Demoralizing Behavior

The tragic story of the spies, teaches us how it is possible to demoralize an entire nation, with bitterness and lies, in the face of truth and greatness.

The Ninth of Av was chosen as the saddest day of the year. It was the night that they “cried for nothing.” HaShem vowed that there would be a good reason to cry in the future on this date, as both Temples were destroyed on that date.

The Alshich described a chain reaction of tears that began when the spies themselves began to cry. All logic was thrown out the window, and all they could think of was how they looked like grasshoppers to the giants of the land.

It became abundantly clear the ill effects of such demoralizing behavior. Kalev and Yehoshua did their best to insist that Hashem was with them and the enemy would be “eaten up like bread.”

The story of the spies teaches us to stay away from negative people, who complain all the time and bring us down. We need to surround ourselves with upbeat positive people like Kalev and Yehoshua. Such people encourage us to reach greater and greater heights, where our enemies will resemble grasshoppers that are easy to step on and destroy.