In this weeks parsha we read the story of the Meraglim, who were sent to survey the land of Israel before the Jewish people would enter and conquer it. Returning with a negative report, they sparked fear in the hearts of the nation, and the entire generation was punished for this needless fear. Hashem says: "All who anger me shall not see [the land]" (Bamidbar 14:33). According to the Midrash, this means that everyone, even the young children, would die before entering the land.
From this we can ask a seemingly obvious question: why did everyone need to be punished? The infants did not take part in the sin; what did they do wrong that they should not be allowed to go into Eretz Yisrael?
To answer this we need to understand the sin of the spies. When we look at the report of the spies, we see that all of their "facts" about the land were delivered in a negative light. For example, they brought back the tremendous fruit and deduced that this was an abnormal place. They saw that people were attending funerals and assumed that this is a land that consumes its inhabitants. In truth, the large fruit was a demonstration of the incredible produce of the land, and the fact that men were dying was a miracle from Hashem to distract the residents from the presence of the spies. However, the spies had a "bad eye" an "ayin rah" which did not allow them to see the amazing good that Hashem was bestowing upon them. It was this trait of negativity that they ingrained in the Jewish nation when they delivered their report.
Perhaps we can say that it was for this reason that the entire nation that experienced the sin of the spies could not enter the land. For even if they did not actively participate in speaking lashon harah about Eretz Yisrael, they were all influenced to see the land in a bad light. Now they would never be able to fully appreciate the goodness of Israel. Only a nation which wasn't tainted by pessimism would be able to enter and enjoy the benefits of the land.
So too, only one who has a positive eye can recognize what Hashem is giving him, and one who cannot see the good does not deserve to receive it. Such a bad trait can permeate and spoil the attitude among the nation. What we see from here as well is the trait pessimism is so bad that it affects our perspectives subtly, even when we are not consciously aware.
Eretz Yisrael is an amazing place, a gift from Hashem, but one who has a bad eye will not see this. There can be many challenges to living in Israel, back then in the time of the spies, and today as well. It is easy for a negative person to get distracted by these challenges and completely miss the point of what it means to live in Israel. But one who has a positive eye and a real appreciation for what is most important in life will recognize the spiritual opportunities afforded to one who lives there.
May we all find the strength to view all of life's challenges in light of the blessings in our lives, so that then the challenges will not seem so large, and we will merit even more blessing from Hashem.
Shabbat Shalom
Naftali Kassorla
