Is Majority Right?
There is a concept in Jewish Law that when there is a dispute we are to follow the majority - ‘holchin acher harov'.
Does that hold true in every scenario? How does that play out in the day to day?
We learn from the Torah portion of the week that sometimes what we need to say and do is exactly the opposite. Even if the majority says to do something or say something we are to go against the current.
Twelve spies were sent to scout the land of Israel on behalf of the Jewish nation. Ten of which returned and relayed a negative report on what they saw. Two individuals from the group, Joshua and Calev spoke positively about the land. After hearing the negative report from the majority of the spies, the people became fearful and hysterical. As a consequence, they were unable to enter the land of Israel immediately, and were to wander the desert for forty years. Joshua and Calev, the two dissenting spies, were rewarded by becoming future leaders.
The evidence is damning, sometimes the masses miss. We need to take a lesson from these two courageous men and stay strong and focused on our mission in today's world. To live as proud Jews at home, in the workplace, in our micro and macro communities.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Baruch Hecht
