Thursday, Sivan 24, 5778 / June 7, 2018
This week’s Parsha, Shelach, begins with the story of the “Meraglim” – the twelve scouts whom Moshe, upon the insistence of the Jewish people, sent to check out and explore the Promised Land.
Although G-d told them that the land flows with milk and honey and that they will inherit it, the Jewish people still had their doubts. They wanted human confirmation that the land was indeed as good as G-d promised and that they will be able to conquer it.
For 40 days, the scouts traveled the land. In the end, ten of the twelve returned with a negative report. The Torah says, "And they spread an evil report about the land which they had spied, saying, 'The land which we have spied is a land which eats up its inhabitants.'" Only Yehoshua (Joshua) and Calev gave a good report, encouraging everyone to go ahead to the Promised Land.
Unfortunately, as a result of the spies' negative report, the Jewish people refused to continue to the Promised Land. The Torah tells us that, "They cried that night," wanting to return to Egypt.
In punishment for their lack of faith in G-d, every male over the age of twenty (except the Levites, Joshua, Kalev, and the women) were barred from entering into Israel. Instead, the Jewish people spent the next 38 years in the desert. In total, they spent 40 years in the desert - a year for each day the spies scouted the Land.
As mentioned yesterday, the Parsha ends with the mitzvah of Tzitzit. Tzitzit are the fringes which hang on the four corners of the Tallit (prayer shawl). The Torah explains the purpose of this mitzvah, "So that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments and observe them..."
When we look at each of the four Tzitzit we see 8 strings and 5 knots. The numerical value of the Hebrew word Tzitzit (90+10+90+10+400) is 600. Together with the 8 strings and 5 knots it adds up to 613. This is how, by looking at the Tzitzit, we remember (to perform) all the 613 mitzvot.
Also, the number of times that the longer Tzitzah is wound around the other strings totals 39 (7+8+11+13=39). This number is the same numerical value as the two Hebrew words, “Hashem Echad,” (“G-d is One”) in the Shema. Thus, the mitzvah of Tzitzit reminds us also of the omnipresence of G-d – that everything in the world is by Divine Providence.
Q.Why is the mitzvah of Tzitzit recorded at the end of this Parsha, which tells the story of the spies?
A.Had the Jewish people remembered that everything is by Divine Providence, they would have avoided enduring the hardships of their forty years in the desert.
The mitzvah of Tzitzit reminds us that obstacles which we think stand in the way of observing G-d’s mitzvot are only obstacle illusions!
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY