<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">I am indebted to Yitz Weiss for his wealth of Torah he continually disseminates in <div>his Toras Aish. In addition, he is a mensch, par excellence!</div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-size: 19px;"><br></span></div><div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">I came across a remarkable explanation by the Sfas Emes regarding how the</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">10 spies -- prominent, eminent and learned men -- could lose their faith in God</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">by bringing back an evil report, causing the congregation to lose all morale and</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">and to grumble against Moses.</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><span style="font-size: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">The Sfas Emes writes: </span><font face="Geneva">'T</font><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">heir sin was not a loss of faith in God; their sin was a </span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">lack of faith in THEMSELVES.'</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">"THERE we saw the Nephilim, the sons of the giants from among the Nephilim;</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">we were like grasshoppers IN OUR OWN eyes, and so we were in their eyes." (B'midbar 13:33).</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;"><br></font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">And so the above led me to an outstanding insight that I gained after reading a</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">commentary written by Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">His commentary (though different from mine) gave me the idea from which I drew my own</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">chiddush. The maftir for shelach, of course, deals with <i>tzitzis</i>, one of the foremost mitzvoth </font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">in the Torah. And yet, one is only halachically required to wear<i> tzitzis</i> if one wears a four </font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><span style="font-size: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">co</span><font face="Georgia">rn</font><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">ered-garment, which means one can technically avoid wearing <i>tzitzis</i> by never wearing</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><span style="font-size: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">a four-co</span><font face="Georgia">rn</font><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">ered garment. So the Spies in our Sidra metaphorically avoided wearing that</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><span style="font-size: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">four-</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">co</span><font face="Georgia">rn</font><font face="Helvetica">ered garment. Interestingly, we have the arba kanfos, the <i>tzitzis</i> worn under the shirt</font></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">and then the tallis which contains the same <i>tzitzis</i>, but is wrapped around us. I see the outer tallis</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">as the side of religion we show to the world (and which also covers and hides our innermost</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">personality). That's the external tallis which comes in all kinds of fancy designs and colors. But </font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><span style="font-size: 19px;"><font face="Helvetica">the arba kanfos, the inner tallis, is our personal and private side of religion. This <i>inner tallis </i></font><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">is</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><span style="font-size: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; ">what the 10 Spies lacked. Joshua and Caleb possessed the </span><font face="Helvetica"><i>inner tallis</i></font><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "> (faith in themselves,</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 19px;">and of course, faith in the Almighty), but unfortunately, the 10 Spies somehow lost their <i>tzitzis</i></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">somewhere along the way.</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;"><br></font></div><div style="margin: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 19px;">May we be blessed so that the outer tallis never hides the arba kanfos underneath!</font></div></div><div>Amen.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div apple-content-edited="true">
</div>
<br></div></body></html>