Rabbi Frand on Parshas Shlach
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 377, Tzitzis:
Must They Be Seen? Good Shabbos!
Two Attributes of Successful Mitzvah Agents
Moshe sent 12 tribal representatives to spy out the land. Their mission was
a disaster that we still pay for to this very day. The night following their
return from the mission was the night of the Ninth of Av. The nation cried
on that night [Bamdibar 14:1]. The Talmud comments "You cried for nothing
that night, I will give you something to cry about on that night for all
generations" [Taanis 29a; Sanhedrin 104b].
The parsha of Sh'lach and its associated Haftorah present a stark contrast
between the spies that Yehoshua sent, who did their job in the correct
fashion, and the spies who Moshe sent, who did not do their job in the
correct fashion. The Medrash extensively praises the spies who were sent
out by Yehoshua. "Nothing is more dear to the Master of the World than a
person who goes on a mission of G-d and gives his heart and soul to
fulfill that mission. The paradigm of people sent on a mission who perform
with dedication and devotion are the two representatives sent out by
Yehoshua bin Nun".
What can we learn from the spies of Yehoshua. What is the key to being a
successful 'shliach mitzvah' [agent for performing a holy task]? How does
one become praiseworthy when carrying out a mission of G-d?
In order to answer this question, it is instructive to turn to a second
Medrash. The Medrash comments on the word 'cheresh' in the pasuk "And
Yehoshua bin Nun sent out from Shittim two men who were spies 'cheresh'
saying..." [Yehoshua 2:1]. According to one opinion, the Medrash interprets
that the word 'cheresh' comes from the term for earthenware vessels (kli
cheres). The two spies disguised themselves as pottery salesman. According
to a second opinion in the Medrash 'cheresh' comes from the word for a deaf
person. Yehoshua told them to pretend that they were deaf, and thereby they
would be able to eavesdrop on the secrets of others.
In a homiletic fashion, these two interpretations of the Medrash can be
teaching us the two key ways to be successful agents of G-d in carrying out
holy missions.
The first approach is to be like a pottery salesman. Pottery is
fundamentally different halachicly than metal utensils. Tumah [ritual
impurity] is transmitted to a metal utensil by touching it from the outside.
However, an earthenware vessel contracts tumah even when a source of tumah
is suspended inside its walls -- without actually touching the wall of the
vessel.
The Kotzker Rebbe (1797-1859) explained that the functionality of a metal
utensil is its outside. Its external component (chitzoniyus) has value.
Therefore it can be defiled by touching its externality. But the externals
of an earthenware vessel are insignificant. (Pottery in those days was cheap
and did not have a good appearance.) The outside does not make any
difference. Therefore, the way to defile it is via its functionality (the
inside).
In order to be a successful shliach mitzvah, a person must be willing to
give up on his externals. He must be willing to say that externals do not
make any difference. The only thing that matters is the internal
(penimiyus), the functionality of the mission.
The other key to being a successful agent for a mission of G-d is to pretend
that you are deaf. Any person who has ever undertaken the task of doing
something worthwhile in this world has been told by at least some - if not
most - people, "You're crazy! It will never work! It can't be done."
"You want to start a Day School? It can't be done. You want to build a
Yeshiva? It won't work. You want to put up a new mikveh (ritual bath)?
It's not going to happen. You want to start a new shul? Forget it." The
whole world tells you that it is a crazy idea!
If a person listens to all the advice, he will never succeed in
accomplishing G-d's mission. The people who started our Torah institutions,
40, 50, 60, and 70 years ago, were all told that it could not be done in
America. This happens in every generation. Whenever we try to start
something new there are always the nay-sayers who say it can't be done.
The only way to be a successful 'shliach mitzvah' is to be 'cheresh' -- to
pretend that you are deaf to such negative 'encouragement.'
Only In Israel
Parshas Shlach reminds us that whenever we speak about the Land of Israel,
we must always say "The land is very very good". [Bamidbar 14:7]. It is very
easy to find fault. Unfortunately there are always things about which it is
easy to be critical. But we need to 'see the good in Jerusalem' [Tehillim
128:5]. We must always try to see the good and not speak ill of Eretz
Yisrael.
The following true story - which could only happen in Eretz Yisrael - speaks
to the very special status of Eretz Yisrael and the very special mentality
that could only exist in the holy land. I heard this story from Rav Aharon
Feldman.
A grandfather came to visit Eretz Yisrael and took his little grandson out
to eat in a Jerusalem restaurant. As their luck would have it, this was the
same day that Bill Clinton (who was President of the United States at that
time) was in Jerusalem. On an unplanned stop, the Clinton entourage went
into this very restaurant for a bite to eat. What better photo-op is there
than to have President Clinton eating a bagel and lox sandwich in the holy
city of Jerusalem?
The grandfather and grandson were sitting in the restaurant when suddenly,
the Secret Service, the President of the United States, CNN, and the entire
entourage walked into the restaurant. Bill Clinton ordered his bagel and
lox, and took a couple of bites which were duly recorded by the cameras. It
was a real Kodak moment!
Clinton then noticed the grandfather and grandson in the restaurant. He
approached the little Yerushalmi boy and said, "Hello. My name is Bill
Clinton. What is your name?" The boy told the President his name, they had a
brief conversation, and then Clinton and his entourage departed.
A few moments later, the grandfather asked his grandson, "Do you know that
you just met the President of the United States?" To which the little boy
responded, "Yes, but I still have never met Rav Elyashiv".
This week's write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah portion (# 333).
The corresponding halachic portion for this tape is: Techeiles Today. The
complete list of halachic portions for this parsha from the Commuter
Chavrusah Series are:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection
of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
and is available through your local Hebrew book store or from
Project Genesis, 1-410-654-1799.
