Torah Portion

Our Self-Perception
Determines Our Survival

would not be thwarted by any fate how-
ever adverse or any hardship however
grievous.
The Jew lived in the midst of great
empires — Greece, Rome, medieval
Europe, Czarist Russia — but he never
saw himself as small, ineffective or disad-
vantaged. From the earliest youth, he
sychologists have advised us
was taught that he was a descendant of a
that how we view ourselves,
people responsible for teaching truth,
compassion and moral purity to the
our self-imaae
b , is the most
important fact of our emo-
world.
I believe that the greatest problem we
tional being.
face as Jews in the modern world is the
A vivid passage in Numbers dramati-
quality of the image that
cally states the consequence of the
every Jew caries of himself;
abased self-image of the
for that is the test of the
Hebrew people in this week's
authenticity and strength of
sedra (Torah portion). The
our Jewish existence.
children of Israel had sent a
In the Torah, we are called
reconnaissance team of 12
mamlechet kohaning, a king-
men to spy in the land of
dom of priests, and a go),
Canaan. When they set forth
kadosh, a sacred people.
on their mission and saw the
Today, we are called an "eth-
great stature of the native
nic group," which is an
Canaanites, the Israelites were
entirely different term. An
dismayed. Filled with dread, .
RABBI
IRWIN
ethnic group is a sociological
they said, "We were, in our
GRONER
label that conveys no emo-
own sight, the size of
Special to the
tional overtones, no commit-
grasshoppers; and so we were
Jewish News
ment; it denotes no mission.
in their sight. We shall never
Many of us have lost this
be able to overcome these
sense that we are bearers of a
giants and inherit this land."
vital spiritual message that speaks to the
In the N4idrash, a rabbinic commen-
world. Every Jew needs to ask, "Who
tary, the Almighty responds, "How do
you know what you looked like to those
am I?" Before any other question in life
can be answered, this one must be con-
`giants?' Maybe you seemed to them as
sidered. What is the nature of my Jewish
angels bearing b divine blessings,
elevated
b ,
by divinepower?" The commentary is a
identity? Why should I wish it on my
children or grandchildren? What is the
rebuke upon the spies and their report;
meaning of my Jewish distinctiveness?
for they projected their own fears on
The answer that issues from the
their perceptions; the facts were distort-
entire Jewish tradition is that we are a
ed by their anxieties.
small people, but we are God's witness-
Indeed, 40 years later, the people of
Israel went back to that same border and
es. We are a small people, but we have
preserved mankind's most exalted vision.
conquered the land under Joshua. The
Hebrew people had not grown any taller
There are giants in the world today as
there were in the days of Moses, but we
in 40 years, nor had the giants become
are not pygmies. We are as great and
smaller; but during the course of the
glorious as our faith, spirit and commit-
decades, the people had achieved greater
measure of faith in God and faith in
ment. El
themselves.
This text offers a profound insight
into the mystery of Jewish survival. The
secret of the endurance of the Jewish
people is not found in geography, eco-
nomics or sociology. The key is how the
What are some examples of
Jew perceived himself in relationship to
small" people doing "great
God and to the world. Other people
things? In what ways can we
were larger; other nations, mightier. But
make our Jewish lives better for
the Jew had an image of himself that
ourselves and future genera-
bestowed upon him a moral stature. He
tions? Think of some examples
believed in his own unique and
from your own experience that
unchanging b mission, a mission that
show how a positive outlook
creates a positive result.

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Detroit Jewish News

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