Believe and you will conquer.

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The Bible is not a history book. That is why, many things in the Bible are presented not necessarily in the proper chronological order. In Hebrew, the word for Bible – Torah, comes from the etymological root which means – teachings and lessons.

The stories and instructions in the Bible, even the order in which things are presented, are a teaching and a guide, for all times and for all places, directly from an eternal G-d.

Now, although the stories, as they are written, happened in the literal sense, exactly as it is written in the book, there is always a lesson from every story, for each individual person.

That is why for example, the Ten Commandments are written in the singular tense. That is why, when G-d created the world, He made one person. The entire world is here, for the accomplishments of each person. The law is dependent on each individual person, to be observed.

In this context, what are the lessons we can derive from the story of the spies.

Moses sends, 12 spies to check out the land of Israel, to see where the weak spots are, and what the best way to conquer the land is. The spies return, and ten out of the 12, report, “the land devours its’ people. There are giants over there. We felt in our own eyes like grasshoppers before those people…”

Although two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb tried to persuade the Jewish people that if G-d desires us to enter, we will certainly overcome whatever stands in our way. The Israelites where not convinced and harbored doubt.

They where afraid and complained to G-d, “if only we died here in the wilderness,” we would be better off.

G-d responds by giving the spies exactly what they wanted. They died, together with that entire generation in the wilderness.

Israel represents that small portion of land, where holiness and the awareness of G-d is apparent. The land is a “very very good land”. A land where the connection to G-d is direct. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai teaches, “G-d measured all the lands in the world, and did not find any land more appropriate and suitable for the Jewish people, than the land of Israel.”

Israel in each one of our lives represents the space granted specifically to each one of us, customized and personalized to our own unique purpose in this world. It’s the place where you find yourself today, right now. You are wherever you find yourself, because that is exactly where G-d has given you the power and strength to conquer and turn into your own little special, spiritual Israel.

The spies felt that although there where so many miracles G-d already demonstrated in the past, they thought, that for this next phase, things where perhaps changing. They thought of themselves like small grasshoppers. One can not rely on the stories of the past for inspiration on the future. Perhaps, the Divine influence and the miracles, the so many unexpected positive turns of events in the past, would no longer happen.

Sometimes when we reflect on the present and upcoming challenges we are about to face, we say to ourselves, “it’s overwhelming.” Instead of just forging forward and using our head in complete trust and faith in the mission G-d has placed each one of us to fulfill, we use our head to consider, whether to go on or not. We conclude, we don't have the strength etc.

“In the direction a person wants to go, he is lead.” If you are afraid to take on the challenge, you will die in the wilderness. If you think you are small, you will certainly fail. If you however, discover the small voice that tells you, “Believe – have faith. The land is very very good,” against all odds, the two spies, of that entire generation, made it, into their land of Israel. They attained and conquered what they believed in.