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Sh’lach: Divine Insurance
Submitted by on June 11, 2006 – 12:14 pmNo Comment | 2,419 views
A Promise – A Dilemma
G-d gave our ancestors the following message: “Go to the land of Israel, and make war with its inhabitants; do not fear them for they will be delivered into your hands.” This is the kind of insurance policy we would all like to have in our business dealings and in life. “Go ahead and make this move, go ahead and take on this risk, don’t worry about the outcome for I, G-d, shall assure it for you.”
Our ancestors were faced with a dilemma. Many wanted to believe, However, a larger group could not accept the notion of committing an entire nation to a decisive battle – that could mean life or death – and all this only on the word of G-d!
Is He Real? – Real Enough To Trust?
How much stock must we put into the validity of prophetic visions and how much are we responsible to research on our own? At what point must we stop and argue that it is irresponsible to continue on faith alone?
In the end they sent their spies to scout the land. The spies brought back a negative but accurate report. It made the people question G-d’s promise that they would overcome those very obstacles. Our ancestors chose to believe the report of those who had actually scouted the land rather than the promise of a G-d they could neither see nor hear. Alas, they lost heart and were ultimately punished for their lack of faith.
Relying on Faith
There are times in life when it is responsible to research all angels before moving forward. However, there are times when it is our obligation as Jews to accept G-d’s word even when it goes against every instinct we possess. Sometimes it is appropriate to throw caution to the wind in order to discover new horizons. As the old saying goes, “To explores new oceans, we must find the courage to leave sight of shore.”
