בס”ד
This blog post is a summary of a powerful lesson on the significance of words, as explored in the parsha Beha’alotechai. It’s definitely worth watching the full lesson on YouTube for a deeper insight. Here, we share some key ideas and practical lessons on how we can use our speech in daily life to build rather than break.
Grasshoppers and giants – the courage to stand alone
What do you do when the whole world is saying one thing—and deep inside, you know it’s wrong?
In the Book of Numbers, twelve leaders—respected, wise, and chosen by name—are sent to spy out the Promised Land. Ten return filled with dread:
“We saw giants there… and we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so we were in theirs.”
— Numbers 13:33
But two of the spies—Caleb and Joshua—see the same terrain and return with courage:
“The land is very, very good. If Hashem desires us, He will bring us there.”
— Numbers 14:7–8
Same facts. Same land. But a completely different spirit.
The Power of Standing Alone
Here’s the key: Caleb and Joshua stood alone.
They were the minority voice of truth in an age of fear. They were vessels of faith, not followers of fear.
So why is it so hard to take a different stance?
Why is it so difficult to say something different from what everyone else is saying?
Because the world is not neutral. It’s built with feedback loops—especially today, both online and offline. We’re constantly being evaluated, rated, judged.
Social media rewards conformity.
Likes, shares, and algorithmic amplification push the popular and punish the dissenting. The dopamine hit of approval wires us to self-censor.
This is why it often feels safer to say things like:
“I’m spiritual, but not religious.”
It’s a shield against ridicule in societies that often mock organized religion as controlling or outdated.
But it also avoids commitment.
Fidelity Over Defiance
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, commenting on Numbers 14:24, writes:
“In every generation, the cause of truth has rested on the shoulders of a faithful few. What made them stand apart was not defiance—but fidelity.”
In other words, Caleb and Joshua’s greatness wasn’t just that they opposed the others.
It was that they stood firm—with clarity, conviction, and quiet courage.
They were not reactive. They were rooted.
The Legacy of Loneliness
Who else stood like that?
- Abraham, called Avraham HaIvri—”the one who stood on the other side.” While the world clung to idolatry, he stood alone.
- Noah, who built an ark for 120 years amid mockery from his generation.
- Jeremiah, the prophet who wept alone for truths no one wanted to hear.
Today, Noahides walk that same path.
They leave behind belief systems they were raised in.
Sometimes they lose friends, face ridicule, or get rejected.
And yet, they quietly align their lives with Divine truth—with Torah.
You Are the Majority
The Baal Shem Tov is reported to have said:
“A soul comes into this world for seventy or eighty years just to do one favor for another—physically or spiritually.”
He also taught:
“Even if the whole world says the opposite—if what you hold is truth from God—you are the majority.”
It’s not about being contrarian. It’s about having clarity.
Why the Spies Failed
The spies didn’t exactly lie. They described what they saw.
So why does the Torah say they brought back an evil report?
Because it wasn’t just slander—it was emotional sabotage.
They said things like:
“We’re not able to do this.”
“This is a land that devours its inhabitants.”
They planted despair.
And as Rav Mendel of Kotzk observed, the rot began with their self-perception:
“We were like grasshoppers in our own eyes—and so we were in theirs.”
Notice: It didn’t start with “they saw us as grasshoppers.”
It started with how they saw themselves.
If you believe you are small, you will project smallness—and others will respond in kind.
Don’t be a grasshopper.
The Power of Speech
When we speak negatively—even to be “realistic”—we train the mind to expect failure.
Speech doesn’t just describe reality—it shapes it.
If you constantly speak about what’s broken, you’ll feel broken.
If you speak about what’s meaningful, your life will feel meaningful.
That’s why the Torah is so careful with speech.
In the absence of the Beit HaMikdash (Temple), our words—our prayers—are our offerings:
“We will offer the bulls of our lips.”
— Hosea 14:3
Modern-Day Calebs and Joshuas
Modern examples of this courage exist.
- George from the Philippines teaches Torah across Asia. Once a seminary student, he left behind his planned career to follow Hashem.
- Ruth from Oklahoma started a Noahide support network for prisoners. She’s never even met another Noahide in person.
- Yusuf from Turkey writes Torah-inspired stories disguised as cultural essays, quietly circulated through academic networks.
Then there are cautionary tales—like the wellness influencer who mixed Torah with tarot cards. She gained followers but lost coherence. Without truth, her platform eventually collapsed.
The lesson: it has to be real. It has to be true. It has to be consistent.
Tzitzit and the Power of Memory
This parashah ends with a mitzvah that does not apply to Noahides—the mitzvah of tzitzit (fringes):
“You shall look at them and remember… and not follow after your heart or your eyes.”
— Numbers 15:39
Still, the moral idea applies universally:
Rituals anchor memory, and memory structures identity.
Noahides yearn for sacred rhythm—for structure.
And while some Jewish-specific mitzvot are not theirs to perform, the underlying yearning for connection is real.
What can a Noahide do?
- Set a daily moment to connect to Hashem.
- Speak to God in your own words—like to a friend.
- Surround yourself with symbols that reflect your spiritual identity.
- Learn Torah—not just to gain knowledge, but to remember who you are.
The Final Lesson
The spies saw danger.
Joshua and Caleb saw destiny.
One group saw grasshoppers.
The other saw Hashem’s partnership.
Rav Kook once wrote:
“Fear is the loneliness of faithlessness.”
But Noahides today are not alone.
You walk in the spirit of Abraham, of Noah, of Caleb and Joshua.
You are walking toward truth in a world of noise.
You are choosing to serve, rather than be swept away.
“My servant Caleb had a different spirit in him… and I will bring him into the land.”
— Numbers 14:24
May each of us be granted that different spirit—of memory, courage, and reward.
By Rabbi Tani Burton
More shiurim of Rabbi Tani Burton
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