[Avodah] sign of strength

[Saul.Z.Newman at kp.org]

it is clear why the editor had to put a priviso, before listing this dvar 
tora from r frand----







Sign of Strength and Sign of Weakness 
Editior's preface: The following is presented with the caveat that the 
exact context of Rav Elya Meir Bloch's statement is not known, nor can one 
necessarily infer that what was said then is necesarily applicable in our 
times. 
I saw an interesting observation from Rav Elya Meir Bloch on the pasuk 
"And you will see - how is it? And the people that dwell therein - are 
they strong or weak?" [Bamidbar 13:18] 
Rashi says that the way the spies were supposed to determine whether the 
inhabitants of the land were strong or weak was by the type of cities they 
inhabited. Dwelling in un-walled cities indicated that they were strong, 
since they relied on their strength, while living in fortified cities was 
a sign of weakness. 
Our gut reaction would be just the opposite. Our first thought would be 
that if they live in fortified cities, they would be hard to conquer. 
Fortresses, we think, are signs of a mighty nation. On the other hand, one 
would think that a nation that lives in a bunch of tents would be 
defenseless, and easy to conquer. It should be a pushover! 
No. Appearances are deceiving. If they need to fortify themselves from the 
outside, it is a sign that internally they are weak. On the other hand, if 
they have the confidence to live openly, this is a sign that internally 
they are strong. 
Rav Elya Meir (I am not sure in what context he made this remark, and it 
may seem to be a rather surprising observation to be coming from the Rosh 
Yeshiva of the Telshe Yeshiva!) said that there exists an old conflict as 
to whether it is better "to insulate" or "to isolate." In other words, 
should a person surround himself with walls to spiritually protect himself 
from the corrupting influences of the outside world, or should he live 
openly and have contact with one and all as a means of retaining spiritual 
vitality? 
Rav Elya Meir writes that people who insulate themselves by building 
strong fortresses are not necessarily demonstrating signs of strength. As 
Rashi points out, these fortresses may in fact be signs of weakness. 
People who are internally strong have no need for such walls. On the other 
hand, people who live openly and intermingle with the rest of society must 
have an internal strength that allows them to preserve their integrity 
without resorting to artificial barriers that separate themselves from the 
allure of surrounding influences. 






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