Crying for Nothing

Another point made in Parshat שלח is the idea of בכיה של חינם, crying for nothing. It was the night of the ninth of Av, that the nation cried that entire night after hearing the evil report of the spies.

Hashem said, “You cried a crying for nothing, now I will give you a reason to cry.” Tisha B’Av became the saddest day in the Jewish calendar.

The שערי תשובה speaks of נרגנים, or complainers. It describes people who are full of negativity and self-pity. They live a life of feeling sorry for themselves and seeing that everyone has it better than them.

The tragedy of this attitude is that such people will have a difficult time coming to שמח בחלקו, being happy with one’s lot in life. The key to finding happiness and peace of mind, is learning to be happy with all of Hashem’s gifts, and he is given all that he needs.

We must learn that one must be careful not to cry for nothing. Hashem might give us a real reason to cry.