Ruining Morale

The request of the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe, to settle on the other side of the Jordan, was not taken well by Moshe Rabbeinu.
Initially, he was shocked by such a request, and a strong reprimand would soon follow. He reminded these tribes what a devastating blow the sins of the spies was for the young Jewish nation. The spies succeeded in ruining the morale of the people. Their excitement about entering the Land of Israel, turned to fear of walking into a devastating trap.
Even though this took place nearly forty years before, the nation had not fully recovered. Moshe continued to explain that he didn’t believe the people could handle more trauma in the desert.
The most powerful accusation that Moshe made was, האחיכם יבואו למלחמה ואתם תשבו פה, “Shall your brothers go off to battle, and you will stay here?” It is so wrong to expect that others will fight the enemies of the Jewish people, in order to conquer, while they will stay on the sidelines and not participate.
This verse rings loud and clear today and it has caused a decrease in morale in Israel. We lost so many beautiful young men, who were also Torah scholars since October the seventh. Many were fathers of large families, who gave their lives defending our beloved State of Israel.
They must be held in the highest esteem, and anyone who does not see this is blind to the truth. There is nothing more holy than dying, while sanctifying the Name of G-d.
The two and a half tribes kept their promise and fought courageously. They did not shirk their responsibilities. We need unity in this country and if all citizens participated in joining the IDF, this would be the biggest step towards raising the morale and bringing unity to our people.