In the Parsha, we read about the unfortunate episode of the מרגלים. After being sent to spy the land, they returned with a scalding review of ארץ ישראל, a review that almost all כלל ישראל believed.
Highlighting the reaction to the report of the מרגלים, the פסוק says:
ויבכו העם בלילה ההוא
Klal Yisrael cried that night, a night that would live in infamy for all generations. Hashem’s punishment was swift and severe. Even after משה רבינו Davened, and was told סלחתי כדבריך, nonetheless the גזירה on כלל ישראל was a done deal: All those who complained, from age 20 and up,would not merit entering the ארץ ישראל, and would instead wander, and eventually die, in the מדבר.
There was another unfortunate episode that took place only a year earlier, the חטא העגל. The terrible act of serving עבודה זרה only weeks after מתן תורה, incurred Hashem’s anger. There too, He wanted to punish כלל ישראל. Yet, at that time, the תפילה of משה רבינו was helpful in Hashem changing his mind, and not meting the full punishment on כלל ישראל. Why then,was there not a similiar outcome achieved here by חטא המרגלים, in which the רבש”ע would agree to forgo His punishment?
In פרשת בראשית, after Hashem confronts אדם for eating from the עץ הדעת, he responds:
האשה אשר נתת עמדי הוא נתנה לי מן העץ ואוכל
He blamed Hashem for his sin, for Hashem had given him חוה as a wife. Rashi points out:
כאן כפר בטובה
Blaming Hashem was an act of ingratitude. He was granted חוה as a gift of עזר כנגדו, and repayed Hashem by complaining about her. The result of that ingratitude was a curse on all mankind of:
בזיעת אפיך תאכל לחם
Similarly, when רבקה אמנו was pregnant with יעקב and עשו, she complained
למה זה אנוכי
Chazal note, the גימטריה of זה, is 12, hinting that it was רבקה who was meant to bear the 12 שבטים. It was only after she complained about her difficult pregnancy that the זכות of giving birth to the שבטים was transferred from her to the next generation of אמהות.
Complaining shows a lack of appreciation to all the good we are blessed with. And that lack of appreciation pains Hashem, resulting in a loss of his ברכות. And even when things appear to be challenging, we can strengthen ourselves with the knowledge that Hashem’s kindness is eternal, and place our trust in him. By strengthening our אמונה in Hashem, not by complaining, we can navigate the difficulties that life throws in our way.
We can now understand why the punishment for the חטא המרגלים was so severe. Hashem wanted to give כלל ישראל the great gift of the land of ארץ ישראל. But instead, when hearing the negative report of the מרגלים, כלל ישראל complained and cried about the land. That ingratitude resulted in the severe punishment of 40 years in the מדבר. As the פסוק says, concerning the punishment of the חטא המרגלים
את תלונות בני ישראל אשר המה מלינים עלי שמעתי… אם לא כאשר דיברתם באזני כן אעשה
Says הקב”ה, ” I have heard the complaints of כלל ישראל, and since they wished to not enter the land, they indeed will not be entering.
We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. Eli Sharabi, a resident of Kibutz Biari was abducted from his home on October 7, and taken into Hamas captivity. He was held with 3 other captives in the dungeons of Gaza for the next 491 days. In his recently published memoir, Mr. Sharabi details what kept him going during this terrible period. ” As soon as I was kidnapped, I strengthened myself by saying שמע ישראל, and continued to say it every single day. On Friday night, we would recite קידוש quietly, on a cup of water. I utilized the great power of אמונה to to keep me going. And he concludes: And I will always try to find the light in the darkness.”
Indeed, complaining is never the answer.
Based on Shiur by Rabbi Jonathan Rietti
Weekly Parsha Shiur 