Rabbi Richman on Tammuz

Our holy sages teach us that the month of Tammuz is all about seeing

To really see means more than just looking with our eyes; it means a spiritual "seeing" as well, seeing deeply, with faith in G-d. Seeing the true nature of things.It was during this month of Tammuz that the spies who were sent out by Moshe to scout out the land, were walking throughout the land and seeing everything in a negative light, according to their own limitations, agendas and prejudices. Even when G-d is providing for our every need with loving care, a person can still see only what he wants to see. 

There are powers at work that seek to undermine Jewish sovereignty

Our sages teach that this sin - evil speech against the Land of Israel - was so grievous, and caused such spiritual damage, that it must be rectified in every generation. Indeed, it was this sin of doubting G-d and speaking ill against the Land of Israel, and all of the people's accepting this lashon hara, that resulted in the Divine decree which prevented that generation from entering into the Promised Land. And it was the debacle of these spies' gossip that led to the destruction of the Holy Temple on Tisha B'Av.

Ironically, during these very days efforts are being made, and efforts are being renewed, to divide the Land of Israel. There are powers at work that seek to undermine Jewish sovereignty in the land that HaShem promised to our fathers. There are voices that dare cast doubt over the Jews' right to their own Divine inheritance. These voices even have the audacity to proclaim that it is not "legitimate" or "legal" for Jews to live anywhere within this land. They seek to limit the number of Jewish babies allowed to be born.

We know that the Torah's perspective regarding time, and the secret of the Hebrew calendar itself, is nothing less than a rendezvous with destiny. We're not learning about history, we're not reliving it - we are presented with a Divine challenge to actually make history. During this month of Tammuz, we have the chance to try and rectify the sins of the spies. We can do this by fighting against the growing band-wagon of modern-day tale bearing and negativity being directed against the Land of Israel. We can do this by only seeing and speaking positively about the Land. For this land is a direct reflection of His own sovereignty in this world, and the fate of the Land of Israel is directly connected to the fate of all mankind: Israel brings blessing to the entire world. And wherever you live, do not see or speak negatively about everything that G-d does for you. 

They looked at everything with a negative perspective

The spies, who could have been remembered for righteousness, failed miserably because they looked at everything with a negative perspective. 

They allowed their eyes to deceive them, 

not realizing that the secret of conquering the Land lies in elevating our physical world to a level of holiness. 

Let's not make the same mistake