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Parashat Shelah relates the unfortunate incident of the Meraglim, the spies sent to scout the Land of Israel ahead of the nation's expected entry into the land. Ten of the twelve scouts reported negatively about the land and dissuaded the people from proceeding. God punished the nation and decreed that Beneh Yisrael would wander about in the wilderness for forty years, until that entire generation perished.

The Torah tells (13:16) that before Moshe dispatched the spies, he changed the name of one of them – his close disciple, Yehoshua. Yehoshua was originally called "Hoshea," but Moshe added the letter "Yod" to the beginning of the name, yielding the name "Yehoshua." The Sages explain this name-change as a prayer on Yehoshua's behalf. Moshe suspected that the scouts might conspire to bring a negative report about the land, and he therefore prayed that God should protect Yehoshua from the negative influence of the spies. By adding the letter "Yod," Moshe appended the Name of God ("Y-H") at the beginning of Yehoshua's name, which served as protection from the sinful scheme of the other spies.

The Rabbis further explained that this letter "Yod" was taken, so-to-speak, from the name of our matriarch Sara. Sara's name was originally "Sarai" (spelled "Sin"-"Resh-"Yod"), but God changed the name to "Sara," replacing the letter "Yod" with the letter "Heh" (Bereshit 17:15). The Midrash relates that the letter "Yod" complained, as it were, to the Almighty, that it was taken away from the righteous woman Sara. God assured the "Yod" that it would receive the distinction of becoming the first letter in the name of a righteous man – Yehoshua. Thus, the "Yod" that Moshe added to his student's name was taken, or "borrowed," from Sara Imenu.

What exactly does this mean? What connection is there between Sara Imenu and Yehoshua, and how does this relate to the incident of the spies?

Some Rabbis explained that Yehoshua needed a certain quality of Sara, part of her character, in order to withstand the pressures exerted by his fellow scouts. We read in the Book of Bereshit (chapter 21) that Sara appealed to her husband, Abraham, to send away Yishmael, Abraham's son from a different wife. Sara perceptively recognized the potential danger that Yishmael posed to her son, Yishak, and therefore told Abraham to send away Yishmael. Abraham at first refused, but God then told him to acquiesce to Sara's demand.

This was a very bold and courageous measure on Sara's part. Abraham was obviously a great man, one of the greatest people who ever lived, but Sara nevertheless took a position in disagreement with her husband. She saw a pressing need and recognized the urgency of the situation, and she had the conviction to do what was necessary to protect her son. Opposing Abraham Abinu is no small matter, but Sara's principled conviction led her to undertake this bold measure.

Moshe understood that Yehoshua would need this quality as he set out on his mission. He would be forced to resist the majority, to swim against the current, and oppose the other spies. Yehoshua thus required the boldness and courage of Sara Imenu. The same quality that led Sara to demand Yishmael's expulsion led Yehoshua to oppose the plot of the other spies. Moshe therefore took a letter from Sara Imenu, representing this aspect of her personality, and gave it to his disciple.

This presents an important practical lesson, particularly in the area of parenting. Often, parents must make bold decisions for the sake of educating their children. It is easy to humbly accept the child's misconduct and think, "Well, who am I to say anything" or "I am not the one to make a fuss." But when it comes to parenting, humility is generally misplaced. All parents, like Sara and Yehoshua, must take bold initiatives to criticize their children's behavior when this is necessary, and to protect them from negative influences. We, too, must "borrow a letter" from Sara Imenu, and take the bold, difficult stances that are necessary for the proper education of our children.