1. Reflections on Tragedy and Loss
I want to begin by dedicating a few words in light of the heartbreaking news I heard about the untimely passing of a young man, the son of Reb Moshe. He just got up from shiva—the seven-day mourning period. It truly breaks your heart to hear something like this. It’s difficult enough when children have to bury a parent, which is the natural order of things, but when parents have to bury a child, that’s not how it should be. It’s a tragedy that shakes us deeply.
There are many tragedies in life, and we try to find ways to connect them to our learning and our parsha—weekly Torah portion. This week’s parsha is Shlach—“send.” The idea of being sent is central both in the story and in our lives: Hashem sends each person into this world with a soul, with a mission. That sending is Godly; it’s purposeful.
2. The Miraglim and Hashem’s Expectations
In the story of the miraglim—the spies—Hashem had promised Bnei Yisrael from the very beginning, even while they were still enslaved in Egypt, that He would bring them to a beautiful land flowing with milk and honey. Hashem expected them to accept His word without hesitation because He had already proven Himself trustworthy throughout their history: providing man—manna—from heaven, water from the well of Miriam, performing miracles in Egypt, splitting the sea, and giving them the Torah at Sinai—one of the greatest experiences imaginable.
The expectation was that after witnessing all these miracles, Bnei Yisrael would trust Hashem completely regarding Eretz Yisrael. Yet Hashem says to Moshe: Shlach lecha—“Send for yourself.” As Rashi explains, while Hashem expects us to trust Him, He also gives us opportunities for choice. If Bnei Yisrael wanted to see for themselves how they could conquer Eretz Yisrael logically, Hashem allowed it.
3. Moshe Rabbeinu’s Approach: Beyond Simple Trust
The question arises: why did Moshe Rabbeinu go along with their plan? Moshe wanted more than just blind trust in Hashem—he wanted Bnei Yisrael not only to believe that Eretz Yisrael was special because Hashem said so but also to feel it tangibly and emotionally. He wanted them to love Eretz Yisrael because they experienced its beauty firsthand.
Moshe hoped that by sending spies who would bring back fruits—kach temei pri ha’aretz, “take from the fruit of the land”—the people would be excited and motivated not only by faith but by genuine desire for this wonderful place. The goal was for their minds and hearts to be engaged so that entering Eretz Yisrael would be something they truly wanted.
4. The Pitfall of Relying Solely on Intellect
However, this approach carried risks. When people rely solely on intellect and try to understand everything logically without grounding themselves in emunah—faith—they can make mistakes. The miraglim, though originally righteous individuals chosen by Moshe Rabbeinu himself, ended up relying too much on their own reasoning and lost sight of their foundational faith in Hashem.
Emunah must be the foundation—the anchor—in our relationship with Hashem. On top of that foundation we can build logic, emotion, understanding, but if we lose touch with that core faith, we become vulnerable to error. This is what happened with the spies: once their intellect overtook their faith entirely, they erred gravely, resulting in forty years of wandering in the desert instead of entering Eretz Yisrael immediately.
5. Faith as Our Anchor Through Life’s Challenges
This lesson applies beyond just this episode—it speaks to life as a whole. Often we say: Hashem natan v’Hashem lakach yehi shem Hashem mevorach—“Hashem has given and Hashem has taken away; may His name be blessed.” We struggle with understanding why things happen as they do; we ask questions about suffering and loss.
The key is maintaining that underlying foundation of faith even when our minds cannot comprehend or accept what has happened. In times of difficulty or tragedy—when questions abound and answers are elusive—we must remember that our connection as Jews is deep and collective: one person’s loss is everyone’s loss.
6. Communal Responsibility and Comforting Mourners
No matter where a Jew lives or what community they belong to—when someone suffers a loss, we all share in it together. Our responsibility is not necessarily to explain or rationalize why something happened but rather to extend ourselves through comfort, empathy, thoughts, prayers—for both those who have passed on and those who remain behind mourning.
This week also marks the yahrzeit—anniversary of passing—of his mother-in-law as well. We pray that both souls should rest in peace (menuchah nechonah) and that those mourning will find comfort among all mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
7. A Blessing for Healing and Strength
I conclude with a blessing: May Hashem heal broken hearts and bring wholeness where there is pain. May He send only blessings, good news, strength for you and your loved ones going forward—and may you experience only revealed goodness (tov nigleh) and kindness from now on.