Calev says, “Let’s go,” but he was ignored when the people listened to and bought the groupthink, “…the people are big and strong, and the land is difficult. The people there are giants; we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them.” So much for Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not fear…” Calev was not the cognitive coach he may have hoped he’d be, since he could not help the People overcome their cognitive distortion that led them to want to return to Egypt. It takes independence of thought, being “FIT” (fundamentally independent thinking), to move forward to achieve optimal living. They held on to their slave mindset due to their cognitive distortions.  Through the Spies, Hashem tested our abilities to see through negative filters and properly, with wisdom, discernment and insight, see what was truly good and bad. The spies magnified the negative and minimized the positive – a common distortion that many of us are also guilty of doing. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

Oy! There’s a lot of whining in this week’s Torah reading.

Come to think of it, it appears to be the basis of one of my mother’s oft-repeated sayings, “Keep complaining and I’ll really give you something to complain about.” We are world-class kvetchers, aren’t we? The food isn’t good enough, the seat at the table isn’t good enough, the hotel room isn’t the best, the politics, oy gevalt, the list goes on and on. [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]