Parashat Shelach
The Lessons of Pottery and Deafness
The Haftarah for Parashat Shelach tells the story of the two spies sent by Yehoshua to scout the city of Yericho just prior to Benei Yisrael's entry into the Land of Canaan. We read that Yehoshua sent these spies "Cheresh" (Yehoshua 2:1), a term that has been interpreted by the Sages in two ways. One view explains this word as a derivative of the word "Cheres," or pottery, and it thus refers to the fact that the spies disguised themselves as pottery merchants as a strategy for avoiding suspicion. According to the second view, "Cheresh" means "deaf." Whenever somebody in Yericho would try speaking with the spies, they would feign deafness and not respond, and in this way they hoped to escape the suspicion of the residents of Yericho.
The Rabbis commented that these two spies represent the paradigm of Mitzva observance; a person who wants to succeed in performing a Mitzva should follow their example by learning and applying the lesson of pottery, and the lesson of deafness.
Halacha distinguishes between two categories of utensils: metal utensils, and earthenware utensils. Metal utensils became Tamei (ritually impure) when a source of impurity (such as a person who is Tamei) touches their exterior. A utensil made from pottery, by contrast, becomes Tamei only when a source of Tum'a enters its interior; if an impure person touches the outside of an earthenware utensil, it does not become Tamei. The Rabbis explain that as opposed to pottery, metal has intrinsic value; the material itself is valuable. Therefore, even the utensil's exterior is seen as a significant component of the utensil, and so its contact with Tum'a renders the entire utensil ritually impure. Pottery, by contrast, is intrinsically worthless; its value lies only in its shape, in its capacity to serve as a receptacle. Therefore, it can contract Tum'a only from its interior, the section which defines its essence.
A person who embarks on the performance of a Mitzva must follow this model of earthenware: he must afford significance to his interior, and pay no attention to his exterior. For one to succeed in Mitzva observance, he cannot be overly concerned about the externals – about his reputation, how other people perceive him, what other people say about him. A person involved in a Mitzva will likely be the target of scorn and derision by those who do not value Mitzva observance. Furthermore, some Mitzvot require doing things and going places that one might initially consider beneath his dignity. But none of this should be allowed to disrupt one's Mitzva activity. A person must focus on the interior, on the sacred task at hand, and not on the external concerns regarding his public image and personal honor.
Similarly, a person involved in a Mitzva must very often act "deaf," ignoring the criticisms and challenges of the naysayers. A generation ago, many Jews strongly opposed the establishment of Yeshivot, arguing that the children could just attend public schools and then participate in afternoon Hebrew classes; there was no need, they contended, for a separate school system. If the founders of the Yeshivot had not been "deaf," if they had paid heed to the opposition, the many fine institutions of Torah education that we have today would never have come into existence. Of course, it is important to consult and seek the advice of other people when embarking on an important project. But one mustn't be discouraged or misled by those who seek to dissuade him from performing the Mitzva; to them he must act "deaf," and proceed with firm belief and conviction in the importance of his mission.
