land.
Our Sages tell us that the Israelite's fear of entering Israel was really only a pretense.Their real desire was to stay in the desert.
And it is not hard to imagine why. In the desert, all their physical and spiritual needs were well taken care of. They always had food to eat - the miraculous manna. Their clothes never wore out. Special "Clouds of Glory" protected them from any and all adversaries. And they had a close relationship with God whose presence was always amongst them.
They knew that once they entered Israel, all these phenomena would end and they would have to work to obtain a livelihood. They would have to engage in war to protect themselves. And they would be expected to achieve the same closeness with God as they had in the desert.
It was for good reason they did not want to leave the desert. Who would want to give up the easy life?!
IS EVERYONE A "NICE GUY?"
On one level, everyone in the world seems so nice. Whether at work, in the store, or just taking out the trash, there is a standard acceptable behavior. We can usually count on a certain degree of politeness, usually a smile and a "good morning."
But how do we find out what's bubbling beneath the surface - to discover who's sincere and who's not?
The Sages say that a person's true nature is exposed through three things: money, drink and anger. (In Hebrew, this forms a cute rhyme: "Kees, Kas, Kose.")
MONEY... The stock market crash was a good time to see who the real person is. Who kept his cool, and whose personality took a dive with the Dow Jones?
DRINK... When someone's had a little too much to drink, when his inhibitions are let down, when he doesn't care who is looking -then you can get a clear insight into true character.
ANGER... When a person gets offended or insulted; when he has his domain imposed upon; when someone stands on his shadow... At those times, does he crumble, burst into a fiery rage, insult and accuse?
GOOD TIMES, BAD TIMES
Anyone can be righteous on a mountaintop. God wants us to be righteous in the thick of a traffic jam.
In our Parsha, the Jewish People were experiencing immense holiness in the environment of the desert. But that was not God's purpose for the Jewish People. He wants us to behave with the same moral standards when the hardships of history are imposed upon us.
As Mark Twain wrote: "In all countries, from the dawn of history, the Jew has been persistently and implacably hated, and with frequency persecuted."
What standard of morality must we strive for? To behave with the same degree of dignity and kindness when life is easy, as when life is difficult. To have the same joy in life when business is good, as when the market is crashing.
The good times are no judge of character. Look back at how you behaved in a crisis and you may get a very different and perhaps truer image of who is the real you.
BRAINSTORMING QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Question 1: What was your most recent crisis? How did you behave?
Question 2: Would your co-workers praise you as much as your friends?
Question 3: When was the last time someone gave you personal criticism? Did you take it seriously, brush it off, or lash back?
(6) Aryeh , June 19, 2008
A person's "true nature"
Each of us is capable of great goodness and great evil and there is a daily and minute by minute choice. To say that the uninhibited impulses of the person affected by alcohol, drugs, fatigue or temptation are the "true" character is overly simplistic though. Our lowest, animalistic self is a part of us to be sure. It is no more "true" however than when we are at our best. Our "true" character changes day by day. An English author---I think Ben Johnson---is credited with saying that every man has three characters: that which he has, that which he thinks he has and that which he displays to others. There's a character that emerges when your wife is about to have a baby. There's a character that emerges when your child is threatened. There's a character that emerges in emergency and war and in the face of adversity and disapproval and success and huge success and extreme temptation and among friends and at ease and when randy and when you truly face death. Which of them is 'true'? Is the "average" true? What happens when the chemicals in our heads get scrambled? What's true and false then? The Self--including character and our "nature"--is always inherently in transformation. As Jews, our duty is to try to transform ourselves (literally ALL of our "selves")for the better in all circumstances.
(5) Anonymous , June 20, 2006
Iggeres HaRamban
The Ramban's letter to his son is a fantastic way to work on aquisition of humility and control anger, reminding us we all "put our pants on one leg at a time!" In addition, the Ramban says if we recite the letter, neglecting none of it, truly working on changing our traits, then Heaven shall answer our hearts desires.) G-d always hears our prayers... and the gates of tears are always open, especially when we work on our character. When we forget G-d is in charge, and then things do not go well, we are humbled, and get a reminder!(Artscroll has a great commentary on this letter.) As always, Rav Baars, a fantastic column!
(4) meir sitton , June 25, 2003
excellent, short but precise
will like to hear from him every week....
(3) Jeff Glander , June 4, 2002
accepting responsibility
"What standard of morality must we strive for? To behave with the same degree of dignity and kindness when life is easy, as when life is difficult. To have the same joy in life when business is good, as when the market is crashing."
This is a powerful reminder to me that I shouldn't 'control for that over which I have no control'. What happens to us, good or bad, cannot be denied. How we respond to those occurances is a choice we make by accepting 'response-ability'.
(2) Robert Wojtanowski , June 13, 2001
Real Wisdom from these Torah Portions.
To Rabbi Stephen Baars.
I am not a Jew but a Gentile that finds wisdom of a great degree in these weekly torah Messages of yours. When it come to wisdom , I have visited many Christian sites and they have not the depth of discernment like yours. You edify me to high character .
Thank you.
-Sincerely
Robert Wojtanowski