June 28, 2024 / 22 Sivan, 5784 • Parshat Shelach
Issue 827
Dedicated in loving memory of Mrs. Miriam Friedman

Responding to the negative reports of the spies, Joshua and Caleb insisted that since G-d had promised the Land of Israel to the Jewish people, there was no reason to fear that the people who were presently occupying it could not be overcome.

Just do not rebel against G-d, and you will not fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection has departed from them. G-d is with us; do not fear them. 

Numbers 14:9


A lot of hard work is required to make a loaf of bread, from tilling the land and planting it all the way through grinding the flour and baking it. Yet, when the labor is complete, the end product is a form of food that is both a pleasure to eat and sustains us for longer than any other type of food. This is why we recite a special blessing before eating bread.

This is why Joshua and Caleb referred to the inhabitants of the land as the people’s “bread.” “There is no doubt that conquering the land will be difficult,” they declared, “but eventually you will thank G-d even for the difficulties, for through the effort you expended in overcoming them, you were able to acquire your ideal home and settle it.”

Similarly, all the difficulties we encounter lead us to a more fulfilling life. And in the grand scheme of history, we will soon thank G-d for all the hardships we had to overcome in making the world into His ultimate home.

--Daily Wisdom Volume 3