In Parshat Shelach, 12 spies were sent to check out the land of Israel. Ten of the spies came back and worried the nation that the people were giants and that they wouldn’t be able to defeat them. However, the other two spies, Calev and Yehoshua, did not agree and had trust and faith in Hashem that whatever he does and sends us to do is for the good.

The Gemara (Brachot 60B) tells us that Rabbi Akiva was traveling with a donkey, a rooster and a candle. When Rabbi Akiva went into the town to find a place to sleep, no one welcomed him in and he said this is for the best. Now, lying somewhere not in a home, the wind blew out his candle, a fox came for his rooster and a lion ate his donkey. Despite all that, he said this too is for the best. Some of us in this same situation may not have seen it that way. Some of us would have been upset, yelling, crying or had a different reaction when in reality the way Rabbi Akiva thought was the truth. Had he been invited into people’s homes, bandits would’ve come and killed him and if his animals made noise and his candle was lit, they would have found him outside. Rabbi Akiva’s perspective of everything for the good is true.

We can learn this power of perspective not only from Rabbi Akiva but in this week’s parsha. Calev and Yehoshua use their perspective and think positively while the 10 other spies did not. They knew that if Hashem was sending them there, it was for the good and their benefit. This perspective may not be an easy task but it is achievable. B’ezrat Hashem, we should all be blessed to think with the perspective of Rabbi Akiva, Calev and Yehoshua and recognize that everything is for the best!

By Shira Sedek