We often read about the grand miracles, the parting of the sea, the manna from heaven. But what about the gritty, day-to-day decisions, the moments of doubt and bravery?
Numbers 21:32 tells us, almost in passing, that "Moses sent to spy on Yazer, and they captured its environs and dispossessed the Emorites who were there." It sounds straightforward, right? But Bamidbar Rabbah 19, a section of the great Midrash Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings, peels back the surface and gives us a glimpse into the minds of the people involved.
Specifically, this passage in Bamidbar Rabbah focuses on the city of Yazer. Now, earlier in Numbers 21:25, we read that "Israel dwelled in the cities of the Emorites." The Midrash points out a little detail: Yazer remained. And that's why "Moses sent to spy on Yazer."
But here's where it gets interesting. The Midrash implies that these spies were different. They were diligent. But diligent in what way? Not in gathering intel necessarily, but in their approach.
They were aware of the past. They remembered the earlier incident when Moses sent spies into Canaan (Numbers 13), and those spies – with the exception of Joshua and Caleb – brought back a discouraging report that instilled fear in the Israelites, leading to forty years of wandering in the desert. A major mishap, to say the least.
So, these spies reasoned, "We are certain of Moses' prayer," meaning they trusted in his leadership and his connection to the Divine. But they also knew that trust wasn't enough. Blind faith without action could be just as dangerous as crippling fear.
They said, “We will not do so, but rather we will put our faith in the Holy One blessed be He and wage war." In other words, they wouldn't rely solely on reconnaissance or pessimistic reports. They would trust in Hashem, the Name, a way of reverently referring to God, and they would fight.
And they did. They went in and "killed the Emorites who were there."
What does this tell us? It’s a powerful lesson about faith and action, about remembering the past but not being paralyzed by it. These spies weren't just soldiers; they were thinkers. They understood the importance of learning from history, but they also recognized that every situation is unique. They combined their faith in God with their own initiative and courage.
The Midrash doesn't give us their names, doesn't tell us anything else about them. But it offers a portrait of people who learned from the mistakes of others and acted with a blend of faith and determination.
It's a reminder that even in the grand narrative of the Exodus, there were countless moments of individual decision-making, of weighing options, and of choosing to act with faith and courage. And those choices, those seemingly small acts of diligence, shaped the course of history just as much as the miracles themselves. What choices will you make today?