When Chutzpah is Called For

A thought on Parashas Shelach

Jun 09, 2023

The headlines are abuzz with tales of Prince Harry, who is relentlessly working to limit the media's coverage about his personal life. To those unfamiliar with recent happenings, Prince Harry embodies the epitome of audacity or 'Chutzpah'.

Born into the royal fold, he has remarkably chosen to break away from it, tarnishing its reputation along the way. Although I did not yet read his memoir, I gather that these audacious actions might be a reflection of his internal battles within the royal sphere. As a newspaper aptly stated, “It gives new meaning to the term “chutzpah.”’

The question of whether this level of 'chutzpah' is justified or not is still a topic of ongoing debate.

Conversely, we're aware of many instances where audacity was not only appropriate, but essential in achieving specific outcomes. The Gemara tells us the story of Choni HaMagel1, who dared to stand in a circle, refusing to exit until it rained despite an apparent divine decree against rainfall during a drought. Similarly, the story of Chana, a barren woman, is told in the Gemara. It tells how she audaciously warned Hashem that she would make herself susceptible to being suspected as a sotah, an unfaithful wife, if that's what it would take for her to bear children.2 There are numerous such accounts throughout history, like the well-known stories of the Berditchiver and his Din Torah with Hashem. The question remains, when is audacity justified and when is it inappropriate?

I believe the answer lies in this weeks parashah.

Following the saga of the Meraglim, Hashem told Moshe that the generation would face 40 years of wandering in the desert, and only Kalev and Yehoshua from those aged over 20 would enter the promised land.

The Torah then describes what happened next:

Upon hearing this, the Bnei Yisrael were overcome with grief. In reaction, they awoke early, ascended the mountain's peak and announced their readiness to advance towards the land which Hashem had promised, admitting to their Chet. However, Moshe cautioned them against defying Hashem’s command, warning their rebellion would not succeed. He urged them not to proceed, as Hashem’s protection wouldn't accompany them, and advancing would lead to their defeat by the Amaleki and the Cana'ani who lay in wait.

Despite the warning, they stubbornly climbed the mountain, before dawn3, while the Aron Habris and Moshe remained unmoved within the Machane. The Amaleki and the Cana'ani, residing on that mountain, attacked them in a gruesome manner and overpowered them until they reached Chormah.

Their attempt to hasten their journey to Eretz Yisrael ended with yet another Chet to be punished.

This story, only spanning a few pesukim, tends to be overshadowed or grouped together with the Chet of the Meraglim, an event with tremendous implications lasting even to our day. However, this story, known as the Chet of the Mapilim,4 hasn't received as much attention.

What intrigued me about this story after learning it in the Parashah wasn't just the fact that it was new to me, but it seemed to represent the pinnacle of Chutzpah. Here we find ourselves in the aftermath of two of our people's gravest sins - the Golden Calf (Eigel) and the Spies (Meraglim). Hashem, being upset, metes out a severe punishment. Yet, the Bnei Yisrael seemingly shrugged it off, opting to venture to the Land of Israel regardless.

The term "Mapilim" itself is intriguing. Rashi and Rabbeinu Bachya note that its root word, עפל ‘Opal', signifies taking action forcefully or without authorization. In today's language, we might term it audacity, or "Chutzpah."

It makes one wonder, what was going through their minds?

The Ohr HaChaim explains5 that they believed their climb up the mountain could be a show of their emunah in Hashem and that as a result Hashem would save them. Hashem was not impressed for the following two reasons: 1) their transgression was still too fresh to be considered absolved, and 2) the gezeira had been established irrevocably, and therefore, Hashem could not undo it.

If you delve a bit deeper, the question transitions from what Bnei Yisrael were thinking to what was going through Moshe's mind? After all, isn't it the aspiration of every leader and teacher that after their student errs and sins, and upon realization of their mistake, the student swiftly acknowledges their transgression, and expresses a heartfelt desire to rectify it? Moshe should have welcomed the request of the Bnei Yisrael to be metaken the Chet HaMeraglim.

However, the Ohr Hachaim6 provides an alternative explanation. The Bnei Yisrael possessed a misdirected sense of fear; they should have been more afraid of disobeying Hashem's command than of their enemies. The fact that they did not fear Hashem more, revealed the true depth of their waywardness. That's why Moshe added the word ותזדו, meaning "you sinned intentionally," in Parashas Devarim.

Additionally, Moshe wanted to emphasize that the Bnei Yisrael’s delayed display of emunah in Hashem’s protective capabilities, and their willingness to confront the Canaanites was not as it seemed superficially. They were once again acting rebelliously, not out of a genuine plea for Hashem’s mercy. They should have shown humility; instead, they did quite the opposite.

This was not a moment of pride for Moshe, rather a moment to remain resolute in the face of his defiant constituents.

The question remains: what was going through their minds? Why did they ignore the words of Moshe, not to mention the Word of Hashem?

Rav Tzadok of Lublin7 provides an explanation, stating that Chazal8 teach us that Hashem said that anyone who disobeys the words of the "Chachamim", is deemed a Rasha, a wicked person.

Rav Tzadok asks, based on this, it would seem that everyone is wicked, as almost every Jew has at some point disobeyed the teachings of Chazal in their lifetime. If this is the case, what is the point in trying to keep Torah and mitzvos? This perspective may even discourage learning at all, suggesting it's better to unintentionally sin than to knowingly transgress.

However, if a Jew refrains from learning entirely, they won't have the means to correct their actions or do teshuva for disobeying the words of Chazal, and as a result, they would remain in their wickedness.

If that is the case, why did the Ribbono Shel Olam express this sentiment without providing us an alternative or a way to learn and rectify our ways?
אוי לי מיצרי ואוי לי מיוצרי, It seems that in whichever way I choose, I will remain wicked.

However, regarding this, Chazal said9 כל מה שיאמר לך בעל הבית עשה חוץ מצא "Whatever the owner of the house tells you, do, except for 'Go.'"

The basic understanding of this Gemara suggests that even though you should obey the homeowner's requests, you are permitted to refuse if they ask you to leave.

Rav Tzadok understands this to mean that even if Hashem seems to be directing you away, He desires you to strive to stay. Similarly, when it comes to studying Torah, Hashem’s words to the wicked, "Why are you learning Torah?" aren't meant to dissuade them from studying. Rather, it's intended to motivate them to put in more effort and deepen their learning. Through the yearning that stems from the command to "leave", the wicked individual can overcome the barriers in their Avodas Hashem.

In essence, Hashem desires to see that we care about Him, and He tests our eagerness to be close to Him.

Rav Tzadok further explains the Chet of the Mapilim using this concept:

The people had already put their faith in Moshe’s words, so why did they disregard his instruction, "Do not go up, etc."? It is because they thought that this command fell under the category of "צא" (an exception).

In other words, the people reasoned that even though Moshe ordered them not to climb the mountain, they erroneously believed their situation was unique, allowing them to proceed against Moshe's clear directives. They felt they could rationalize their actions and viewed the warning as not applicable to their specific circumstance.

Rav Tzadok adds that, according to this rationale, they were even prepared to oppose the Ratzon Hashem, assuming that this was their intended course of action. They believed that when Hashem was telling them "צאו", He was testing them and trying to stir their yearning for the land of Israel.

Rav Tzadok further remarks that this was Chutzpah, but it was a holy Chutzpah. As Chazal said בעקבתא דמשיחא חוצפא יסגא "In the footsteps of the Messiah, chutzpah will abound."10 Typically, this Gemara is interpreted negatively, but Rav Tzadok understands it in a positive light.

Chutzpah, or audacity, isn't always a good thing, but it has some valuable traits such as caring, courage, and responsibility. It's the bold people who stand against the indifference that creeps in over time. Chutzpah stands up to conformity, often formed from negative resignation, and this brave audacity can refresh our reality, shaking it from its stagnant state.

This is the Chutzpah that will bring Mashiach, a chutzpah which is characterized by care and responsibility. However, using this chutzpah calls for great caution and deep self-reflection. Despite its challenges, it's a necessary tool that we must learn to handle carefully.

The Mapilim were eager to go up to Eretz Yisrael with chutzpah, thinking it was the right time for redemption. But Moshe disagreed, saying it wasn't yet time. The spiritual scars from the mergalim were still fresh and needed healing before they could progress.

Rav Tzadok ends off with a mysterious and intriguing note, he says. “There will be another time when using Chutzpah will succeed in bringing the Geula, and that is our time, the time of the footsteps of the Messiah.”

However, if their intentions were indeed correct, why didn't Hashem just clarify their misunderstanding and show them the right reaction to the Chet HaMeraglim, instead of letting them die? This is a huge question.

To answer it, we turn to the Ohr Hachaim we referenced earlier.

The first step in Teshuva is acknowledging the Chet, and only after comes the Tikkun. However, the Mapilim went about this process backward. They didn't fully grasp the severity of the Chet of the meraglim and its implications, hence Hashem didn't accept their teshuva. It's essential to fully understand the depth of the wrongdoing before trying to fix it, rather than taking the seemingly easier path of rectification without a proper internalization of the implications of the sin.

The Gemara11 tells us that one of the Mapilim who perished was Tzelofchad. His daughters, when they approached Moshe, acknowledged their father's sin, saying he had died in the desert. Although everyone died in the desert, they admitted their father had also perished there, despite his intentions to reach the Promised Land. They wished to correct their father's error, asking for a portion of the land, which Moshe granted.

Everything has its proper time and place. There are times when we need to stick to traditional ways, and there are times when a little audaciousness, or holy chutzpah, can bring about change.

Doing the Ratzon Hashem can be challenging in our times when we seemingly don't have a figure like Moshe to guide us. How do we know if our chutzpah is holy or mundane?

One of the Mapilim's mistakes was that they didn't adequately determine whether their actions were in line with the Ratzon Hashem. They assumed Hashem was testing them, but they didn't check the validity of this assumption. The crucial test should have been whether Hashem, Moshe, and Aharon supported their initiative—this would have confirmed if their chutzpah was indeed holy. But they proceeded, leaving behind the Aron HaBris, Moshe, and Aharon. They didn't look back to see that Hashem’s will didn't align with theirs, which indicated their Chutzpah was not holy.

While we may not have the Aron HaBris, we do have our leaders and spiritual mentors. We need to ensure that we are following our leaders and not leaving them behind in the dust. When we see our leaders guiding us, we can be confident that we are doing the Ratzon Hashem.12

May we all live to see the day when the Aron leads us, and our holy chutzpah ushers in the era of Mashiach.

When Chutzpah is Called For

A thought on Parashas Shelach

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