Having a rough day?
In discussing relationships recently with a friend he made the following observation. “When I am in a good place spiritually my relationship with my wife is great. When we hit a bump in the road it is almost always because I am out of alignment with my spiritual values.”
The Tzemach Tzedek (3rd Chabad Rebbe) as a child, was once playing with his friends. A ladder posted against a tree seemed like a fair challenge for the boys, so each one attempted to climb this ladder, giving up after a few rungs. The Tzemach Tzedek began the climb and rung by rung made his way to the top. When asked later how he was able to make the climb so easily while the others kept falling, he answered; “they all looked at how many rungs they already had climbed, I kept looking upwards how many rungs I had left. When one is connected above you don’t fall down.”
In this weeks Torah portion we find 12 leaders of Israel head off to spy on the Land of Israel with 10 of them returning with a negative report and speaking ill of G-d’s might. Yehoshua (Joshua) stands up against the tide of the pack and attempts to convince the Jewish people that the land is good and that they will be victorious in their quest to enter Israel.
Why is Joshua (and Caleb) able to withstand the challenges a round them? How are they able to get through a rough day (or 40 days to be exact)?
The Torah says that Joshua’s name prior to going into Israel was Hoshea. Moses add a letter of G-ds name “Yud” to his name to make it YeHoshua – meaning G-d will save you. It was this blessing that helped him endure.
Throughout the time they were in Israel Joshua was able to think back to his teacher Moses and stay strong in his quest, he remained spiritually aligned throughout the journey.
Next Shabbos is the 3rd of Tammuz. It is the anniversary of the passing of the Rebbe, the Moses of our time. Although physically 21 years will have passed since we were in the presence of Moses, spiritually we remain connected.
The Rebbe’s vision and guidance for our generation remain a beacon of light on a rough day. The Rebbe’s message should encourage us as Moses message did for Joshua. Lets see the world as the garden it is not the jungle it seems to be at times. Let’s remember the power that each of us has to change the world. And love your neighbor as yourself, sharing and empowering them to be as great as they can be and to equally make a transformational impact on the world around them.
If the message is not getting through it may be time for a spiritual adjustment.
With blessing,
Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman
