The Power of Desire

The Power of Desire

It was one of the most tragic moments in Jewish history. After generations of exile and slavery, after the miracles of the Exodus and the revelation at Sinai, the Jews were about to reach their ultimate destination: they were at the cusp of entering the land of Israel. Tragically, at that pivotal moment, it all fell apart. The spies, sent to scout out the land, reported about the might of the native inhabitants. The Jewish people lost faith in their ability to conquer the land of Israel. As the Torah relates:

The entire community raised their voices and shouted, and the people wept on that night. All the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the entire congregation said, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this desert. Why does the Lord bring us to this land to fall by the sword; our wives and children will be as spoils. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?" They said to each other, "Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt!"[1]

The obvious lesson of this story of colossal loss of faith is the importance of believing in G-d, and not losing hope at the critical moments of life’s journey.

Yet, if we examine some of the details of the story, we will notice that, this is a story about more than faith alone.

Let us begin with the end of the story. G-d told Moses that in punishment for the sin of the spies the people would be barred from the land. Only their children would merit to enter Israel:

As for your infants... I will bring them there, and they will come to know the Land which You despised.[2]

Here we see that G-d classified the sin as despising the land.

Let’s examine another verse. When ten of the spies shared the negative report, Caleb and Joshua, the two spies who remained loyal to G-d and to Israel, responded:

They spoke to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "The land we passed through to scout is an exceedingly good land.”[3]

Why did Joshua and Caleb keep talking about how good the land was? How was that relevant to the question of whether or not the Jews were capable of conquering the land? Why did G-d say that the Jews “despised” the land, if all they did was lose faith in G-d?

What G-d was saying, and what Joshua and Caleb understood, was that faith follows desire. The reason the people lost faith in their own ability, and the reason they lost faith in G-d’s ability to help them conquer the land, was because they had no deep desire for the land.[4] Desire is the deepest of the soul’s powers and is the key that unlocks all other aspects of the soul.[5] If one truly and deeply wants to achieve something, that desire will unlock the wisdom, the emotions, and yes, the belief in the possibility of achieving the desired goal.     

That is why, when Moses sent the spies to scout out the land, he did more than just ask them to investigate the military might of the Canaanites. Moses instructed the spies to investigate the produce of the land, hoping the Jews would fall in the love with the land, its beauty and bounty.

Moses sent the spies because he understood that it is important for the people to desire the land. It is not enough for the people to head toward Israel because G-d promised it to their ancestors, and because G-d assured them that it is a land that flows with milk and honey. Moses understood that the people needed to desire Israel. It is not enough to march ahead fulfilling G-d’s orders, but rather the time had come for the people to identify and internalize and desire the Divine plan.[6]

G-d, Moses, and Joshua and Caleb, each in their own way, expressed this important truth: don’t wait for faith and belief. If you have a deep desire to achieve what you know is your inner purpose, if you want to succeed in reaching your potential, then belief and the confidence in your ability to so, will follow.

^[1] Numbers 13:1-4.

^[2] Ibid. 13:31.

^[3] ibid. 13:7.

^[4] See Atarah Limelech.

^[5] See Hayom Yom. 2 Elul.

^[6] See Lekutey Sichos Shlach Vol. 23 Sicha 1.