In this week’s Torah portion, Sh’lach Lecha, our ancestors allow the intimidating reports from their spies sent into the land of Canaan to discourage them from fulfilling God’s instructions to enter the land and seize it. In fact, the Torah suggests that the Israelites, dismayed by the prospects of invasion, resolve to return to Egypt for safety.
In response, God condemns the Israelites to wander the desert for 40 years, until only Joshua and Caleb—the two spies who protest the Israelite complaints—remain to lead a new generation into Canaan.
As we continue to pull threads from the rich tapestry of the tale of the spies, we discover an enduring lesson about culture: Necessary change often takes time, though that delay is not without consequence.
Even after witnessing myriad signs of God’s power—from the Exodus itself, to Sinai, to the manna that sustained them in the desert—the Israelites immediately panic once they receive the daunting reports of Canaan’s inhabitants. Frustrated by their lack of faith, God decides to wait for a new generation to send forth into Israel, one accustomed to the power of Adonai.
We may easily sympathize with the Israelites, who, hastened from one change to the next, might simply not be prepared for the succeeding evolutionary step in their journeys. Changes in mindset and culture do not take place overnight, and we must exercise patience when asking people to embrace new beliefs.
And yet, we must also acknowledge that patience comes at great cost. The Israelites sacrificed an entire generation waiting for people to embrace faith in God. Who may be sacrificed while we wait patiently for others to embrace new and challenging mindsets?
—Rabbi Josh Knobel