Historical Tragedies
Inspire Our Outlook

RABBI STEVEN WEIL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

enerations ago, when Ezra
the prophet established a
fixed schedule for the week-
ly Torah portions, he delib-
erately arranged it that parashat
Davarim would always be read on
the Sabbath immediately preced-
ing Tisha B'Av — the fast of the
ninth of Av.
Many suggestions are offered
to explain why this parasha in
particular contains a message that
is especially appropriate during
this time when we collectively
mourn significant tragedies that
befell our people. One such ex-
planation is based on the fact that
in Davarim Moses engages in di-
dactic history and reminds the
Jewish people, who are about to
enter the land of Israel, of the sin
of the spies.
Unlike the account in parashat
Shelach, where the story is told in
a historical fashion, Moses em-
phasis here in recalling the infa-
mous event is to help this next
generation understand the mis-
takes of their fathers and to help
them formulate the proper atti-
tude toward the land they were
about to inhabit and inherit. The
Talmud states in Taanis 29a "The
day of the spies return was the
day before Tisha B'Av. The Holy
One Blessed be He said to them
`You wept a weeping without
cause; therefore, I shall establish
for you a weeping for generations
on this day."
The Talmud also indicates to
us that the destruction of the
Temple occurred on the same date
of the weeping of the nation over
the spies' evil report. But why is
it necessary for us to know that
these events occurred on the same
day? Obviously, the generation of
the Temple's destruction was not
being punished for the sin of the
spies. Rather, the Talmud seems
to be indicating to us that a deep-
er connection exists — that the na-
tional flaw of the generation of the
spies is similar in essence to the
nation flaw of the generation of
the Temple's destruction.
God chose to give the Jewish
people a homeland as a means to
achieve national perfection. the
land was there to facilitate the
Jews' involvement in God's ser-
vice and to allow them to be a light
unto the nations of the world by
setting intellects al, ethical and
moral standards.
God chose to give the land of Is-
rael to the Jewish people as a
homeland because its physical
qualities allowed these ideals to
be the focus of the nation. The fact
that Israel only gets rain during
the rainy season insured that the

G

Sit down with us
and seer

TEMPLE

WEST BLOOMFIELD

5085 WALNUT LAKE ROAD

FOR INFORMATION AND MEMBERSHIP CALL (810) 661-0040.

.Z ONE GIANT LEAP
FOR JEWISH EDUCATION!

Beth Achim Touches Down in
Southfield and
West Bloomfield/Walled Lake

The Beth Achim Religious School
K Post Bar/Bat Mitzvah

Free Kindergarten

Leivize44, t eA, Q44(414.4 7

Contact Barry V Levine, Religious School Executive Director
(810) 352-8223 or (810) 352-8670.

40v
(centrally located)
21100 West Twelve Mile Rd., Southfield

mazoa

445-6080

ARNOLD

CLASSIFIED
GET RESULTS!

Gratiot Ave. at 12 Mile Road, Roseville, Michigan

Call The Jewish News

Automotive Group Ltd.

Just 25 minutes from the Birruingham/Bloomfield area
off of 1 - 696"

445-6000

354.5959

people would recognize God's role
in caring for their earthly needs.
The agricultural potential of the
land, the various natural re-
sources found there and the wa-
terways on its borders all allowed
for economic independence and
the peace of mind to be involved
in more intellectual and spiritual
pursuits.
Israel was also the geographic
center of the civilized world and,
therefore, put the Jewish people
in an ideal location to impact upon
and inspire the nations of the
world. Historically and emotion-
ally, the Jewish people had a con-
nection to Israel as it was the land
of their forefathers. From every
angle, Israel was the ideal loca-
tion for a Jewish homeland whose
purpose was to spiritually elevate
the people and facilitate their role
as an "Or Lagoyim" a light unto
the nations.

Shabbat Devarim:
Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22
Isaiah 1:1 -27.

Unfortunately, the generation
of the spies did not view Israel in
this light. The perceived the land
as an end in itself. When they re-
quested to send the spies, Moses
sent the "latur." to scout the land —
simply to go and report back with
a description of the agricultural
bounty, pleasant climate, eclectic
terrain and the ideal location of the
land which would suit the Jewish
people's needs. Instead, 10 out of
the 12 leaders chosen for this mis-
sion went "leragel" to spy. They had
a military objective. They ques-
tioned if God could actually defeat
the Canaanities who lived there —
the same God who defeated the
Egyptians, the greatest empire in
the history of Mesopotamia (the civ-
ilized world at that time).
The spies, and the people who
gave credence to their report, had
no interest in knowing whether or
not the land would satisfy their in-
tellectual and spiritual needs.
Rather, they viewed the land na-
tionalistically, as a tool for their
own self-aggrandizement.
Sadly, we find this same mis-
taken outlook in the generation of
the Temple's destruction. The Tem-
ple was truly an awe inspiring
place to be. One would be "Oleh
Regel" — ascending to visit there.
This meant that people physical-
ly had to ascend the Temple
Mount, but visiting the Temple was
an intellectual and spiritual as-
cension as well. The Sanhedrin —

