Dov's Den

The parsha called Shelach Lecha is in the “Book of BaMidbar”, or, “In the Wilderness”. This book is called the “Book Numbers” in English. This parsha presents a pivotal moment in the history of the Jewish People.

Earlier, the people had come to Moses and said, ‘Sure, this Promised Land© business sounds great, but could someone go and check it out before we make a commitment?’

In Shelach Lecha, G-d tells Moses he can send spies into the land. They can go and report back to the Israelites and hopefully stop them from whining. Moses chooses 12 men, a prince from each tribe, including Caleb ben Yephuneh, from the tribe of Judah, and Hoshea ben Nun from Ephraim. Before they leave, Moses changes Hoshea’s name to Yehoshua, or Joshua. This is the same Joshua who will, roughly 40 years later, “Fit the Battle of Jericho”. In fact, Joshua and Caleb will be the only two members of that generation, the generation that remembered slavery, to reach the Promised Land. Joshua is Moses’ successor.

The spies scout out the beautiful, wondrous Promised Land, and after forty days they return to the Israelites. On the way, they stop in a marvelous valley, with amazing fruit. They cut a cluster of grapes so big that two men needed to carry it on a pole between them. They called the valley Eshkol Valley, or ‘Cluster’ valley. They also brought back some figs and pomegranates.

Back at the camp, the spies report to Moses and the assembled Children of Israel all that they have seen. They say there’s good news and bad news. The good news is the land truly flows with milk and honey. But…

And with that ‘but’, things took a major turn for the worse. They said the country was impregnable, the inhabitants fierce, the cities fortified. Joshua and Caleb, their blood boiling, stood up and said that what the other spies were saying was nonsense, and that since G-d had promised them the land, they should get moving immediately.

The other spies now resort to ‘spreading evil reports’ about the land that they saw. They say that the inhabitants were supernatural giants, and that the spies were like ‘grasshoppers in their sight’. The people panic, and they rebel. This is the second parsha in series of three that concerns the Children of Israel rebelling against G-d. The parsha before this one had them rebelling because of food, and the next parsha, Korach, deals with the insurrection of Korach and his followers. This rebellion, however, is by far the most serious, and has the most serious ramifications, both physically and metaphysically, ramifications that have had an effect on the Jewish people right up to this day.

The Children of Israel demand a new Captain, one who will lead them back to Egypt! Moses and Aaron fall on their faces in exasperation, Caleb and Joshua rend their garments, and they rise up to defend Moses, G-d, and the Holy Enterprise. The people go to stone Caleb and Joshua, and suddenly the camp of the Israelites is a madhouse.

Now, the Glory of G-d descends on the Tent of Meeting, and G-d addresses Moses in front of all the people. “How long must I put up with this people? They witnessed miracles in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and at Sinai, and yet still they doubt me?” G-d then offers to destroy the entire Nation, and build a new Nation from Moses. This is not the first time G-d has made this offer. The Torah says that Moses was the most humble of men, however, and he declines G-d’s generous offer, and pleads for the Children of Israel. G-d relents, but he says that no one in that generation over the age of 20 will reach the Promised Land, save Joshua and Caleb; the rest will die in the desert.

According the Chassidic tradition, this is a foul up of epic proportions, on a scale of Eden that affected all plains of existence. G-d’s plan was for the Children of Israel to receive the Torah at Sinai, and from there enter the Promised Land a “nation of priests and Holy people”. Lead by Moses, they would build the Holy Temple, and form a perfect society based on Torah, with Peace, Love and Understanding for all. The Temple built by Moses would be perfect, and we would truly be a “light unto the Nations”.

As a people we made the wrong choice, and we were denied the privilege of entering the land immediately. We were forced to wander in the Wilderness for 40 years. Instead of Moses’ Perfect Temple, we are given Solomon’s imperfect Temple. Instead of building a perfect society based on Torah, we built an imperfect society.

G-d’s decree that we must wander in the desert for forty long years was made when the Children of Israel were camped a mere 11 day’s journey from the Promised Land.

The decree was handed down on the Ninth of Av. This was the first great tragedy to occur on this sorrowful day, which would see the destruction of both Holy Temples, the suppression and persecution of the Bar Kochba revolt, and the Expulsion from Spain.