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Two Secrets to Fulfill Your Life's Mission

Why Were Joshua's Spies Successful, Unlike Moses' Spies? Can You Own Your Energy & Suspend Your Ego/Insecurity?

1 hr 8 min

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Class Summary:

This women's class was presented Tuesday, Parshas Shlach, 24 Sivan, 5780, June 16, 2020, streaming live from Rabbi Jacobson's home in Monsey, NY.

There is a sequel to the story of the spies, recorded in the second chapter of the book of Joshua, and it is read in the haftorah of Shelach. 39 years after the first episode with the spies, Joshua—the successor of Moses, and one of the original 12 spies sent by Moses—sent his own two spies to scout the land of Canaan. This time, though, the mission ended in success. They returned to the people with an optimistic message, encouraging and empowering the people to reach their destination.

What was the difference? Moses was the greatest prophet and leader of Israel. Yet his spies failed miserably. Joshua was a disciple of Moses, and not on the same level of his master. Yet his spies were successful. Why?

It is all captured by one strange word employed in this narrative: Cheresh.

What does it take to be sent on a mission, a risky mission, and remain focused, optimistic, confident and faithful? It takes—Joshua intimated—two qualities: 1. You must be an earthenware vessel. 2. You need to be deaf.

What do you do when you go to a family event and always come home in a bad mood? What do you do when you have a life's dream and people call you insane? What do you do when you are plagued by fear or other debilitating emotions? What do you do when criticism kills you?

Categories

Shlach

Please leave your comment below!

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miryam -4 years ago
לכבוד הרב יעקובזון שליט"א

אינני דוברת אנגלית אבל לאחר שנחשפתי לשיעורים שלך אני לא מפסיקה לשמוע אותם.

גם בהבנתי החלקית אני נדהמת מעומק הרעיונות ומהמסרים החשובים שבכל שיעור.

בפרט עכשיו בזמן הקורונה קבלתי הרבה מאוד חיזוק מדבריכם.

תזכו להגדיל תורה ולהאדירה מתוך בריאות ואריכות ימים.

יישר כח

מרים מירושלים
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david -4 years ago
the energy left over
an amazing story in spiurei chasidim to demonstrate the point of the Barditchover. how Rwb zelig smelled an amazing aroma; the place of the Magen Avraham, hundreds of years later!!

Here is a link.
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liba -4 years ago
BH!! Welcome back! What a zechus to have our shiur again! Thank you for a most original and beautiful shiur. The part about picking up on other energies around us was absolutely fascinating. What an insight and eye-opener in life!

Regarding the beautiful idea about the pottery, I’d like to share a story I heard from a mother of a child struggling with Yiddishkeit. She said she fried a large batch of shnitzel, and her son came into the kitchen, touched every single piece, and then decided which piece he’d like. She cringed because she’s very makpid on not touching food without negel vasser and although she said nothing, she didn’t know if her family could now eat the food. She called her Rav who said that really it’s a problem! His hands are “tamei”! But he added, that practically speaking, they can eat it since her son always showers, she can rely on that, that his hands were “washed”. She said this message, that his hands are tamei, was actually a huge chizuk. Because her cleaning lady’s hands were not tamei. But her son, although he doesn’t act like a yid at all, his status of a Yid who “needs” negel vasser, remains intact!!

Thank you for “coming back” and a special thank you for the different options of the shiur on the phone, as well as online, and zoom too, when I’ll get there....

With so much gratitude,
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- Anonymous -4 years ago
  Thank you so much for sharing! that is a very deep story! Beautiful.
  
  there is a Midrash on Eicha, "Jerusalem sinned," chate chatah yerushalayim.
  
  That only Jerusalem can really "sin." Because there is such a deep relationship.
  
  when you have a few min, watch this video, about miriam bas bilgah -- same message.
  
  https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/942194/jewish/Wolf-Wolf.htm
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Moshe -4 years ago
Various and sundry
I think it was said that Yehoshua's spies set out in 1276 of our years. That cannot be, Avraham Avinu was 1948.

It was said that the first set of 12 spies said that there was no natural way to conquer the land and therefore despondency set in, etc. But, if that's what was said, they right, there was no NATURAL way to conquer, it had to be supernatural.

There's an english expression: "to turn a deaf ear".

The danger was that the 2 spies would pick up on the negativity from 39 years earlier. Why wouldn't they have picked up on the positive energy of the 2, and not the negative of the 10?

Similarly, If Osweitzen was a bastion of hachossas orchim before becoming a place of horror, why didn't Reb Elimelech pick up on that positive energy from the future and not just the negative?

An earthenware vessel has no intrinsic value per se, but is only useful for its function, i.e. to contain something and therefore tumah attaches only when a tumah item suspended in.the airspace of the cavity and not merely by touching it. And more valuable material like silver does have great intrinsic value do the tumah transfers by touching the outside. But what if the tumah item is suspended in the airspace of the silver vessel? The silver vessel ALSO has value for bits functionality to hold items.
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C
Chanie -4 years ago
Question for Rabbi YY
when one does teshuva,does the negative turn positive? or does it get expunged from your record.
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