Welcome to the short, practical Lelamed Weekly Dvar. Please consider forwarding this to others, and I hope you enjoy... _______________________________________________ As Calev (Caleb) and Yehoshua (Joshua) try to convince the people to trust G-d that His land is perfect for them, they claim that the people of that land “are [as] our bread” (14:9). Aside from its not being accurate, how would that argument be used to reassure the people that G-d is on their side and that they will prevail? G-d’s ultimate goal for us is our acceptance of His plan and letting Him take care of our needs, especially during transitional periods such as this. Extending this logic, it would follow that even people who seem to be in opposition to us, or larger than us, or more powerful than us are actually perfectly placed by G-d to prompt us to overcome our fears and settle into a plan that G-d has neatly laid out for us. When the threats and dangers that the people originally feared are ultimately overcome, it becomes evident that G-d has actually been supporting us all along. Because the people did not allow G-d to prove His loyalty, the result was that they perished in the desert. The story serves up “bread” for us today, as we benefit from its message to have faith in G-d’s guidance for our success. _______________________________________________ Quotation of the week: "G-d's plans are better than our dreams."