Six Hundred Thirteen Abilities

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah (www.bircas.org)

In Parshas Shelach, we learn about the tragic episode of the sin of the spies. A delegation of important people was sent to scout out Eretz Yisrael. They returned with an unfavorable report, claiming that the opposition that the Jews would face when conquering the land was too much for them. The Jews sadly accepted the report, abandoning hope of living in the land that Hashem had promised them. As a result, Hashem decreed that because of their lack of faith in Him, the Jews would spend another forty years wandering in the desert, and only their children would enter Eretz Yisrael.

Why did the entire nation accept the claim of the spies? Even the nation’s greatest scholars cried when they heard the report. How could such a holy nation not trust in Hashem’s promise to bring them into Eretz Yisrael?

The Chofetz Chaim (Shemiras HaLashon 2:19) states that acceptance of the report did not stem from a lack of belief in Hashem, G-d forbid. The problem was that they did not believe in themselves. When a person faces a big challenge, one of the tricks that the evil inclination uses is to make him believe that he can’t rise to the challenge. The evil inclination laughs, as if to say, “You? Who do you think you are? You can’t do this!” This was the sin of the Jews in the desert. When they heard the frightening report of what awaited them in Eretz Yisrael, they realized that Hashem would need to perform incredible miracles if they were to triumph over their enemies. So much Divine providence would require tremendous merit, which they did not believe that they had, due to the sin of the Golden Calf and other transgressions. Lacking the “necessary” prerequisites for success, they thought that they weren’t the same people to whom Hashem had promised Eretz Yisrael. Their lack of self-esteem rendered them unable to trust in Hashem‘s word.

This is a struggle that every Jew faces. We must know that a mitzvah, by definition, is something that Hashem believes we can do. He does not demand anything that is beyond our capabilities just in order to punish us for not doing it. As Rav Shimon Green once said, we don’t have 613 commandments. We have 613 abilities. A Jew is fully equipped to serve Hashem, and he should know it.

Even once we’ve integrated the above point, there is another thing that the evil inclination tries in order to prevent us from doing the right thing: he makes us feel embarrassed to do it. Often, this embarrassment is triggered by other people who scoff at us for being overly pious. However, at the very beginning of Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 1:1), the Rema writes that we are obligated to perform mitzvos even if we are mocked or criticized for it. Chazal (Yevamos 79a) teach that we are naturally shy and easily embarrassed, but evidently we are expected to rise above this tendency in order to do Hashem’s will. In fact, we have a rich legacy of humble Jews who did so.

The first example is Avraham Avinu. He saw himself as “dust and ashes,” yet he still found the courage to stand up against the entire world, declaring the truth of Hashem’s existence to all. Moshe Rabbeinu is called “the most humble man on the face of the earth.” Nevertheless, when Hashem commanded him to go to Pharaoh’s palace, he did so without hesitation. Even the boldest Egyptian would never have dared to do such a thing! In Tehillim (22:7), David HaMelech refers to himself as “a worm and not a man.” Nevertheless, he heroically volunteered to fight the giant Golias, miraculously defeating him.

Regardless of how humble or timid we may be, Hashem expects us to keep the mitzvos. A Jew can never allow embarrassment or fear to prevent him from doing Hashem’s will.

When looking into what Chazal say on the subject, a question arises: In Avos (5:20), we learn that the brazen are destined to go to Gehinnom, and yet that same mishnah instructs us to be brazen as a leopard in order to do Hashem’s will. How can we reconcile this contradiction?

The Rebbe of Slonim answers that brazenness is really something that we must reserve for performing mitzvos. Rav Chaim Friedlander even says that this is the reason why brazenness was created: to give us the necessary courage to serve Hashem. However, to use it for any other purpose is forbidden.

Rav Moshe Feinstein was the gadol hador (leader of the generation) in America of the previous century. He was also known as one of the sweetest, gentlest men. It was said that he gave people such love and respect that others felt important merely by the way that he looked at them. However, Rav Moshe was never afraid to be tough when the situation called for it. When he overheard someone criticizing a certain Torah scholar, he confronted the speaker with a loud voice, saying, “You should know that by saying that, you are disqualifying yourself from being a witness in a Jewish court!” Such behavior was completely out of character for Rav Moshe, but to defend the honor of the Torah, nothing could stand in his way.

May we believe in ourselves, and be courageous when doing Hashem’s will!

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