04/06/2026
Please enjoy the following Dvar Torah for Parashat Shelach Lecha by Jen Airley.
Drawing on the story of the spies, this thoughtful piece explores how speaking positively about Eretz Yisrael can help transform fear into faith and become part of our generation's tikkun.
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Rectifying the Sin of the Spies
By Jen Airley
This week we read one of the most tragic episodes in the Torah: the story that transformed what should have been a triumphant entry into Eretz Yisrael within days into thirty-nine more years of wandering in the desert. A story whose consequences, Chazal teach us, we are still paying for today – the sin of the spies.
What made the story so devastating is that the report of the spies did not technically lie. The inhabitants were giants. The cities were fortified. The fruits were enormous. Everything they described was true.
Through their eyes.
Their failure was not fabrication; it was perspective. Instead of seeing Hashem’s promise, they saw obstacles. Instead of seeing opportunity, they saw danger. Instead of seeing the extraordinary gift of Eretz Yisrael, they focused on their fears.
We always have the choice to view the world with an ‘ayin tovah’ or an ‘ayin ra’ah’ – to see the cup half full or half empty. But here the stakes were infinitely greater. This was not merely pessimism about circumstances. This was a rejection of Eretz Yisrael hakedoshah itself – the precious gift that Hashem had promised and prepared for His Am Yisrael for eternity.
And they did not keep their negativity to themselves. They spread it. The Midrash Tanchuma describes how they traveled from tribe to tribe, speaking disparagingly about the Land, frightening the people, poisoning the atmosphere with despair and hopelessness. Their words infected an entire nation.
That tragic night of crying became, Chazal teach us, בכי לדורות, the seed of future destruction and exile.
But if destructive speech about Eretz Yisrael caused such devastation, then surely positive speech about Eretz Yisrael should have the power to repair and heal.
The great Gaon and visionary Rav Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal, author of Eim HaBanim Semeicha, written during the horrors of the Holocaust, explains that our generation must rectify the sin of the spies by rebuilding our love and appreciation for Eretz Yisrael. We must repay the old debt created by those negative words with words of praise, passion, and longing for the Land. And spread these feelings far and wide. Make them viral. Light that flame in others’ hearts.
And what a privilege it is that we can do so today.
We can speak about the breathtaking beauty and flourishing of the Land – the rolling vineyards, the Judean hills, the sparkling Mediterranean coastline, the desert blooming before our eyes. We can share stories of its delicious produce, the sweetness of its fruits that Chazal praised thousands of years ago and that continue to be enjoyed today. Our high-ranking GDP, impressive dairy industry, technology innovation, military capabilities, health industry advancements… the list continues.
We can speak about the holiness of its people – the soldiers defending Am Yisrael, the families building communities, the acts of kindness and unity that emerge especially in difficult times. We can share the miracles and Divine providence we witness daily in our ancient homeland reborn and flourishing against all odds. We can talk of the prophecies of Yishayahu, Yirmiyahu, Zachariah and all the others being fulfilled in front of our eyes.
We can speak with excitement, gratitude, and love. Perhaps that itself is part of the tikkun – to kindle such a flame of passion for Eretz Yisrael that it becomes contagious; that the longing and yearning for the Land become almost unbearable for those still outside it. And for those privileged to live here, to reignite our appreciation by focusing on the countless treasures and blessings that surround us each day.
So, I invite you to join this effort today. Write down your reflections and experiences about Eretz Yisrael, or create your own list of reasons you love the Land and encourage others to do the same. Print it up – so that this Friday night seudah will be inundated with our עין טובה ודיבת טובה – our positive perspectives and speech – about our desirable land. Share photos, stories, moments of inspiration. Spread positivity. Make it contagious. Make it viral.
Because maybe – just maybe – if we can reignite passion for Eretz Yisrael and rectify the sin of the spies through our words, then we can also help overturn the consequences of that sin. Maybe our generation will merit transforming destruction into rebuilding, exile into redemption, and mourning into joy.
May we soon see the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash and the coming of the Geulah Sheleima – כבר היום.
