By Rabbi Yisroel Shusterman
This week’s Parsha
Perspective is dedicated by Mr. Arnie Warmbrand in memory of his
late father and mother: Mr. Ben (Berel Ben
Chaim) and Mrs. Miriam (Malka Bas Chaim) Warmbrand OBM
A Chossid and
follower of the Rebbe suffered tremendous back pains, and after unsuccessfully
trying many medications and treatments, all the specialists he visited advised
him that surgery was the only way to be cured. When the Rebbe was
asked for advice, he implied that surgery was not necessary; there must be a
cream on the market which could solve the problem! But the doctors insisted
that they know of no alternative to surgery.
Finally, this
chossid visited Dr. Avrohom Seligson (the Rebbe's personal doctor and
a devoted Chassid). Dr. Seligson, who was not a back specialist, checked
the Chossid and prescribed an ointment for his back. Indeed, until his
passing more than twenty years later, this Chossid never suffered any back
pains.
When Dr. Seligson
was asked how he knew to prescribe the particular cream, when all the
specialists thought that surgery was the only option, he responded: "The
results of the check-up indicated that he needed surgery - but the Rebbe said
that this wasn't the case. I realized that the Rebbe merely wanted a 'vessel'
and ‘conduit’ through which a miracle could be manifest, so I prescribed the
simplest and cheapest cream available on the market!"
In this
week’s Torah portion Shlach (Bamidbor [Numbers]
13:1-15:41), the Torah tells of the spies Moses sent to Israel, in advance of
the Jews entering the Land of Israel. The spies' reconnaissance mission
to Canaan was intended to gather intelligence information about the
enemy. They were told to scout the lay of the land, as well as its natural and
man-made fortifications. They were to report on the enemy's strengths and weaknesses,
and the natural resources they could rely on during times of battle. This
information would be used to formulate an appropriate combat strategy for the
impending battle to conquer the Holy Land.
The spies – all of
whom were upright and pious people with unquestionable integrity – faithfully
went about their task, but what they saw concerned them greatly: the Canaanites
were a powerful nation, gargantuan people with awesome strength. There was no way,
the spies concluded, for the Israelites to achieve a natural victory
against the formidable Canaanite foe. "We are unable to go up against the
people, for they are stronger than we," they declared!
Yet this honest conclusion had disastrous results. G‑d was highly displeased with their report, the reaction it engendered and it caused the premature demise of the entire generation which left Egypt. Where did the spies go wrong?
The Rebbe explains
that the spies erred in assuming that they had to reach a conclusion. They were
told to go to Canaan and bring back dry facts: the nature of the land and its
population etc. They were not asked to render a decision regarding
the feasibility of conquering the land. G‑d had promised the Jews a military
victory against the Canaanites, and therefore that was not a debatable issue.
The question wasn't if it could be done, but rather how it
would be done.
The same is true
with our personal lives. We all are "sent on a mission" to this
world, to illuminate our surroundings with the radiance
of Torah and mitzvot. Often the opposition seems to be too
formidable; the obstacles to observing Torah and His Mitzvot appear to be
insurmountable. When these thoughts enter our minds we must remember that if G‑d
charged us with the mission it certainly can be carried out. Our job is only to
figure out how to do it.
(Excerpts
from Chabad.org - by Rabbi Naftali
Silberberg)
May you
have a meaningful and uplifting Shabbos
If you would
like to dedicate the weekly Parsha Perspective in honor or memory of
a person or occasion, please contact Rabbi Shusterman at yshusterman@chedermonsey.org
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