A nosh about Parshat Shalach, spies, and Ishvara Pranidhana

<p><strong>This week's Parsha is Parshat Shelach. &nbsp;It begins with the story of the spies going into the land of Israel to scope it out to prepare to enter it. &nbsp;It occurs in Sefer Bamidbar (The 4th book of the Torah, The Book of Numbers), the thirteenth chapter starting at sentence 27 through the third sentence in the fourteenth chapter.</strong></p> <p><strong>Ramban spoke about the problem with the spies in the following way. &nbsp;While it’s ok to spy to prepare for military operations so that bnei Yisrael could conquer the land that God promised them, the 10 spies went beyond this. &nbsp;They presented and editorialized beyond just reporting what they observed. &nbsp;They said in Pasuk 39, “It is too strong for us!”. &nbsp;They were only thinking of their own capabilities without any mindfulness of God leading them and making sure that the Jews were successful, even if it seemed to occur through natural means like through battle rather than a supernatural miracle. &nbsp;This brings to mind the 5th Niyama (ethical principles towards ourselves), called Ishvara Pranidhana, known as surrendering to God, devotion to a higher power, and recognizing the source. &nbsp;Nicolai Bachman, in his book </strong><u><strong>The Path of Yoga,</strong></u><strong> says that this Niyama (Ishvara Pranidhana) implies HUMILITY, of suppressing the ego in the presence of something higher. &nbsp;The story of the spies is an important lesson of Ishvara Pranidhana. &nbsp;Rolf Gates states in his book </strong><u><strong>Meditations from the Mat</strong></u><strong>, “Act as if you trust in God” and when the 10 spies forgot to do this and let their egos create fear while forgetting about God, they had to pay the consequences and live out their lives in the desert until the next generation was ready to enter the land.</strong></p> <p><strong>Ishvara Pranidhana is mentioned in the Yoga Sutras in a few places, first being mentioned in chapter 1, sutra 23. &nbsp;As we get caught up in our day to day lives, we often lose our mindful