And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.” — Numbers 13:32

The Torah portion for this week is Shelach, which means “send,” from Numbers 13:1–15:41, and the Haftorah is from Joshua 2:1–24.

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

Thousands of years earlier, the Sages explained this principle with the following story about a young woman who had a puzzling dream. She went to see the greatest rabbi of her time, Rabbi Elazar, and asked, “Rabbi, what do I do? I had a dream that the central pillar of my house broke and that means . . .” “You’ll have a son this year,” the rabbi interrupted before the woman could suggest her own interpretation.

The woman went home happy and relieved, but then she had the same dream again. She returned to see the rabbi, but he wasn’t there. However, Rabbi Elazar’s students were present and offered to help the woman. She told them the same dream that she had shared with the rabbi a day earlier. But the students had a different interpretation. They explained, “Your dream means that your husband will die this year.”

The woman ran home in tears, passing Rabbi Elazar on the way. When the rabbi saw his students he asked, “What did you just tell that woman that she is weeping so?” They responded, “We interpreted her dream and told her that her husband will die.” Rabbi Elazar told his students, “You have just killed that woman’s husband.” Because the woman’s husband believed he would die, that’s exactly what ended up happening.

Our beliefs are so powerful – they truly shape our lives.

This idea is so greatly demonstrated in this week’s Torah portion. The Sages explain that when the 12 spies arrived in Canaan to scout out the land, they saw many funerals taking place. God, in His great mercy, had caused many people to die when the spies arrived so that the inhabitants would be distracted and not catch the spies. However, the spies interpreted what they saw much differently. They came back to the Israelite camp and reported, “The land we explored devours those living in it.” Their interpretation led to much grief, loss of faith, and ultimately, punishment for the people. The prediction of the spies came true in a twisted way: Instead of living and enjoying all that God had promised them in the land they had explored, the Israelites instead perished in the desert.

It’s so important to think about how we’re interpreting the events in our lives. The woman in the Sage’s story dreamt about brokenness, which could just as easily refer to the broken waters of childbirth as a broken home without a husband. The interpretation determines the outcome.

Friends, think about how God would want you to interpret different things in your lives. Build your life around your faith – and then live it faithfully!