Words From Rabbi White

Why did HaShem have to command Moshe to send out spies, if HaShem had promised the people that they were going into a good land.?

Rabbenu Bahya ben Asher was an important early Sephardi Biblical exegete. His commentary on the weekly parasha always begins with a quote from Mishlei (Book of Proverbs.)

For this week’s parasha Shelach, he selected a verse from chapter 21 of Proverbs: “a horse is ready for the day of war, but salvation is from the Lord.”

Rabbenu Bahya found an important concept in this verse:  in everything in life, a person must do whatever one is able to accomplish, but, at the same time, one should leave the rest up to God. For “one who is going to war on his enemies should prepare weapons and horses and chariots for the war [in modern terms, planes and computer intelligence] for he who does not prepare such and is just relying on a miracle will be captured by the enemy."

Rabbenu Bahya compares it to the care we give a sick person: we must provide them with the proper foods and medicines, and keep them away from harmful foods, but leave the rest up to God.

So, this is the answer to our initial question. God is telling us that we must always function “bederekh ha-teva`,” i.e., in the natural way, but still be confident that HaShem is with us.

And to place is a contemporary context:  this explains why Israel must always be on the alert and must always have the upper hand against her enemies. And this is why we have so much admiration for the brave Israeli soldiers.  Yet we must always pray for the welfare of the people and the soldiers, and do what we can to help the country.

Shabbat shalom