“But do not rebel against Hashem! You should not fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection has departed from them; Hashem is with us. Do not fear them!” (Bamidbar 14:9)

Kaleiv got Klal Yisrael’s attention in order to calm them down. He tried to convince them to not take the spies’ words at face value. He explained to them that conquering the land is no “big deal” – we can overcome these nations. But the phrase that he used, “Ki lachmeinu heim” – for they are our bread – is an odd expression. What does it mean that the inhabitants are like bread?

I believe the simple understanding is that just as bread is a wonderous food, the staff of life, nevertheless it is readily available and can be purchased at a relatively cheap price. So too, we can take care of the many nations of Canaan with relative ease. Yet it still seems a bit strange to use “bread” as a comparison to these nations.

I saw the following explanation which resonated with me, as the parallel refers not just to bread, but to our sustenance and financial stability in general.

There are two interesting statistics that I read many years ago.

  1. Sixty percent of people who have a PhD do not work in their field of expertise.
  2. The Better Business Bureau in the USA found that even when our economy was very robust, only one in ten new businesses were successful. (“Success” meant that they were still in business after one full year.)

I believe that both of these facts indicate something we all know, that even having all the talent and many degrees does not guarantee success. In order to succeed, we need siyata d’shamaya – help from Above. The statistics also point to the fact that if nature were to have its way, most people would never be successful at all!

Yet, when one brings home his paycheck, he sees nothing wonderous about it. Just like bread, which we just take for granted that it will be available in the grocery store for us to purchase, so too we expect the paycheck to go into the bank. Based on this, we can understand what Kaleiv was saying. “Stop and think for a minute about your existence. You are living through miracles. You have the Clouds of Glory, a well with endless water that accompanies you on your travels, the manna coming down from heaven daily, and you are still doubting that you could possibly win the war?” With the perspective that our bread and water are miracles, then for Hashem to cause us to win this war, can also be called “a piece of cake!”

I believe that in our present complex security situation, we can ask the same question, “How can it possibly end well?!” I believe that we must stop and contemplate where we are today: We are living in a country surrounded by enemies, with no natural resources of our own, and yet we are still far more advanced than our neighbors. If Hashem could cause this great miracle to happen, He can do the rest too! Instead of trying to figure out which weapons we need to overpower our enemies, we should use the ultimate weapon, having Hashem on our side. The way that we do that is by putting our trust in Him first and foremost and not as a mere afterthought. Let us not cry for no reason as they did on that mournful night, rather let us take the opportunity to reinforce our trust in Hashem, and with Hashem’s help, He will bring our speedy salvation.