The Missed Opportunity - Parshas Shlach 2023

0:01 A date which will live in infamy, when the maraglion and the spies return home from their reconnaissance mission holding in their hands words of lushane horror about the Eretz haqqoydesh, a damning report upon the holiest land on planet earth. When they return with words of uncertainty, with words of doubt, with words that were a lack of betokhan in the Almighty. It was an absolute debacle and an utter fiasco. It condemned this generation to death in the wilderness.

0:42 They were not to be privy to the Almighty takeover. And on which date did all of this transpire? was none other than that notorious day of tisha ba'ov, the ninth of avav, a date that has been nothing but torture and pain and a thorn in the signs of the Jewish people throughout our history. And it seems like all of it could have been prevented if one opportunity would have been taken advantage of. Rashi says that it is not a coincidence the end of last week's parasha and the beginning of our parasha, the juxtaposition of Miriam's lushane horror about her brother and the subsequent episode of the spies lushane horror about Eretz.

1:31 Yisrael teaches us, says the Medjush and Tanchuma, and Rashi brings it that Rishoim halalu. These wicked ones, the spies, rauv velo lakhu muser. They saw what happens when somebody speaks lushane horror, and they didn't take the lesson. Rauv velo lakhu muser. They didn't take muser. And Rabbi Rukhum explains to us that the way of a muserite, the way of a steiging and a growing person, is that things are personal to him, that the Almighty speaks to us in news, in the daily events, in the stopping of the toe.

2:14 When you see something, you should be affected by it. It's a message. You think about it. How is it that we spoke, that this nausea is supposed to take upon himself this vow of abstinence? because he saw the sight of why. Because how could you see something so once in a lifetime worthy? You never get to see something of a sin, of that like, and yet you don't do anything. Lakhu muser, do something. It seems like if a person hears about a war in Ukraine should say Hashem's talking to me, perhaps I should do something, i should be better, i should dive in a bit harder.

2:54 And perhaps if these miraglim would have taken the lesson, if they would have seen what happens when one says Hashem's hara, perhaps there would be no tisha be of to speak of, it would be a day of Simcha. Maybe, who knows, rovali lakhu muser was the opportunity that they had to take the muser and to spare the Jewish people and all of the future pain. When you read this parasha, when you witness the events that were about to transpire and it all could have been prevented you can't help but scream. Look what happens. And even though Miriam said Lushen hara upon a live object, a person, and yet they said Lushen hara upon an inanimate object, and perhaps that's not a prohibition, but lakhu muser means you feel it, you see it, you know the lessons, the ethics.

3:45 This isn't right. What does the Almighty want here? When you're lakhu muser, you live a growth oriented life. When you're lakhu muser, you hear the Almighty speaking to you in a personal oven, in a personal way, in the news, and it sounds like if the Miraglan would have been lakhu muser then perhaps there would be no tisha bov to speak of.