B"H
Monday, Sivan 23, 5780 / June 15, 2020
This week’s Parsha, Shlach, begins with the story of how, before entering the promised land, Moshe, upon the insistence of the Jewish people, sends twelve men to investigate the land of Canaan and bring back a report.
Moshe instructs them, “Go and see what kind of country it is. Are the people who dwell in it strong or weak, few or many? Is the country good or bad? Are the towns open or fortified? Is the soil rich or poor? Are there trees or not? Make sure to bring back from the fruits of the land.”
After forty days, they return with enormous fruit; They cut a branch with a cluster of grapes. It took a few of the men to carry it. They also took pomegranates and figs. The fruits were of enormous size.
They return and report, “The country we scouted is one that devours its settlers. All the men that we saw are men of great size, and we looked like grasshoppers in our own eyes.
The people of Israel believed them and broke into loud cries, lamenting that it would have been better to die in Egypt than to confront this ominous situation.
Two of the scouts, Caleb and Joshua, have a very different story to tell. They said, “The land we traversed and scouted is an exceedingly good land.” They expressed their faith that G-d will aid them and we shall conquer the land. Yet, the Jewish people react by threatening to pelt them with stones.
The entire congregation cried, refusing to go up to the land. As a result, they were punished to stay in the desert forty years (one year for each day which the spies scouted the land).
Though all twelve of the spies saw the same land, ate the same fruit, and observed the same occupants, their reports could not have been more different. Calev and Joshua saw the good in the land while the ten spies saw only negative.
In Psalms, chapter 128, we read: May the L-rd bless you O Zion, and may you see the goodness of Jerusalem all the days of your life.” It is indeed a special blessing to see the good of Jerusalem.
You probably heard the story of the wealthy man who traveled first class on the train from Moscow to Warsaw. When asked how he enjoyed the trip, he replied that the ride and service in first class was great. However, he was upset that the people in third class, who paid a fraction of what he paid for his first class ticket, saw through their windows the same sights and scenery as him…”
We must learn the lesson of this week’s Parsha about the sin of the ten spies. Instead of looking at Israel through the window of the bias world media, we must, as instructed in the Psalms, search and, “See the goodness of Jerusalem.” May G-d spread His canopy of peace over Israel. Amen.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY