Believing We Can Fly

“Shlach lecha – send for yourselves,” G-d told us. I know what the Land is like. I know you’ll be able to successfully conquer it. I believe in you. But if you don’t believe in yourselves, that’s OK. You may send men ahead to confirm what I already know. G-d does what Michael Jordan did to empower his teammates. There’s no “Secret Stuff”. He believed in us because we already had that greatness embedded within. All we needed to do was believe in ourselves to access it.   

This isn’t the first time we read of such a command. Generations earlier, G-d called to Abraham, “Lech lecha…” – leave your land, your birthplace, and your parents’ home. Go into yourself, to the core of who you are. Leave everything that’s holding you back behind and come with Me to a new land. Look inside and you will find your greatness. 

What if we understood G-d’s command to Moses as we did His calling to Abraham? What if we sent emissaries into ourselves, strong and distinguished individuals, because each of us is unapologetically important but so often forgets our sense of worth because we get caught up in the rat-race of success around us? What if we realized the greatness buried within us, and started living life as if we were that person – regardless of how incapable we thought we were at that moment? What if, like Moses sent the men into the Promised Land, we sent ourselves to explore our core from its south all the way northward and realized that life is an evolving journey and not a final destination? 

Such a journey would be terrifying because it’s always easier to give in to our fears and self-doubts rather than facing life’s giants. 

The men completed their journey and reported their findings: Indeed it’s a land flowing with milk and honey…the cities are fortified and exceedingly large…there are giants…we were like grasshoppers in our eyes… (Num. 13:27-33). Contrary to popular opinion, the men weren’t incorrect in their report. It was a good land with luscious fruits, there were nations living in the land, and there were indeed giants.

But when is life ever smooth-sailing? When does everything always go the ways we expected it to? Has there ever been a successfully meaningful experience that didn’t require overcoming some type of fortresses or giant? 

In the movie, the Tunes only felt empowered after their Half Time break because they had a chance to drink “Michael’s Secret Stuff” – they were strong in their eyes at the time. But as soon as they went back on the court and began playing again, the giants re-emerged and the Tunes once again became like grasshoppers in their own eyes. The Monstars could sense their fear and self-doubt and took advantage of this vulnerability.