* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
One verse in this week’s Torah portion reveals a secret: the way others see us is the way we see ourselves . 10 of the 12 spies who were sent to scout the land of Israel return in despair. They see no reason to continue on the journey to the promised land. While speaking of their encounter with those living there, they declare: “Since we were as grasshoppers in our own eyes, so we were in their eyes.”
In other words, since we regarded ourselves as small and meek, lacking self-confidence and without hope, that’s how the people we met saw us too.
Our self-image radiates outwards. If we see ourselves as valuable and significant, if we go out into the world with optimism and faith, guided by an inspired vision of the future, others will see us like this as well.
This is also true in the relationships with our children, our work associates, and with our friends. Globally speaking, the way our nation looks at itself is the way the other nations see us too.
