Just Believe (Parashat Shelach)

I am a big fan of Disney's "Prince of Egypt."  Though growing up my brother loved and was able to quote "The Ten Commandments", I personally never really cared for it.  "Prince of Egypt", on the other hand - I enjoyed greatly!

I recall a very powerful scene in the movie:  B'nei Yisrael had reached the Yam Suf with nowhere else to go, the Egyptians are closing in on them from behind and everyone is overcome with fear.  The character of Miriam begins to sing a song about the ability to achieve miracles.  The final line of the song before she actually switches to the Hebrew words of "Az Yashir" are (this part is particularly powerful) "You will when you believe..."

In this weeks parasha, Moshe sends a representative from each tribe to inspect the land and return with feedback for the rest of the nation.  They do so and, upon their return, they acknowledge that the land contains everything Moshe had promised - yet they insist that its inhabitants are too strong for them.  Instantly, Klal Yisrael begins shouting out in unison their standard complaint "Would that we had died in the land of Egypt, or would that we had died in this wilderness!  Why is Hashem bringing us to this land to fall by the sword?  Our wives and young children will be taken captive!  Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?".

Hashem becomes infuriated and asks Moshe "To what point will this people anger Me, and how long will they not have faith in Me, despite all the signs that I have performed in its Midst?".  Rashi explains the statement "despite all the signs" to mean "because of all the miracles that I did for them, they should have believed that in My hand is the wherewithal to fulfill my promise."

Often, students insist to me that "If Hashem showed me a miracle today, I'd become religious!"  I insist in return that they would not.  Perhaps the miracle would provide them with temporary inspiration, but ultimately that inspiration would run out and, like B'nei Yisrael in the desert, they would stop believing until another miracle was performed.

How is it possible that Klal Yisrael kept doubting Hashem despite the many miracles He performed for them?  The answer is that their belief in His ability to sustain them was based on the miracles He was performing.  They saw miracles, and so they believed.  Miriam's character sings in the movie : when you believe, you can achieve miracles.

If one is to truly build a partnership with HaKadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, Blessed is He), they cannot seek out miracles and then believe in Him based on that.  Rather, they must believe in Him first - and once they do so, they will see miracles in every aspect of their life.

May we all be zoche to strengthen our Emunah - our belief - in Hashem and to believe in Him not because of the miracles we have seen, but to see the miracles because we believe in Him.  In doing so, may we see the coming of Mashiach speedily in our days.

Shabbat Shalom!