Shlach שלח 2026 Truth Beyond Love

The very fact that we learn the concept of a minyan from the Meraglim teaches that they were not ordinary sinners. They were holy people with holy intentions. Having just received the Torah, they wanted to preserve their intense closeness to Hashem in the spiritually elevated environment of the מדבר. Their mistake was believing that the ultimate goal was personal spiritual growth. Yehoshua and Calev understood that Hashem’s true desire was for the Yidden to enter Eretz Yisrael, engage the physical world, and transform it into a dwelling place for holiness.The Rebbe connects this idea to the Rambam’s highest level of serving Hashem. Beyond serving out of fear or even out of love lies the level of Avraham Avinu—doing what is true simply because it is true. Not because of any reward, benefit, or even spiritual closeness, but solely because it is Hashem’s will. While not everyone can attain Avraham’s feelings of love, every Jew can attain his actions by choosing to do what Hashem wants. The lesson is that true greatness comes not from pursuing our own spiritual experience, but from putting ourselves aside and dedicating ourselves completely to Hashem’s truth.לקו״ש לג-ב