B"H

Friday, Sivan 22, 5784 / June 28, 2024

This week's Parsha, in the Diaspora, is Shlach. The Parsha begins with the story of the spies that Moshe sent to scout the land of Canaan (Israel) which G-d promised to give to the Jewish people.  Yet, instead of returning and encouraging the people to go up and conquer the land, ten of the spies brought back a negative report which discouraged the people. 

They brought back fruits from the land. The fruits were remarkably big.  Displaying the huge fruits, they told of the giants who live in the land, thus discouraging the people from going. They concluded their report by saying, "The land through which we have passed is a land which eats up its inhabitants!”

The people were so distressed that they wanted to go back to Egypt, refusing to go into the Promised Land.  G-d punished them and instead of continuing to the Promised Land they stayed in the desert for forty years, until all those who refused to go to Israel died.

Q.   What is the connection between the end of the previous Parsha, Bha'alotcha, where the Torah tells us about Miriam and her affliction, and the beginning of this Parsha, the story of the spies?

A.  Last week's Parsha concluded with Miriam speaking negatively about Moshe and the punishment she received as a result.  The Torah records the story of the spies immediately after, for they should have learned a lesson from Miriam's punishment and not spoken negatively about the Promised Land.

Q.   Why did they describe the land as, "a land which eats up its inhabitants?"

A.  Many times G-d works in mysterious ways. In order that the spies should not be harmed, G-d brought a plague wherever the spies went.  Thus, the people of the land were busy burying their dead and did not pay attention to the spies. Had their faith in G-d been complete, the spies would have realized that this was for their benefit.  However, because they lacked faith in G-d's promise that the land was good, they attributed the deaths to, "A land which eats up its inhabitants!" 

Q.  The spies said that compared to the giants, “We were in our own eyes as grasshoppers and so were we in their eyes."  What lesson can we derive from this?

A.  Our rabbis explain, “The way a person is in their own eyes so too are they perceived by others.”  Had the spies been positive and confident in their mission, proudly remembering that they were Moshe’s messengers, they would have projected the same image onto the inhabitants of the land. However, with their negative attitude of themselves, they were viewed as small and meaningless by others too.

Lesson: When we do a mitzvah, performing our G-dly mission in this world, it is important to feel proud and positive about what we are doing.  This feeling will then be projected and transmitted to others.  They will look at us in a positive way and they too will be influenced to do the same.

SHABBAT SHALOM

Montreal candle lighting time: 8:29 / Shabbat ends: 9:45

UNITED WE STAND WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY. MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW.