Dear Friends,
The old adage asserts “better the devil you know than the devil you don't.”
In other words – it’s better to deal with the tsuris which is familiar, than that which is unfamiliar.
But, is it true?
We see an ancient echo of this in our Torah portion this week. Early in their trekking in the desert, Moses sent twelve scouts to cross the Jordan and reconnoiter the land, to see if it was habitable, and to ascertain the power of the peoples who then lived in the territory. Upon returning, two of the scouts reported accurately that the land was wonderful, and the people no threat. However, the other ten scouts reported otherwise, claiming that the denizens of Canaan were giants, resulting in the people being scared and frightened. The people cried out, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we might die in this wilderness!” (Numbers 14:2)
Clearly, the people were choosing the devil which they knew.
And, had they succeeded with that option, we never would have made it to Israel, or become God’s people, or built a Temple in Jerusalem, or rebuilt a Temple, or written the Mishnah and the Talmud, or lived in Spain, or left Spain and built communities in Europe, or made New York City into the greatest Jewish community in Jewish history, or rebuilt the Land of Israel into the State of Israel.
Such is the cost of accepting the devil which we know.
When I was studying executive non-profit management in recent years at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, one of the recurring themes we addressed was the human nature of risk aversion. All too commonly in human life, we make choices in order to avoid a possible loss, rather than to achieve a possible gain. In fact a study of professional golfers showed that they will study extra long over a par putt – so as not to miss and score a bogey, a potential loss, than they do over a birdie putt, a possible gain.
Yet, success is achieved only when we take the chance, listen to the two hopeful scouts, and leave Egypt, and the devil which we know, behind.
Torah’s message is to take the risk and go forward. Let’s go!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
The old adage asserts “better the devil you know than the devil you don't.”
In other words – it’s better to deal with the tsuris which is familiar, than that which is unfamiliar.
But, is it true?
We see an ancient echo of this in our Torah portion this week. Early in their trekking in the desert, Moses sent twelve scouts to cross the Jordan and reconnoiter the land, to see if it was habitable, and to ascertain the power of the peoples who then lived in the territory. Upon returning, two of the scouts reported accurately that the land was wonderful, and the people no threat. However, the other ten scouts reported otherwise, claiming that the denizens of Canaan were giants, resulting in the people being scared and frightened. The people cried out, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we might die in this wilderness!” (Numbers 14:2)
Clearly, the people were choosing the devil which they knew.
And, had they succeeded with that option, we never would have made it to Israel, or become God’s people, or built a Temple in Jerusalem, or rebuilt a Temple, or written the Mishnah and the Talmud, or lived in Spain, or left Spain and built communities in Europe, or made New York City into the greatest Jewish community in Jewish history, or rebuilt the Land of Israel into the State of Israel.
Such is the cost of accepting the devil which we know.
When I was studying executive non-profit management in recent years at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, one of the recurring themes we addressed was the human nature of risk aversion. All too commonly in human life, we make choices in order to avoid a possible loss, rather than to achieve a possible gain. In fact a study of professional golfers showed that they will study extra long over a par putt – so as not to miss and score a bogey, a potential loss, than they do over a birdie putt, a possible gain.
Yet, success is achieved only when we take the chance, listen to the two hopeful scouts, and leave Egypt, and the devil which we know, behind.
Torah’s message is to take the risk and go forward. Let’s go!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
