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Parashat Shelach: Be Your Own Man
A Bar Mitzvah Talk prepared
by Daniel Simkin with the assistance of his
rabbi, Rabbi Joel M. Finkelstein
When the Europeans settled this country, some of these early American
settlers thought that tomatoes were poisonous because they were not
grown or eaten in Europe. In 1820 Robert Johnson, who knew that tomatoes
were not poisonous, ate one raw tomato on the courthouse steps in Salem,
New Jersey, much to the wonderment of the crowd. He stood up and showed
that tomatoes are not poisonous. He knew he was right and wasn't afraid
to go against the common beliefs to prove that which he knew to be true.
It took a lot of courage to stand up against so many who thought he was
dangerously wrong. By the 1840's people throughout the world began to
enjoy tomatoes and tomato sauce which today we totally
take for
granted.
In this week's Torah portion or parasha known as "Shlach" Moses
sent
spies to see the land of Israel. He was worried that if something went
wrong and the spies didn't like what they found in Israel then the
entire enterprise of taking the people out of Egypt would be a big
failure. He decided not to take any chances, so he changed Joshua's name
from Ho-shay-ah to Ye-ho-shu-a. Rashi, the main commentary on the Torah,
says that Moshe added the letter yud to his name, which would mean,
"May G-d, known as kah, save you from the
plotting and scheming of the spies." Moshe tried to give
Yehoshuah
strength so that he would not give in to peer pressure.
It's hard to go up against the crowd because you may seem to be the only
person who has an independent belief. It's easier to not say much and
just blend in with the group. Moshe understood that a person needs
the
help of G-d to overcome the mob mentality. Moshe believed that without
special help from G-d, there was no way for Joshua to stand up for
himself. Moshe acknowledged that it is very hard to be your own man.
When the 12 spies got back from their mission, only Joshua and Caleb
still believed it was possible to conquer Israel. The spies filled the
hearts of the Israelites with fear about the giants of Canaan.
Everyone
was yelling and complaining. Soon the crowd would be ready to stone the
leaders of Israel. Caleb, not Joshua, was the first to stand up to the
crowd and tell them not to worry, that Hashem would assure their
victory. If Calev was so loyal to Moshe, how come Moshe didn't give him
a blessing before he went? Why did Moshe only think of giving a blessing
to Joshua?
Caleb was like the founder of his tribe, Judah. Judah seemed to be
one
of the murderous brothers who wanted to kill Joseph. So when Judah
proposed to save Joseph, all the brothers listened to him. He was one of
the crowd. Calev, too, seemed like one of the crowd. He didn't seem to
have any special devotion to G-d. Moshe didn't think of giving him a
special blessing. It turns out though, that he was very devoted. Since
he seemed like one of the crowd, he was able to stand up to them and
quiet them down. Rashi even says that he got the crowd's attention by
calling Moshe by his nickname. He said, "Is this all that that son of
Amram did for us?" By calling Moses by his nickname, "son of
Amram," he
got the crowd's attention. The wicked people thought he was going to
list Moshe ben Amram's faults. Instead, he said, "Moshe took us out
of
Egypt, he split the sea, gave us the mann from Heaven. We can surely
prevail against the enemy."
Joshua was a man of G-d. He stood by Moshe at Mt. Sinai for the 40 days
that Moshe was away in heaven. He could not get the ear of his comrades.
Only Calev, who seemed to be one of the crowd could gain their respect.
Calev not only knew how to stand up against the crowd but also to gain
their respect. How did he find the courage to stand up against so many?
Rashi says that the text indicates that he went to Chevrone, the burial
place of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the matriarchs. He prayed to G-d at
their graves that he be saved from the temptations of the spies. It was
the forefathers and the matriarchs who gave Calev the fortitude to stand
up against the crowd. He was inspired by the lessons they taught and the
stories of their lives.
The Talmud (Megilah 13a) says that Calev was such a rebel that his
nickname was meh'-red, rebel. He married Batya, the rebellious daughter
of Pharaoh who had the audacity to defy her father the king by saving
Moses and even adopting him as a son. The Talmud says that it was most
appropriate that Calev, who rebelled against the evil spies married
Batya who rebelled against her evil father.
Calev as well as his wife,
Batya, were the prototypes of those who stood up against the tide of
society.
Our portion this week ends on the mitzvah of tzitzit. The Torah tells
the Jew to wear special fringes on his garments. We cannot be afraid to
stick out. We must remember who we are and what we are expected to do.
By wearing distinctive clothing such as a talis, tefilin, and
yahrmulka's, we remind ourselves of the need to be different and the
need to work hard to do the right thing, no matter what anyone else
says.
Our portion contains important lessons about how to be your own man
and
have your own opinions. What does it take to stand up to a crowd? A)
Like Calev, we need to understand the crowd, in order to gain the
respect of the crowd, to understand what makes them tick. B) Like
Joshua, we need the help of G-d because it is very hard to buck the
trends. C) We need the example which our parents and our mentors instill
in us in order to stand up against what is wrong. Like Caleb, we turn to
those who came before us for guidance and strength.
Application
As a teenager there are many pressures to do or think things in certain
ways. There are people in classrooms that verbally hurt other people
everyday who are insensitive to their feelings. This past semester, my
health class has been making discussions about family and personal
decisions. We talked about setting personal life long as well as short
term goals. By setting these goals we become less prone to follow a
destructive path. In today's society we need to understand the ills of
society and see what is right or wrong with the trends in society. We
cannot be naïve or uninformed about the different temptations which
present themselves to young people. We need to pray to G-d to help us
overcome these pressures. Through a strong grounding in our religion and
its moral teachings, we become stronger in standing up against the
pressures that we face. By observing our parents and the way they raise
us we are better able to make our own decisions about life's choices.
As a bar mitzvah, I thank my parents for helping me become the person I
am today. I commit myself to always turn to my religion for
guidance,
and I pray to G-d that He help me to make the right decisions throughout
my life. |
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