This Shabbat, it is mentioned in Parasha Shelach, that Moses sent the twelve spies to travel and scout the Land of Israel. After forty days the spies returned and shared with the people their experience and gave a negative interpretation of the things they saw with their own eyes. The result of the negative interpretation was disastrous and led to holding the people of Israel in the desert for 40 years.
Curiously our parasha ends with the commandment of a Tzitzit and the importance of wearing a Tzitzit.
“….and you will look upon it and you will remember all the commandments of Adonai, and you will perform them, and you will not turn aside after your hearts and after your eyes which cause you to go astray.”
If we observe, we will notice that the Torah gives great importance to what we see and how we interpret what we see, and orders us to avoid the “trip of the eyes”. The Torah relates the remembrance of God’s commandments to the act of ‘keeping the eyes.’
In this, the Tzitzit commandment differs from the “spies’ vision” of the land which led to loss of faith, despair and despondency.
Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Alter, writes in his book ‘Seft Emet’ that sight expresses a connection between man and what is outside of him. It is an external act. Memory, on the other hand, is an internal movement in which a person looks within himself and draws out from his memory values, descriptions, and facts.
The spies chose to tour the country and see it, but they did not direct themselves to recollection and introspection. They were influenced by the exterior around, what was seen on the surface, and did not delve into their inner memory which would have led them to faith and confidence in God. When the external vision dominated them, they fell into despair. If they had followed memory instead of just following sight, they would have gathered courage and trusted God to lead them as he has led them so far.
The choice of whether to follow the vision or the memory, to be dragged by an external influence or to deepen due to introspection – is in the hands of the person. This challenge has been placed before man since the dawn of mankind, but in our generation the challenge is seven times heavier. The external influences penetrate every protective layer we put up. Even the marketing content we are exposed to is tailored for us by complex algorithms that analyze our habits and tendencies. In order to engage in recollection, introspection, and to listen to the voice of the inner memory – the one that calls us to invest in values, Judaism, morality and family and to let it guide us – courage and a sincere will are needed.
We have no choice. If we want to live a worthy, happy, and quality life – we must think about how much we are influenced by the external view and stop doing so. We must ask what is the way in which we will be able to listen to our inner memory that will guide us.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Refael Cohen