B"H

Monday, Sivan 20, 5781 / May 31, 2021

This week’s Parsha is Shlach. The Parsha begins with the story of the twelve spies which Moshe sent to scout and spy the land of Canaan (Israel), before they entered there. The spies crisscrossed the land for a period of forty days and came back with their report. Ten of the twelve spies came back with a negative report and the other two brought back a positive report. As a result of the report of the ten spies the Jewish people refused to go into the land. As a result, G-d punished them by making them stay in the desert for another 38 years. One year in the desert for each day the spies were in the land.

Even the ten spies admitted that it was a prosperous land, a land of milk and honey, but claimed that it would be impossible to conquer it because of the giants who inhabited the land.

The people lost their faith in G-d and refused to ahead. G-d kept them in the desert until that generation died out. Only their children evntually merited to go into the Promised Land, 38 years later.

The Talmud tells the following story: The descendants of Ishmael and Keturah, who were descendants of Abraham, came before Alexander the Great, claiming, “The land of Canaan (Israel) where the Jews now live, belongs to us too. Our ancestors and theirs were all sons of Abraham, to whom G-d promised the land. We should also inherit a portion of the land together with the Jews.

The Sages sent Geviha ben Pesisa to Alexander’s court to present their case and refute the argument of the Ishmaelites and Keturites.

Geviah ben Pesisa said to them, “On what basis do you present your case against us?”

“We will present our claim based on your Torah,” they replied. “It is written in the Torah that Abraham had a son Ishmael from Hagar and sons from Ketura. We, who are descendants of Abraham through Hagar and Ketura, also have a claim to the land which G-d promised Abraham.”

“In that case,” said Gviah, “I will also bring proof from the Torah that Israel belongs only to us. The Torah says that, Abraham gave everything he possessed to his son Yitzchak, and to his other sons he gave gifts and sent them away from his son Yitzchak while he (Abraham) was still alive.”

“Here we see that during his lifetime, Abraham divided all his possessions. To his other sons he gave gifts and sent them away while to his son Yitzchak he gave everything else, including the Promised Land. We, Jews, as descendants of Yitzchak, are the only one’s who have the right to the Land of Israel. Therefore, your claim to the land is not valid,” concluded Geviha ben Pesisa. He won the case.

It is a story worth remembering as history keeps on repeating itself. Throughout history others claimed that the land of Israel belongs to them. In this week’s Parsha we read how the first Jews came into Israel. It was for 40 days only, but 38 years later, Joshua led the Jewish people into their permanent home – the Land which G-d gave Abraham for an everlasting inheritance to the Jewish people. The people of Israel and the Land of Israel are eternally united with an eternal bond.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY