This week's Miller's Musings is sponsored:
לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם
and as a רפואה שלמה for
יהודה זאב בן ברכה אלכסנדרה גילה
דבס''
Miller’s Musings
פרשת שלך לך
Faith,
Faith, Faith
The cries of the Jewish
people, at the cusp of entering the land of Israel, have now echoed for
millennia. That fatal mistake of
believing the report of the spies has reverberated for generations. As Hashem forewarned, since they cried
without reason at that time, the ninth of Ov would be forever a day with a
reason to cry. The immediate ramifications of their reaction to the spies’
account was both severe and tragic, forbidding them from entering the Promised
Land. The challenge here lies in
understanding why the penance for their error was so harsh. For as Rashi says, Hashem caused many natives
to be buried on one day, creating a situation in which there would be a risk of
stumbling. Was it their fault that they
therefore concluded that it was a land that consumed its people?
The journey from Egypt to Canaan
was a voyage of self-discovery and growth for the Jewish people. They began as
a humble slave nation, unworthy recipients of miracles, emancipated despite
their lowly status. But through their striving
upwards they were able to raise themselves to increasingly great heights of
faith. For faith in Hashem, explains the
Darchei Mussar, consists of escalating levels. The simplest is knowing with
certainty that there is a Creator. The
next stage is a conviction in Hashem’s complete mastery over everything that
occurs, and crucially, that despite our own efforts, it is only Hashem that
ultimately decides our fate. But the
highest level and the one that the people critically lacked, was a belief in
Hashem under all circumstances. It is a
trust in what we know of Hashem and His word no matter how much events may seem
to contradict them. This was the level
that was required to be worthy of entering the Holy Land. By letting what they heard create doubt in
their minds about Hashem’s promise to give them the land, they showed that they
were not at the stage that they needed to be and did not merit to enter the
hallowed ground.
We have spoken
previously about the need to believe in Hashem, no matter how difficult it is
to understand His goodness at that time.
However if we focus for a moment on the second level, it can be just as
challenging. For when there is a tragedy or painful ordeal, the difficulty is
in not losing one’s faithfulness to Him when His kindness is concealed. Yet when there is nothing we can do to help,
when all that is left is trust in Hashem, it can to some degree be easy, and
perhaps comforting, to place our faith in Him.
But when there are practical ways to try and resolve our problems and we
are doing them, it is then incredibly hard to remind ourselves that success is
ultimately due only to Him. To look at what we are trying to achieve, or indeed
have achieved, and acknowledge that it is all Him, that is the faith we must
aspire to. Knowing with certainty who
really runs the world and determines what happens, no matter the effort we
expend and our struggles to prevail.
That is true belief.
*
May we see Hashem's hand in everything this Shabbos*
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