From the Spies to October 7th, and beyond

Faith, Trauma, and the Legacy We Choose

Jun 18, 2025

This week, I am sharing two thoughts on the weekly parsha (reading)– the thoughts below were penned before Operating Rising Lion in Iran, which started last Friday morning.

In this, I concluded with these words:

1. Introduction: The Harshness of Divine Justice

As we enter Parashat Sh’lach, we confront one of the darkest moments in our people’s journey: the Sin of the Spies. Twelve scouts sent to survey the land of Israel return with a report that shatters the spirit of a nation. Their fear spreads, and faith collapses. The punishment? A generation condemned to wander and die in the desert. Harsh? Perhaps. But within that decree lies a more profound message about responsibility, faith, trauma, and the destiny of a people called to be moral visionaries.

And as I reflect on that story, I cannot help but see its echoes in more recent traumas: the Holocaust… and October 7th.

2. Three Sins in the Desert: Three Responses from Heaven

The Israelites’ time in the desert is marked by three major failings:

The Golden Calf: A spiritual betrayal at Sinai, met with death and plague—but ultimately forgiveness.
The Sin of the Spies: A collapse of courage, punished with 40 years of exile within the wilderness.
Moses Strikes the Rock: A failure in leadership and sanctification, costing Moses entry into the Promised Land.

Each sin reflects a different type of breakdown: in faith, in vision, and in execution. Each carries not just punishment, but revelation.

3. Why Was the Sin of the Spies So Severe?

The punishment following the spies’ report seems brutal: the entire adult generation is fated to die in the desert. But the sin wasn’t just fear—it was rejection.

They stood on the cusp of destiny and chose doubt.
They had seen the Red Sea split and manna fall from heaven—yet they declared, “We are like grasshoppers… we cannot win.”

This wasn’t just a lack of bravery—it was a lack of belief in God’s promise.
It was a breach of trust at the national level.

So, God responded: This generation cannot enter the land. They carry Egypt within them. Their children will inherit the dream, those born free.

4. Moshe’s Punishment: A Bridge, Not a Finisher

Even Moshe, the faithful shepherd, is barred from entering the land. Why? One moment of striking the rock instead of speaking. It seems small—but it was more than action. It was symbolism. It was about how God is sanctified.

Perhaps Israel needed a new leader—Joshua—one born in the struggle, not slavery.

I remember the late Rabbi Danny Beller from Ra’anana saying in a drasha saying :

“A rabbi’s job is not always to finish the task, but to be a bridge for the next generation.”

That’s what Moshe became: the eternal teacher who never arrived—but showed us the way.

5. The Sin of the Spies and the Holocaust: From Despair to Rebirth

The trauma of the spies was national paralysis through fear. That fear led to death.

The Holocaust was our darkest night. Six million voices silenced. Communities erased. Like the desert generation, dreams buried.

But just three years later, from the ashes of Auschwitz, came the declaration: “The State of Israel is born.”
We became a modern Joshua generation—willing to enter the land, fight for it, and build anew.

Faith didn’t die in Auschwitz. It was wounded—but it survived.

6. October 7th: A Modern Echo of Ancient Fear

The horrific attacks on October 7th tore into the heart of modern Israel. Entire communities were massacred. Families decimated. Kibbutzim turned into graveyards. It felt like a return to pogroms—only in our own land.

We again faced the temptation of the spies: despair. And yet… we must resist.

We must choose to respond with faith-fueled clarity, not trauma-fueled paralysis.

We must remember the lesson of the desert: even in mourning, you walk forward.

7. What Makes the Land So Special?

Why was rejecting the land such a great sin?

Because the Land of Israel is not just geography.
It is covenant.
It is identity.
It is the stage on which the Torah meets reality.

It is where holiness becomes agricultural, judicial, ecological, and communal.

It is the land that God chose, not just to give, but to shape us through.

8. Jerusalem: The Moral Compass of the Jewish Soul

At the center of this land stands Jerusalem.

Not just a capital, but a calling.

“For out of Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
(Isaiah 2:3)

This city, drenched in prayers and prophecy, is meant to be the moral barometer of the world. From here, justice flows. From here, truth must be spoken. Even if the nations rage against it.

9. The Prophetic Vision: Swords into Ploughshares

Isaiah continues with one of the most famous prophetic dreams ever recorded:

“And He shall judge between the nations, and decide for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”
(Isaiah 2:4)

This is not naïve. It is aspirational. It is what we are called to work toward.
Jerusalem is not just a city of walls—it is a city of hope.

We are not meant to glorify weapons. We are meant to transform them—into tools of growth, healing, and abundance.

10. A Prayer for Strength and Vision

Ribbono Shel Olam,
We have stumbled in fear,
We have cried in exile,
We have buried the dreams of generations.
But we have not lost hope.
Give us the strength of Joshua and the faith of Caleb.
Let us rebuild—not just walls, but hearts.
Let us sanctify—not just rituals, but relationships.
Let us never forget that to walk in Your land is to walk with Your light.
May we be worthy of Jerusalem.
May we be bridges of courage,
And builders of redemption.

11. The Legacy We Choose

Let us not be the generation of the spies.
Let us be the generation of return, of clarity, of moral courage.

We are the children of those who walked through fire.
We are the builders of tomorrow.

Even if we don’t see the full redemption, we must walk toward it.

The land is still very, very good.
And the dream is still very, very alive.

From the Spies to October 7th, and beyond

Faith, Trauma, and the Legacy We Choose

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