Torah portion, Sh'lach - The key to success

This week's Torah portion, Sh'lach, literally "Send," narrates the story of the 12 spies who were sent on a special shlichut (mission) to the Land of Israel.
The spies were instructed to scout out the land in order to determine the best strategy the Jews should employ to conquer it. Indeed, when they returned from their mission, they gave their report on the land and its inhabitants.

Their sin, however, consisted in going one step further. In addition to providing the information they were supposed to obtain, the spies insisted on venturing their own opinion about the mission itself: "We will not be able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we!" they declared.

G-d hadn't asked the spies whether or not they thought conquering the land was possible. Their mission was solely a fact-finding mission; adding their own opinion and discouraging the Jewish people from fulfilling G-d's request was thus an egregious transgression.

In principle, a shliach (emissary) is required to carry out his mission to the best of his ability, no more and no less. Altering that mission to accommodate his own thoughts and feelings is a distortion of the assignment with which he was entrusted.

In truth, every Jew is an emissary of G-d, Who caused him to be born into this world in order to fulfil a unique mission. For the mission of every Jew is to transform his surroundings into "the Land of Israel" - a "dwelling place for G-d" - through the performance of Torah and mitzvot (commandments).

As G-d's emissary, the Jew is required to "scout out the land" - to determine the best possible method of fulfilling his assignment. Each individual's circumstances in life will determine the answer, be it through strengthening his observance of Shabbat, keeping kosher more stringently, lighting Shabbat candles or putting on tefilin.

G-d doesn't ask the Jew if it is possible to attain his goal; the very fact that he has been sent for the purpose of bringing G-dliness into the world indicates that the "land" can indeed be conquered. As Caleb put it, "We should go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it." No matter how difficult the mission may seem, a Jew must never arrive at the spies' conclusion and despair of ever being victorious.

Yes, the Jew is entrusted with a special mission, but G-d has given him the power and capacity to fulfil his mission. Bearing this in mind is the key to success.