By nature I’m not a risk taker but change is inevitable and knowing how to embrace transition is crucial to self growth and success.
In this week’s parsha we learn of the debacle of the spies. On the threshold of inheriting the Promised Land, the Israelites demanded Moshe send spies to scout out the land. The best and brightest were chosen for the delicate mission, but upon their return most of them claimed that was impossible.
They did not lie, per se, but framed their report in a way that frightened their brethren who wailed all night bemoaning their misfortune, infuriating G-d with devastating consequences: The Israelites spent forty years in the barren desert until the entire generation died and their children inherited the land instead.
Why would our nation's finest twist the truth to discourage the Jews from marching into the Land of Israel? What could they possibly gain from such a conspiracy?
In the desert the Jews were in a spiritual utopia, experiencing daily miracles and studying Torah full time. Settling the land would mean a drastic transition to normalcy and these leaders feared that the inevitable preoccupation with farming and civic life would distract the people from their relationship with G-d.
Ironically, the spies were not conspiring against the people and only had their best interests in mind, but they misunderstood what Judaism is all about. While the insulated ghetto experience that allows one to focus on spiritual growth without distraction may be a style of Jewish living, it's not the ultimate goal. Judaism is meant to flourish within the physical and mundane, and struggling with temptation and distraction is part of nurturing our relationship with G-d. By forgetting the core purpose of Judaism, the spies resisted this crucial transition and brought disaster upon themselves and their people.
Tuesday will mark 80 years since the Rebbe and his wife Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka arrived in America. This date is significant, not only because of their miraculous escape from Nazi occupied Europe, but becasue it marks the beginning of a new era in Jewish life.
The Jewish pre-war migration to America came with a significant loss of Jewish observance, relegating tradition to the “Old World'' of European Jewry. When the previous Rebbe arrived in America in 1940, he established an “Old-World” style Yeshiva to prove that “old traditions” can flourish in America as well, but when the Rebbe arrived a year later, his mission was different: To harness the innovations, progress and culture of the “New World” to promote the timeless truths of Judaism and morality.
This defines the Rebbe’s leadership and impact on the world at large: Guiding us in mastering the drastic transitions we constantly face in our modern era - while remaining true to the core mission of Judaism - to properly prepare the world for the era of Moshiach when peace and tranquility will reign for all humanity.