The reading of parshas Devarim (the opening of the book of Deuteronomy) always coincides with Tisha B’Av, and in this portion Moshe (Moses) recounts to the Children of Israel their history wandering through the dessert, including the incident with the meraglim. Interestingly enough, when Moshe reminds them of the spies, he doesn’t focus on the negative part of the report. Rather, he only tells them of the two spies who had good things to say, “Good is the land that Hashem, our God, gives us!” But how did the Children of Israel respond? “Because of Hashem’s hatred for us did He takes us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us to the hand of the Amorite to destroy us!” Moshe is astonished! He cannot imagine how a people that was just SAVED by God could already be doubting His intentions. So he reminds the Children of Israel that Hashem has had their back all along and will continue to have their back. “Hashem your God, Who goes before you, He shall do battle for you, like everything He did for you in Egypt, before you eyes, and in the wilderness, as you have seen that Hashem, your God carried you, as a man carries his son, on the entry way that you traveled, until you arrived at this place.” But even Moshe’s reminder wasn’t enough. They saw the worst, they doubted, they wept, and the destruction came again and again and again. And now, as we approach another Tisha B’Av let us ask ourselves: When others interact with us in both positive and negative ways, do appreciate the times that they helped us or linger on the ways that they hurt us? How about the people who have been decent to us all along: if they suddenly don’t return our call, if we see them whispering, if they walk past us and don’t say “hello.” Do we assume that they’ve ignored us, gossiped about us, slighted us? Or do we give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that there must be *some* logical explanation for why they acted the way they did, even if we don’t know that reason right now?
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 20:04:40 +0000
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