OU Israel Center Torah Tidbits - Parshat Shelach 5785
Our God and Our People Rabbi Moshe Hauer Page 8 From Crisis to Hope: Shelach’s Timeless Parenting Lesson Rebbetzin Zemira Ozarowski Page 50
Rabbi
Rabbi
“History Repeats Itself”
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh
Rabbi
Rabbi
Rabbi Sam Shor
This Time, We Feel Ready
Rabbi Moshe Taragin
Rope of Redemption
Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman
From Crisis to Hope: Shelach’s Timeless Parenting Lesson
Rebbetzin Zemira Ozarowski
Rav Kook: Divine is in the Details
Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider
He Wants a Certain TypeBut They Don’t Want Him
Aleeza Ben Shalom - Shagririm Balev
From Destruction to Construction: A 21-Day Challenge
Jen Airley
The Y-Files Comic
Epstein To read this weeks Dvar Torah by Rabbi Daniel Mann see
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I’ve been living in Israel since 2021, and since started a Tzitzit Tying business (called Holy Knots). I love everything about Tzitzit, especially Tchellet. I love learning new things about Tchellet, especially tying. I love this image because it shows some of the many different ways to tie the newly-discovered Tchellet. May we all be Zocheh to fulfill this amazing Mitzvah in its entirety, Amen!
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Rabbi Avi Berman Executive Director, OU Israel
While Shabbat is so inspiring and amazing every week, it definitely is the hardest day for me to be out of the country and away from my family. The inability to stay connected is very tough. Take into account time differences like being in Vancouver, where Shabbat is over nowadays at around 10:30pm, and I would only be talking to them on Sunday. That is why every Friday morning, no matter where I am in the world, I spend time talking to each and every one of my children, giving them berachot over the phone and following up with them on how their week was. I tell them how much I missed them, how much I love them, and then I wish them a beautiful Shabbat, even though I am not with them. Now, this isn’t easy in normal times. But this past Shabbat, knowing that missiles were falling in Israel, knowing that some of my own children are in Gaza, and not knowing what is happening, I think anyone can understand how difficult that is as a father. I wasn’t truly worried, and I have tremendous faith in HaKadosh Baruch Hu, but the anxiety of not knowing is really so hard. Beyond that, not being able to be with my family at a time like
The OU Israel Family sends heartfelt condolences to Brian Frolinger and family on the untimely passing of his wife
this, to help comfort them and be a calming presence, is so challenging. I have endless thanks to my wife and children and everyone around us that are holding up the fort, so to speak, and doing such a wonderful job about it, and I miss them dearly.
I am writing these words as I am sitting in Vancouver, British Columbia, after my flight back to Israel was canceled, and it remains unclear when flights will resume. I am one of 100,000 other Israelis trying to figure out when they’ll be able to get home, and about 40,000 tourists that are in Israel asking themselves when they’ll be able to leave Israel.
These are real issues happening right now. But let’s leave these aside and look at the bigger picture. We are living through historic times for the world. And Israel is at the forefront of this. People all over the world who know what is going on are thanking us for protecting the world. We are really serving as an or lagoyim, a light unto the nations.
I could tell that this is in the minds of many people in North America when I arrived in Vancouver on Tuesday to the Jewish community. When they saw me, I saw the faces of so many Vancouver Jews brighten, eager to speak with me and connect to Israel through me. It is evident how proud they are of Israel.
I gave a number of talks on Friday night to young professionals in Vancouver, and spoke to Congregation Schara Tzedeck on Shabbat morning to hundreds of people who came. I had the zechut to use the blessing that Hashem gave me and uplift
them and inspire them with words of strength and words of emunah . After davening Shabbat morning, amongst the tens of people who came over to thank me, was an Iranian Jew who shared that he sat in prison in solitary confinement and horrible treatment with no idea why for 17 months, and another 24 months in jail. He told me that this was the happiest day of his life and thank you Israel for existing because the cruelty of the Iranian regime needs to be demolished in this world.
At seudah shelishit, I told the stories of different heroes of Israel we’ve had over the past 20 months. This is a community that is so proud to be Jewish and Zionistic, so proud to continue developing its relationship with God and thanking the Ribono Shel Olam for the endless miracles that are happening. Thank you to Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt for the warm hospitality and opening his community to me.
This is the bigger picture. The good that Israel is doing for the world. The recognition that so many in the world have and are proud to be supporters of the State of Israel. And the pride of Jews around the world for Israel and their thanks to HaKadosh Baruch Hu for the incredible miracles He’s doing for us.
May we all have the ability to continue looking at the big picture. And may we see this as an opportunity for all of our brothers from around the world to come home and understand that “Hen am k’lavi yakum ve’cha’ari yitnasah”, a people who rise like a lion and lift themselves up like a lion (Bamidbar 23:24), is not just words that we’ll be reading just in a
number is 157,600. The total count of the army age men is 603,550 without the tribe of Levi.
The people travel and camp with the Mishkan in their midst. Physically and metaphorically. We travel our history with G-d in our midst. While the distinct feeling you get in the detailed description of where each tribe encamped is the feeling of an army encampment, there is another layer of meaning. Yes, regimented. Specific. Detailed. Organized. But an army for which purpose? To fight the anticipated foes in the Land of Israel? Or to be the army of Hashem? A fighting army with its G-d in its midst? Or both?
few weeks from lines describing us three and a half thousand years ago. These are words that continue to be true today. With them, be’ezrat Hashem, we will overcome all of our enemies and have much better times for the Jewish people.
Wishing you all an uplifting and inspiring Shabbat,
Rabbi Avi Berman
Executive Director, OU Israel aberman@ouisrael.org
4th aliya (3:1-13) Aharon’s sons’ names were Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Itamar. Nadav and Avihu died without children. Elazar and Itamar serve as Kohanim with Aharon. Take the Leviim: they are to serve Aharon. The Leviim are responsible for the Mishkan: to support the Kohanim and the people, to facilitate the running of the Mishkan. The Leviim shall take the place of the first-born, who became obligated to me when saved in Egypt.
There are 2 groups mentioned here: Kohanim and Leviim. The lineage of the Kohanim is given. It just doesn’t take much room. Because Aharon is a Kohen and his sons. But he only has 2. So the entire lineage of the Kohanim is 3 people. The Leviim, on the other hand, are an entire tribe,
Every person who was not born in Israel and lives in the Holy Land should celebrate his/her ALIYANNIVERSARY annually! REMEMBER! WITH ALIYAH BLESSINGS! The NEAMANS
descendants lineage, next households the and from camp was curtains 8,600, responsible Table, camping structure ports Levi the ilies had 3 of the The on Gershon, responsibility fell furniture. care the And replace
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OU EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Our God and Our People
During these very difficult days, not only do others challenge our sacred and inherent connection to the holy land of Eretz Yisrael, but they also threaten our very existence. In response, we must rise to the challenge by embracing both our mission defined by God to serve as His goy kadosh, His holy nation, and our firm commitment to support and protect each other and tie our own identity and fate to our people.
That duality is not unique to these time as in Judaism there is no gap between shul and state. As Rav Yitzchak Hutner noted, the words Shema Yisrael, “Hear O Israel”, are not just an introduction but an essential part of the Jew’s declaration of faith: our connection to God and our national identity are inextricably intertwined (Pachad Yitzchak, Chanukah, 13:3). This is a truism that has been repeated in different forms and every generation, from Ruth’s statement to Naami, “Your nation is my nation, and your God is my God,” to the once-assimilated Herzl’s declaration that “Zionism is the return to Judaism even before the return to the land of Israel.”
Heartfelt condolences to Dov Frolinger and family on the passing of his wife and to Irving Grabin and family on the passing of his sister Minnie Frolinger
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Redemption in the story of the spies likewise came from two angles. Yehoshua and Calev both resisted their peers and refused to join them in turning the hearts of their people away from the Land of Israel, yet their resistance had two very different sources. Yehoshua drew his strength from a prayer uttered on his behalf and made a part of his identity by his teacher Moshe, who pleaded that “God should save you from the plot of the spies”, whereas Calev made a detour to visit Chevron, where he prayed at the graves of the patriarchs that he not be swayed by his fellow spies (Rashi to Bamidbar 13:16 and 13:22).
Yehoshua was the ultimate disciple of Moshe. Both were more associated with God than with Israel. Moshe – the Ish HaElokim (Man of God) – was raised outside of his family in the house of Pharaoh, and then – after growing up and leaving that house –was removed from his nation as well, to live and raise his family in the land of Midian. Moshe was distanced by God from both his rootsand his branches, as his children did not succeed him nor even follow in his ways in any notable manner. He was a man of God more than a man of the people. Yehoshua,
his student, joined Moshe in his Divine isolation, waiting for Moshe at the foot of the mountain (Shemot 24:13, 32:17) and never leaving Moshe’s tent (Shemot 33:11). And, like Moshe, Yehoshua did not have children who succeeded him (Megillah 14b).
What protected Yehoshua, the man of God, from joining with the spies? God’s repeated wish and command that the Jewish people enter the land of Israel. God saved him from the plot of the spies.
Calev, on the other hand, was a man of the people. Calev would marry Miriam, who questioned how Moshe could leave his family for the sake of pursuing the word of God (Bamidbar 12:1). Calev and Miriam would together create the offspring that would ultimately result in the Davidic dynasty (TB Sotah 11b), producing the king charged with the national destiny of the Jewish people, whose heart is the heart of the Jewish community (Rambam Hilchot Melachim 3:6).
What protected Calev, the man of the people, from joining the spies? His familial and national identity. Calev visited his forefathers buried in Chevron where he was reminded of his roots and destiny in Eretz Yisrael. That visit and vision precluded him from joining with the spies in rejecting the land that represents both the past and the future of his people.
Redemption comes from these two kinds of heroes and sources of strength that inevitably merge: our commitment to the word of God and our bond with our nation, our identity, and our destiny. During these especially challenging times, we redouble our commitment to the Jewish people and to our mission as Hashem’ holy nation. Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad.
For the Lord will not forsake his people, nor forsake his inheritance.
And... Ashkelon has become the safest place in the countr y now!
Aliya-by-Aliya
Sedra Summary
SEDRA SUMMARY
RABBI REUVEN TRADBURKS
RCA Israel Region ALIYA-BY-ALIYA
Rabbi Reuven Tradburks
RCA ISRAEL REGION
In memory of Evelyn Rivers a”h
Mother of Reuven Tradburks
PARSHAT SHELACH
1ST ALIYA (BAMIDBAR
13:1-20)
Moshe is instructed to send leaders, 1 per tribe, to tour the Land. Their names are listed. They are to travel from the Negev to the mountainous area. To see the land, the people, the cities and the fertility: assess them and bring back produce.
Rashi says that Moshe was given the discretion to send spies; it was his choice. Why then did he send them? Given the bad outcome, in retrospect it seems like a bad error in judgement.
Perhaps the three confrontations of the last parsha have made Moshe skittish. If they complain about meat and about my leadership, who knows what kind of rebellion could come from the challenges of entering the Land. After all, entering the Land means conquering it through war. Some will want to do that. Some will not. We could have a civil war. Moshe must have wondered what the best strategy would be to get the people on board and avoid conflict.
He must have thought that the best way to avoid the civil war was to enlist the support of the 12 leaders of the tribes. With their support, the people will feel more willing to shoulder the challenges of entering the Land. Sounds like a good idea.
2ND ALIYA (13:21-14:7)
So travel they did; entering from the south, traveling north to Hevron, where descendants of the giants lived. They gathered grapes, pomegranates and figs, returning after 40 days, reporting to Moshe, Aharon and the people, showing them the fruits. They said: it is a Land of milk and honey. The people are strong, cities heavily fortified, and we saw giants. Many nations dwell there, including Amalek. Calev interrupted: Let’s go and take this Land, we can do it. The others answered: no, we can’t. They slandered the Land, offering that we are grasshoppers in the eyes of the people of the Land. The people challenged Moshe and Aharon: better that we had died in Egypt or here in the desert rather than die trying to take the Land. Moshe and Aharon are despondent, ripping their clothes. Yehoshua said: the Land is very, very good.
The spy’s mission backfires. Instead of getting buy-in from the leaders, the leaders are scared. They are worried, unconvinced that the war will be successful. The leaders are scared and the people are not far behind.
There are many themes running through this story. We could look at the story and try to analyze the motives of the people, what they were thinking, why they lacked faith; all important themes.
But we can also look at the story as a paradigm. What is the story teaching us about the dynamic of Jewish history? Or of the interaction of leaders and followers. Or of the interplay of G-d and man in the entry to
One paradigm we could extract is in Moshe’s decision making. And in this there is a powerful and enduring lesson. Moshe made a terrible error in judgement in sending the spies. But that is in hindsight. In real time, following a series of little rebellions from the people, he was faced with a quandary as to how to prevent a big rebellion, a civil war. Moshe has been embattled. The people complained 3 times in last week’s parsha; one complaint wasn’t even spelled out, then followed by dissatisfaction with the manna and wanting meat, and that followed by his very own brother and sister criticizing him. If lack of meat makes them question Moshe’s leadership, how much more so the upcoming war. Moshe desperately sought a remedy for what he saw was an impending rebellion. His decision seemed wise at the time, designed to prevent this civil war; sending spies. And it turned tragic.
The lesson to us could well be, and I say this in our current national turmoil, not meaning to take any sides: decisions that leaders have to make are, well, they are tough to get right. Moshe did what he thought was best and it turned out bad – and that is Moshe, the greatest leader we ever had. If he erred, we can be sure that leaders over the years, lesser people than Moshe, will inevitably use their best judgement and sometimes just get it wrong. It doesn’t mean they are bad people. Just that they are wrong.
3RD ALIYA (14:8-25)
Yehoshua said: if G-d wants, He will bring us there. But do not rebel against Him. The people wanted to stone him. G-d said to Moshe: how long will these people annoy me, after all the miracles I have done?
I will wipe them out and make you a great nation. Moshe countered: You can’t do that. It will appear as if You lack the power to bring them into the land. Gird Yourself, God, and be merciful. G-d said: I forgive them as you have said. But. These people, witnesses to all the miracles who now balk; they will not enter the Land, save Calev.
This story of the spies is one of the 2 national failures of the Torah, right beside the golden calf. In fact, G-d’s response here is almost identical to His response there: let Me wipe them out and make you Moshe the new nation. And Moshe’s response here too is identical to there. If you wipe them out, people will assume You are good at taking the people out of Egypt. But You can’t bring the people to the Land. Your power is limited.
Moshe pleads: G-d relents. And that is a powerful lesson, the same lesson as the Golden Calf. They are both stories of failure, to be sure. But more crucially, they are both stories of forgiveness. G-d wanted to destroy the Jewish people. But He didn’t. He didn’t at the golden calf. And He doesn’t here.
Of course, we only know of that near destruction of the people and Moshe’s pleading to save them because we were given a glimpse beyond the veil, privy to the exchange between G-d and Moshe. The people down the mountain never know this. All they know is that they are punished with 40 years in the desert, never to see the Land.
And that is the power of this story. This story is the peek behind the veil. G-d wants to destroy us. Moshe pleads. We are saved. It is the story of what could have been but wasn’t. Does 40 years in the desert seem harsh? Well, not when juxtaposed to the alternative: destruction of the entire people. We see 40
years as bad. No, no, no. 40 years is generosity. Forgiveness. Mercy. Love.
We are at such a disadvantage when viewing the tragedies of Jewish history. Because we only see what actually happens; we never see what could have happened. What we see may look terrible. But what could have been might be so much worse.
We must be oh so careful when thinking we can surmise the Divine way. This story teaches us: we never know what could have been, what may have been. It could have been the destruction of our people. But it wasn’t; it was only a 40-year delay. The 40 years in the desert looks like a tragedy. But it is actually Divine love; He did not destroy us. Only delayed us.
4TH ALIYA (14:26-15:7)
G-d told Moshe and Aharon to tell the people: As you have said, so will it be. You will not enter the Land. You all will die in the desert. Your children will enter the Land. The number of days you toured will be the number of years in the desert, 40 years. The people mourned. They attempted to rectify their error by arising early to their journey, but Moshe warned them that G-d is not with them. They suffered defeat. Moshe instructed: when you settle in the Land and bring offerings, bring flour, oil and wine with the offerings. This will be pleasing to G-d.
While the people are told that they will all die in the desert, they are also told they will enter the Land. Well, not them, but their children. That is the crucial element of this story: the commitment of G-d to His people is unchanged. His plan was merely delayed. This is the story of love of G-d for His people. While the timetable has been altered, the commitment He has made to bring us to the Land is in full force.
5TH ALIYA (15:8-16)
A bull offering’s flour, oil and wine amounts are higher than for sheep. Everyone brings these similar libations: one law for all.
This very short aliya is a continuation of the previous aliya in which the flour, oil and wine amounts are given for offerings of sheep or rams. The previous aliya did not want to end with the tragedy of the story of the spies. Instead, it ended with the phrase “a pleasing aroma to G-d”.
In fact, this description of the libations is encouragement. You will make it to the Land. And you will bring offerings there. You will bring flour, oil and wine that accompany the offerings. Those things are the finest of the produce of the Land. On the heels of the sentence of 40 years in the desert is the promise that you will harvest wheat, olives and grapes in your Land. You may be suffering now due to this terrible sin of the spies. But good times await you. And I, G-d says, want you to approach Me with your full noble station of life: your fine flour, finest olive oil and the joy of wine.
6TH ALIYA (15:17-26)
Upon entering the Land, the mitzvah of taking challah from bread dough begins. If an error is made and the entire people accidentally sin as a result, a sin offering of a bull is brought. Atonement is granted as the people sinned accidentally. The post spy encouragement continues. You will enter the Land. And you will have bread, not manna. In the midst of a crisis, it is hard to imagine the smoke clearing. But it does. And it will. You personally will not make it to the Land; but the Jewish people will.
Additionally, this sin that occurred, this national sin has been punished harshly with
40 years in the desert. But national sins will happen and will be forgiven; not by national exile but by a mere offering of a bull. Of course, that requires admitting the sin. When you are contrite, G-d says, I am there to grant forgiveness.
7TH ALIYA (15:27-41)
A chatat offering atones for an accidental sin. However, the soul is cut off for one who blasphemes G-d. A person was found chopping wood on Shabbat. He was sequestered, as Moshe and Aharon did not know what to do with him. They were told he was to be put to death. Place tzitzit on the corners of your garment as a reminder to do all the mitzvot and be holy to Me.
The lessons of leadership continue. Moshe and Aharon do not know what to do with the person found chopping wood on Shabbat. They have no problem admitting what they don’t know. A leader as great as Moshe does not have all the answers all the time. No shame in admitting that.
HAFTORAH: YEHOSHUA 2:1-24
The Torah portion discusses the twelve spies that were sent by Moshe to explore the Holy Land. We fast forward in our haftorah to the story of the spies that Yehoshua sent to scout the city of Yericho, prior to the Jewish people’s invasion of the Land.
The two spies arrive in Yericho and lodged at an inn operated by a woman named Rachav. When their presence is made known, she hides her guests and protects them from the king. She actually hid them on her rooftop.
The two spies assure her that they will protect her and her family when the Israelites enter and conquer the Land. She is to place
a scarlet thread in the window as a sign that her home is a place of safe haven.
The haftorah then dramatically describes Rachav providing a way for the men to safely escape. The men are able to grab onto a rope and lower themselves from her window. The spies are successful in exiting the city and return to Yehoshua with their report.
STATS
37th of the 54 sedras; 4th of 10 in Bamidbar. Written on 198 lines, ranks 25th. 10 Parshiyot; 7 open, 3 closed. 119 p’sukim, ranks 21, 6th / Bamidbar. 1540 words, ranks 27, 5th / Bamidbar. 5820 letters, ranks 27, 4th / Bamidbar. Shelach has shorter than average pesukim, which explains the drop in rank for words and letters, yet the rise in rank within Bamidbar indicates that there are sedras with even shorter p’sukim.
1558 words - ranks 24th. MITZVOT
3 mitzvot - 2 positives - Challah & Tzitzit, and 1 prohibition, not to follow the temptations of your heart and eyes. As we point out often, the distribution of mitzvot in the Torah is very uneven. With only 3 mitzvot, there are 25 sedras with fewer mitzvot than Shelach and 26 with more. 3 is the median number of mitzvot per sedra in the Torah. T’ruma and Chukat also have 3 mitzvot each.
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and our next step will be to plant a fruit tree. I never thought of myself as being the agricultural type, but the feeling of settling and planting a portion of Eretz Yisrael, has been truly euphoric. Iy”H, when we plant our tree, and eat the fruits that will grow one day, I think we will be able to truly appreciate that unique Kedusha found in the fruit of Eretz Yisrael!
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To conclude, when you buy your Tu B'shvat fruit this year, don’t search for those dried apricots and banana chips imported from Turkey. Rather, head over to the fresh produce and buy yourself some nice juicy
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THE PERSON in the parsha
THE PERSON IN THE PARSHA
BY RABBI DR. TZVI HERSH WEINREB OU EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, EMERITUS
BY RABBI DR. TZVI HERSH WEINREB OU EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, EMERITUS
“History Repeats Itself”
History repeats itself. I don't know the origin of that cliché, but I do know that our Sages held a similar point of view. "Ma’aseh avot siman labanim." What happened with ancestors is often a pattern that their descendants are destined to follow.
The repetitive nature of historical processes seems to be true in the stories of all nations and cultures. This is why historians such as Arnold Toynbee believed that history is cyclical, and they have been able to demonstrate that certain central issues recur repetitively in the history of the human race.
I remember reading, for example, in one of Toynbee's books, of how the lives of many world leaders are characterized by patterns of "withdrawal and return." Thus, for example, Moses went through a period of withdrawal in the desert of Midian and then returned to Egypt to lead his people out of slavery. Similarly, great figures in the history of Greece, of Rome, of medieval Europe, and of modern Western civilization endured periods of their lives when they were in prison or in other forms of voluntary or forced solitude, and were thus in a stage of "withdrawal." They then reemerged on the stage of leadership of their people, thereby entering a stage of "return".
In this week's Torah portion, Parshat Shelach, a pattern is laid down which has
been, tragically, repeated all too frequently in the history of our people. I speak of the pattern whereby a major portion of the Jewish leadership is opposed to entering the Land of Israel. Only a small and courageous minority says, "We should go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it."
(Numbers 13:30)
This week, we read the episodes of the spies. These men were a select group of talented and presumably pious individuals. They conducted their risky mission as it was assigned to them. They were to explore the Promised Land and determine the nature of its inhabitants and the nature of the terrain. This was, simply put, a preparation for entering the land, conquering it, and settling it once and for all.
But 10 of the 12 returned totally discouraged. I would say, literally discouraged; that is, their courage was undone. They said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we."
This was only the first, but definitely not the last, time in Jewish history that Jewish leadership was internally torn apart by discord. The event described in this week's Torah portion is but the first precedent of a recurring pattern in which a few heroic visionaries, Joshua and Caleb, can commit not only to enter the land themselves, but
to inspire their followers to do so. But these visionaries, alas, are only part of the pattern. The other part are those leaders who are too cowardly, too cautious, or too blind to lead their people to do all that is necessary to enter and to possess the Holy Land.
During the Babylonian Exile, only unique individuals like Ezra and Nehemiah were made of the same stuff as Joshua and Caleb. And only a small remnant of the Babylonian Exile followed them and returned to the land. The great majority of Jews and the great majority of the Jewish leaders remained behind in Babylon, ignominiously.
So frequently over the ensuing centuries did history repeat itself. Every so often, a pitifully small group of Jews from Persia and Morocco, from France, from the bastions of Hasidism in the Ukraine or at the prodding of the Gaon of Vilna, follow the path advocated by Joshua and Caleb. Against all odds, they do return to the land. But the vast majority of their brethren, sometimes for practical reasons and sometimes for ideological ones, choose to remain behind in the Diaspora. They follow the path of the other ten spies.
Every portion in the Torah has relevance to contemporary Jewish life. This has been the theme of these columns which I have been writing now every week for years. But this week's Torah portion is especially timely.
We live in an age where the ideal of return to Zion, which, after all, is the ideal preached so inspiringly by Joshua and Caleb, is beset by challenges from all sides.
We live in an age where the liberal intellectual community, composed to a great extent of fellow Jews, no longer accepts the ideal of a Jewish homeland for the Jewish people. At the very least, that community is willing to see
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the Holy Land shared by another people. And there are those of that community who totally delegitimize the notion of a return to Zion. More troubling to me however are those elements of the observant religious community who are antagonistic to the enterprise of the Jewish people living as a sovereign nation in the land promised to us by the Almighty himself. I know full well that there are legitimate ideological views for or against religious Zionism, and I am certainly cognizant of the faults and flaws of the government of the State of Israel. But I fail to see how anyone reading this week's Torah portion cannot be impressed by its central messages: We left Egypt with a promise to inherit a specific land flowing with milk and honey. We had the opportunity to enter that land very soon after the Exodus. We failed to appreciate the opportunity and we lost it. True, we didn't lose it entirely,
Gershon Agron Mamilla
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and it was only postponed for forty years; the blink of an eye from the perspective of the millennia of Jewish history.
The tragedy of Parshat Shelach transcends this one incident described there. Rather, the narrative of Parshat Shelach establishes a pattern which is repeated too often during our subsequent history: The conflict between foresight and fear, between courage and cowardice, between true faith and weaker faith, becomes an eternal theme in our history down to this very day.
I have come to learn, via the communications I receive from so many of you, dear readers, that you all listen quite attentively to each week's Torah portion. I challenge you, especially this week, to listen attentively to the narrative of the spies. And when it is over, I am quite confident that you will see the message it sends to our generation. It is the message of Joshua and Caleb. It is the message that says to the entire congregation of the children of Israel:
"The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it unto us – a land which flows with milk and honey. Only rebel not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us; their defense is removed from over them, and the Lord is with us; fear them not." (Numbers 14:7-9)
Dr. Harry Weisman
Former Assist. Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine; Div. of Endocrinology
The Book of Bamidbar is unique among the five Books of the Torah…
This volume is almost entirely limited to the description of the historical events and temporal commandments that mark the Israelites’ sojourn in the wilderness. Very few lasting Mitzvot are recorded in Sefer Bamidbar.
With the month of Nissan upon us, we return to the story of our nation’s birth, as Moshe rises to leadership and the exodus again unfolds.
Given the nature of its content, questions could well be raised about this book. What place does Bamidbar occupy within the eternal Torah text?
Moshe’s yearly introduction in the text, however, is cause for pause. For some reason, the Torah chooses to introduce the birth of the greatest leader we have ever knownin the most innocuous way possible.
Why are the time-bound details of Bamidbar significant enough to record for posterity? In what way is this text relevant for later generations?
“And a man went from the House of Levi and he took a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and gave birth to a son.”
Questions abound:
The answer to these questions begins with the acceptance of a fundamental truth:
"sound and light show"; impressing the observers in transient but not in lasting fashion.
Parsha that follows (why the information is given at that particular point is the subject of another article).
From this perspective, the time spent at Sinai achieves its significance in retrospect.
If the information concerning Moshe’s lineage is eventually shared, why is it left out in the first place?
What, however, is the verdict regarding the lasting impact of Revelation upon the people? Are the Israelites ultimately successful in their transition from Sinai?
Numerous commentaries address the issues before us…
The parshiot unfolding before us reveal a mixed verdict concerning these questions.
Working within the realm of pshat, the Ibn Ezra suggests that, at the time of Moshe’s birth, the Israelites lived in many cities in Egypt. Through the phrase, “And a man went,” the Torah is simply informing us that Amram “went” from one Egyptian city to another in order to marry Yocheved.
On the one hand, the specific generation that witnesses Revelation fails its ultimate test. "Like a child running away from school," the Israelites leave Sinai with alacrity, anxious to rid themselves of the obligations thrust upon them by divine law. Their immediate rebellion launches a series of cascading calamities culminating in the sin of the spies, the transgression that seals their fate in the wilderness. On a temporal level, the departure from Sinai clearly leads to failure.
Perhaps the Ibn Ezra intends to emphasize that Yosef’s plan for his family’s descent into Egypt has, by this point, broken down. Originally meant to remain separate from the Egyptians in the land of Goshen, the Israelites are assimilating into their surroundings.
Why does the Torah depart from its usual mode of describing an individual’s birth?
The most important moment of Revelation is the moment the Israelites leave Har Sinai
What does the seemingly superfluous phrase “and a man went…” indicate?
Why does the Torah omit any mention of Moshe’s lineage- to the point where even the names of his parents are deliberately omitted?
Above all, is this any way to introduce a hero?
Compounding these questions is the fact that the omitted information concerning Moshe’s lineage is ultimately included in the
The instant of the nation’s departure from Sinai determines the quality of all that has come before. If the Israelites leave the site of Revelation changed by the experience; carrying the Torah with them and within them; then the dramatic events of Sinai will have achieved their purpose. If, however, upon leaving the site of Revelation, the people leave Sinai behind, then those miraculous proceedings will have been little more than a divinely orchestrated
On the other hand, despite the failure of the Generation of the Exodus, Revelation does successfully launch the majestic story of the Jewish People. Transcending the tragedies of the moment, a nation is forged at the foot of Sinai; a people that will be bound, across time and place, by the commandments and values of Torah law. In a timeless, eternal dimension, the departure from Sinai leads to success.
The Ramban, however, takes issue with the Ibn Ezra’s interpretation, arguing that the Torah would have no reason to inform us concerning a journey taken by Amram from one city to another.
Instead, maintains the Ramban, the verb lalachet, “to go,” is often used in the text when a new and difficult step is about to be taken. By stating, Veyeilech ish, “And a man went,” the Torah underscores Amram’s courageous willingness to marry in spite of Pharaoh’s harsh decrees.
The Ramban’s approach connects to a
The Torah’s interplay between the transitory and the eternal, so evident at the moment of the nation's departure from Sinai, is the key to the understanding of the Book of Bamidbar.
As noted above, on the surface, this book appears to outline events rooted in the past with little apparent application to our lives. The detailed preparations for the departure from Sinai, the departure itself, the ensuing rebellions and their tragic aftermath, the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, all seem specific to a long-gone time and place. Few lasting Mitzvot emerge from the text and the stories therein do not possess the timeless character of many of the classic tales found in the other four books of the Torah.
The Ramban describes the uniqueness of Bamidbar’s character in his introduction to the book:
"This book [concerns itself] completely with the temporal commandments that were transmitted to them (the Israelites) during their sojourn in the wilderness and with the miracles that were afforded to them… there are within this book no lasting Mitzvot, other than a few in relation to the Korbanot which were first introduced in the Book of the Kohanim (Vayikra) but were not there fully explained…"
And yet, when we move beyond the timebound specificity of the narrative, eternal lessons begin to emerge.
Properly understood, the journey from Sinai represents, not only the passage of those present at that historic moment, but the launch of our national journey across the ages.
The events described in Sefer Bamidbar thus speak across the ages, carrying lessons that can have powerful impact on our lives.
God's instructions to the nation prior to their departure from Sinai reveal the human elements He considers critical not only to the success of that generation’s mission but to the success of the entire Jewish enterprise.
The tragic shortcomings of our ancestors
are powerfully relevant, revealing inherent flaws that threaten our own personal and communal achievements, as well.
Even the sudden disappearance from the text of the Israelites’ forty years of wilderness wandering transmits a powerful message. The number forty in the text always seems to indicate a “birthing process” (e.g. the forty-day flood, leading to the birth of a new world; Moshe’s forty-day sojourns to the summit of Har Sinai; giving birth to a new nation). 1
The Israelites’ forty years in the wilderness “gives birth” to a new generation; cementing their relationship with God and effecting essential changes in the developing nation's psyche. Rather than describing the details of the journey, the Torah focuses on its impact. In this way, the text challenges us to discern the transformations that have taken place and to recognize that each new generation inhabits its own world, vastly different from all other generations, past and future.
With the departure from Sinai serving as the turning point; the momentous event towards which the first half of Sefer Bamidbar leads and from which the second half descends; this book of the Torah emerges as a blueprint for our journey across time. The ancient passage of our ancestors- bamidbar, in the wildernessyields surprising lessons that continue to shape our lives.
1. Additional support for the connection between the number forty and “birth” strikingly emerges from an unexpected source. The Talmud maintains (Yevamot 69b) that forty days of gestation marks a major turning point in the development of a human fetus.
Rabbi Goldin is the author of the OU Press volumes "Unlocking the Torah Text," and "Unlocking the Haggada."
COVENANT & CONVERSATION
THOUGHTS ON THE WEEKLY PARSHA
Thoughts on the Weekly Parsha
RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS ZT"L
RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS ZT"L
FORMER CHIEF RABBI OF THE UNITED HEBREW CONGREGATIONS OF THE COMMONWEALTH
FORMER CHIEF RABBI OF THE UNITED HEBREW CONGREGATIONS OF THE COMMONWEALTH
May the learning of these Divrei Torah be
HaRav Ya'akov Zvi ben David Arieh zt"l
The Real World
The episode of the spies has rightly puzzled commentators throughout the centuries. How could they have got it so wrong? The land, they said, was as Moses had promised. It was indeed “flowing with milk and honey.” But conquering it was impossible. “The people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of the giant there… We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are… All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the titans there… We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so we seemed in theirs” (Num. 13: 28-33).
They were terrified of the inhabitants of the land, and entirely failed to realise that the inhabitants were terrified of them. Rahab, the prostitute in Jericho, tells the spies sent by Joshua a generation later: “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you … our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Joshua 2:10-11).
The truth was the exact opposite of the spies’ report. The inhabitants feared the Israelites more than the Israelites feared the inhabitants. We hear this at the start of the story of Bilaam:
“Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.” Earlier the Israelites themselves had sung at the Red Sea: “The people of Canaan will melt away; terror and dread will fall on them.” (Ex. 15:15-16)
How then did the spies err so egregiously? Did they misinterpret what they saw? Did they lack faith in God? Did they – more likely – lack faith in themselves? Or was it simply, as Maimonides argues in The Guide for the
Perplexed, that their fear was inevitable given their past history? They had spent most of their lives as slaves. Only recently had they acquired their freedom. They were not yet ready to fight a prolonged series of battles and establish themselves as a free people in their own land. That would take a new generation, born in freedom. Humans change, but not that quickly (Guide III, 32).
Most of the commentators assume that the spies were guilty of a failure of nerve, or faith, or both. It is hard to read the text otherwise. However, in the Hassidic literature – from the Baal Shem Tov to R. Yehudah Leib Alter of Ger (Sefat Emet) to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson – an entirely different line of interpretation emerged, reading the text against the grain to dramatic effect so that it remains relevant and powerful today. According to their interpretation, the spies were well-intentioned. They were, after all, “princes, chieftains, leaders” (Num. 13:2-3). They did not doubt that Israel could win its battles with the inhabitants of the land. They did not fear failure; they feared success. Their concern was not physical but spiritual. They did not want to leave the wilderness. They did not want to become just another nation among the nations of the earth. They did not want to lose their unique relationship with God in the reverberating silence of the desert, far removed from civilization and its discontents.
Here they were close to God, closer than any generation before or since. He was a palpable presence in the Sanctuary in their midst, and in the Clouds of Glory that surrounded them. Here His people ate manna from heaven and water from the rock and experienced miracles daily. So long as they stayed in the desert under God’s sheltering
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canopy, they did not need to plough the earth, plant seeds, gather harvests, defend a country, run an economy, maintain a welfare system, or shoulder any of the other earthly burdens and distractions that take peoples’ minds away from the Divine.
Here, in no-man’s-land, in liminal space, suspended between past and future, they were able to live with a simplicity and directness of encounter they could not hope to find once they had re-entered the gravitational pull of everyday life in the material world. Paradoxically, since a desert is normally the exact opposite of a garden, the wilderness was the Israelites’ Eden. Here they were as close to God as were the first humans before their loss of innocence.
If that comparison is too discordant, recall that Hosea and Jeremiah both compared the wilderness to a honeymoon. Hosea said in the name of God: “I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her” (Hos. 2:16), implying that in the future God would take the people back there to celebrate a second honeymoon. Jeremiah said in God’s name, “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness, through a land not sown” (Jer. 2:2). For both prophets, the wilderness years were the time of the first love between God and the Israelites. That is what the spies did not want to leave.
Clearly this interpretation is not the plain sense of the narrative, but we should not dismiss it on that account. It is, as it were, a psychoanalytical reading, an account of the unconscious mindset of the spies. They did not want to let go of the intimacy and innocence of childhood and enter the adult world.
Sometimes it is hard for parents to let go of their children; at others it is the other way round. But there must be a measure of separation if children are to become responsible adults. Ultimately the spies feared freedom and its responsibilities.
But that is what Torah is about. Judaism is not a religion of monastic retreat from the world. It is supremely a religion of engagement with the world. The Torah is a template for the construction of a society with all its gritty details: laws of warfare and welfare, harvests and livestock, loans and employer-employee relationships, the code of a nation in its land, part of the real world of politics and economics, yet somehow pointing to a better world where justice and compassion, love of the neighbour and stranger, are not remote ideals but part of the texture of everyday life. God chose Israel to make His presence visible in the world, and that means that Israel must live in the world.
To be sure, the Jewish people were not without their desert-dwellers and ascetics. The Qumran sect known to us from the Dead Sea Scrolls was such a group. The Talmud speaks of R. Shimon bar Yochai in similar terms. Having lived for thirteen years in a cave, he could not bear to see people engaged in such earthly pursuits as ploughing a field. Maimonides speaks of people who live as hermits in the desert to escape the corruptions of society (Laws of ethical character, 6: 1; Eight Chapters, ch. 4). But these were the exceptions, not the rule. This is not the destiny of Israel, to live outside time and space in ashrams or monasteries as the world’s recluses. Far from being the supreme height of faith, such a fear of freedom and its responsibilities is – according to both the Gerer and
Lubavitcher Rebbe – the sin of the spies.
There is a voice within the tradition, most famously identified with R. Shimon bar Yochai, that regards engagement with the world as fundamentally incompatible with the heights of spirituality. But the mainstream held otherwise. “Torah study without an occupation will in the end fail and lead to sin” (Avot 2:2). “One who makes his mind up to study Torah and not to work but to live on charity, profanes the name of God, brings the Torah into contempt, extinguishes the light of religion, brings evil upon himself, and deprives himself of life hereafter” (Maimonides, Laws of Torah Study 3:10).
The spies did not want to contaminate Judaism by bringing it into contact with the real world. They sought the eternal childhood of God’s protection and the endless honeymoon of His all-embracing love. There is something noble about this desire, but also something profoundly irresponsible that demoralised the people and provoked God’s anger. For the Jewish project – the Torah as the constitution of the Jewish nation under the sovereignty of God – is about building a society in the land of Israel that so honours human dignity and freedom that it will one day lead the world to say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Deut. 4:6).
The Jewish task is not to fear the real world but to enter and transform it. That is what the spies did not understand. Do we – Jews of faith – understand it even now?
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These weekly teachings from Rabbi Sacks zt”l are part of his ‘Covenant & Conversation’ series on the weekly Torah teaching. With thanks to the Schimmel Family for their generous sponsorship, dedicated in loving memory of Harry (Chaim) Schimmel. Visit www.RabbiSacks.org for more.
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BY RABBI NACHMAN (NEIL) WINKLER FACULTY, OU ISRAEL CENTER
A Successful Mission That Failed…And A Failed Mission That Succeeded
The Meraglim story that captures our imagination in this week’s parasha explains the obvious reason as to why our ancients set aside the second perek of Sefer Yehoshua to be read as the haftarah for the Shabbat of Parashat Sh’lach. And, although the Torah’s account includes far greater details than that of Moshe’s successor (instructions for the spies to return with a description of the land, its fertility, its cities and military strength), both missions were essentially the same: to bring a report of the yet-to-be-land they were to conquer and settle.
The mission charged to Moshe’s Meraglim was carried out as demanded. They were entrusted with the responsibility to report the following details by a scouting the land b
seeing if the land was good or not, c seeing if the nation there was few or many, powerful or weak, d uncovering if the cities were fortified or not e if the soil was fertile or not, and if it grew trees, f and, finally, returning to camp with samples of the fruit found there. Objectively seen, the mission was a successful one in so far that the 12 spies fulfilled the demands of Moshe Rabbeinu…..BUT IT FAILED!!!
On the other hand, we might find it rather troubling to read through the mission carried out by Joshua’s spies and to realize that they never fulfilled their given assignment!! Consider: Yehoshua entrusted them with the responsibility to “L’chu r’u et Ha’Aretz v’et Yericho”-a simple six-word charge for them to go and see Jericho and the land. Indeed, they did succeed to reach and to enter the city, but they certainly did not do a very good job of “espionage”, of completing the proper role of spies - to do undercover work and reveal the unknown secrets about the city. In fact, they spent merely one day, in one house, in one neighborhood speaking to but one person! And they surely failed to fulfill their responsibility to “L’chu r’u et Ha’Aretz “, “go and see the land”, as they were urged
to flee the city and hide in the mountains for three days-after which they returned to the Israelite camp.!!! Given this reality, one can claim that this was a failed mission…..BUT IT SUCCEEDED!!!
The Rav helps us clarify this puzzle. Rav Soloveitchik agrees that both sets of spies received the same mandate but that the agents of Yehoshua, those who received no detailed instructions, were able to fulfill the mandate within (in effect) one day. What report could they possibly import in such a short time? The Rav explains:
“No fortified wall and no giant can counter a person’s spirit. The spies were tasked to find the vulnerable points in the enemy’s fortifications and they returned with a report regarding the enemy’s very weakest point: ‘The Lord has given you the land as your terror has fallen upon us and all the inhabitants of the land have melted away because of you’ “
Yehoshua’s spies realized that their mission was NOT necessarily to explore Yericho to uncover weaknesses in the city. They reported about the defeated spirit in the hearts of the enemy-and that alone fulfilled the mandate they were given.
Upon reading the words of Rav Soloveitchik,
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I realized how their message was so fitting and proper for our challenges today. If defeated spirit can bring down an enemy, then our unflagging trust and faith in the Greatest of all powers can bring victory….and Ge’ulah.
Rabbi Winkler’s popular Jewish History lectures can be viewed by visiting the OU Israel Video archive: https://www.ouisrael.org/video-l ibrary
Rabbi Shalom
RABBI SHALOM ROSNER
Meraglim Take Two?
In the haftarah of Parshat Shelach, Yehoshua sends meraglim—spies—to scout out the city of Yericho before launching a military campaign. This move raises an obvious question: why would Yehoshua, of all people, repeat the act of sending spies, given that the first mission of meraglim in his lifetime ended in disaster?
Even more puzzling is the fact that Yehoshua, as a prophet and direct successor of Moshe, surely knew that Yericho would be conquered miraculously—the walls would fall without combat. If that were the case, what purpose did the spies serve?
Rav Shimshon Pinkas (Tiferet Shimshon) offers an explanation based on Rav Chaim Shmulevitz (Sichot Mussar, #94), who analyzes a story in Melachim II (Chapter 6). There, the king of Aram seeks to capture the prophet Elisha. When Elisha’s servant sees Aram’s army surrounding them, he is terrified. To calm him, Elisha prays, and Hashem opens the servant’s eyes. Suddenly, he sees fiery chariots and horses—divine protection all around them. Elisha reassures him: "Those who are with us are more numerous than those with them."
After this, Elisha prays again, and the Aramean army is struck with blindness, allowing Elisha to defeat them. But Rav Shmulevitz
asks: if Elisha already knew the enemy would be miraculously subdued, why was it necessary to calm his servant first?
The answer is powerful. Just as a fearful soldier is told to return home lest he demoralize his comrades (see Devarim 20:8 and Ramban there), a lack of faith can similarly weaken the spiritual atmosphere needed for a miracle. Fear is contagious, and a miracle requires an environment of trust in Hashem. Elisha needed his servant to feel confident and faithful - for both their sakes and for the miracle to be actualized.
This is why Yehoshua sent spies. Not because he needed information, but because the people needed confidence. If the nation had doubts or fear, the miracle might not have occurred. The spies' mission was to instill courage and trust—to ensure that the people believed that Hashem would deliver Yericho into their hands.
Throughout Jewish history, we have seen that miracles are often partnered with hishtadlut, human effort and initiative. We show up with faith and action, and Hashem does the rest. The spies of Parshat Shelach lacked that faith; they were unwilling to take risks for Eretz Yisrael. In contrast, today we witness individuals sacrificing their lives to ensure others can live in peace and security in our homeland.
May we continue to strengthen our faith in Hashem, do our part with courage and unity, and merit the many miracles Hashem has in store for us. May we soon see true and lasting peace in the Land of Israel.
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The twelve spies who were sent into Eretz Canaan to scout out the land returned with a negative report, bemoaning the difficulties and challenges at hand, making the conquest nearly impossible. “Vayahas Calev et ha’am,” (Bamidbar 13:30) Calev steps forward and silences the people, emphasizing that they can surely vanquish the inhabitants of the land. At this point the spies counter his words, with even greater emphasis on the strength of the Canaanites and that their chances of overthrowing the present establishment was next to nothing.
Calev is praised for his efforts and receives a tremendous reward. Why is Calev rewarded so generously when ultimately his words had no impact on the people? Further, why was Yehoshua, Calev’s partner in positivity, silent, offering no words of encouragement or support to Calev’s assertion?
Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l in Darash Moshe shares an important insight. It is clear that Calev’s words made an impact on the people, albeit for a short time. The other spies’ strong response, “lo nuchal la’alot – we are unable to go up!” (Bamidbar 13:31), indicates that they felt compelled to quell Calev’s words, knowing the people would take pause and consider his position. Rav Moshe sees an essential lesson here - one needs to be vigilant for a good cause, even if he thinks the effects will be short lived.
Just as one can desecrate the Shabbat to extend a person’s life for even just a short time, similarly, in spiritual matters, influencing another even for a brief while is a great thing. At times, people are reticent to act on behalf of a cause they believe in, since they feel that it will have little effect. Yet, we see from here that we have a responsibility to do our utmost, even if there won’t be a longterm effect. Calev is greatly rewarded for his efforts, not for the results.
Yehoshua however remains silent throughout. Rav Yisrael Meir Druck in Aish Tamid comments on this. Not long before the incident of the spies, Eldad and Medad had been prophesying publicly, declaring that Moshe Rabbeinu was going to die, and Yehoshua was going to be the new leader. Yehoshua was afraid that anything positive he would say about the Land would be construed as having a positive bias, and seen as his jockeying for a position of leadership. “Ve’heyitem nekiyim me’Hashem u’me’Yisrael” (Bamidbar 32;22), Yehoshua did Lovely New Apartment for Sale in Nof Tzion, Jerusalem
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is reluctant to send Yishmael away and Yitzchak seeks reconciliation with Yishmael and seeks to bless Esav.
not want to put himself under the suspicious scrutiny of the people, preferring to be silent rather than have complaints against him.
6th Aliya (25:1-11) Avraham marries Keturah; they have 6 sons. All that Avraham has goes to Yitzchak; these are sent eastward with gifts. Avraham dies at age 175; he is buried by Yitzchak and Yishmael in Ma’arat Hamachpelah. Yitzchak is blessed by G-d: he lives in Beer L’chai Roi.
Similarly, Rav Druck suggests that this is perhaps one of the reasons the Torah never mentions that Aharon Hakohen davened to annul the decree, asking Hashem to allow Am Yisrael to enter Eretz Yisrael. Aharon HaKohen was concerned that the people would think he wanted to enter the land for his personal gain, so he could receive the special gifts the Kohanim were awarded.
is to emphasize that the Torah is not as interested in the history of power as in the history of the covenant of G-d with the Jewish people. And that will be told at great length.
HAFTORAH CHAYEI SARAH 1 KINGS 1: 1-31
The theme of this week’s haftorah echoes the theme in our parsha which mentions both the death of Sarah and Avraham.
How careful one must be, to be transparent, beyond suspicion, acting with integrity in all he does.
The transition from Avraham to Yitzchak is complete. While G-d has been a silent partner in this parsha, here He completes the generational transfer – He blesses Yitzchak. The Jewish people will be Yitzchak and not Yishmael.
King David was an older man and a woman was assigned to him to serve him and provide warmth.
7th Aliya (25:12-18) The generations of Yishmael are enumerated. Yishmael dies. His descendants dwell from Egypt to Assyria. Yishmael’s story is brief. He has numerous and powerful offspring. The brevity
A SHORT VORT
Adoniyahu, one of King David’s sons, began to prepare for ascension to his father’s throne. This was despite the fact that King David expressed his wishes that his son Shlomo succeed him.
Adoniyahu convinces two very significant personalities - the High Priest and the commander of King David’s armies - to
BY RABBI CHANOCH YERES
R av, Beit Knesset Beit Yisrael, Yemin Moshe
When Avraham addresses the people of Cheit, trying to acquire a burial spot for his wife, he says “Ger V’Toshav Anochi Eimachem” (23:4) “A Stranger and a Resident am I with you”
This seems to be a contradiction. If one is a stranger than he is not a resident, if he is a resident than he is no longer a stranger. What did Avraham mean?
The Magid of Dubno (Jacob ben Wolf Kranz 1741-1804) explains that Avraham watched how he spoke in this tense situation in order to, both, state his truth and be able to keep the peace -Shalom Bayit. Avraham said, on the one hand, “I am a Resident’ due to G-d’s promise to receive this Land and on the other hand, I still need your agreement to purchase a plot. In other words, Avraham implied “I am the resident” and you are the “strangers”, while they understood him as saying that “they” are the residents and Avraham is the stranger. The peace was kept, and Avraham remained true to his ideals. Shabbat Shalom
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RABBI JUDAH
Mischel EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CAMP HASC AUTHOR OF BADERECH SERIES
A Desirable Land
Rosh Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav in Yerushalayim, Rav Tzvi Yehudah HaKohen Kook, was one of the most influential leaders in modern Jewish history. As a charismatic talmid chacham and the spiritual leader of Gush Emunim, raising a generation of builders, pioneers and Rabbanim, Rav Tzvi Yehudah inspired a movement responsible for yishuv HaAretz across the redeemed lands of Yehuda and Shomron following the Six Day War. He was an editor and one of the primary interpreters of his illustrious father’s teachings, and collections of his own articles, letters and sichos fill many volumes.
Rav Simcha Raz’s classic biography of Rav Tzvi Yehudah’s saintly father, HaRav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, zy’a, An Angel Among Men (translated by Rav Moshe D. Lichtman) is a bouquet of impressions and anecdotes from the life and deeds of HaRav Kook, and his love of the Land and the People of Israel. It includes this story featuring Rav Tzvi Yehuda:
One Shabbos, while sitting at the Rosh Yeshiva’s (Rav Tzvi Yehuda’s) table, a talmid brought up an uncomfortable interaction that he had experienced. Some acquaintances had come to Yerushalayim for Yom Tov and spent some time touring
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Eretz Yisrael. Upon their return home, they shared disparaging remarks about the trip, complaining about the weather, the poverty, the cultural differences, the service in restaurants, and the challenging political situation. “I am afraid their negative talk could impact and discourage other Jews from moving here,” concluded the talmid.
Rav Tzvi Yehudah shook his head, and smiling, responded with a favorite mashal that he had heard in the name of the founder of Chovevei Zion movement and Rav of Bialystock, Poland, Rav Shmuel Mohilever:
Of marriageable age, bright, talented, hard working and of refined, elevated character, the beautiful young woman had ‘alleh mayles’, all the most wonderful and desirable qualities. Her parents struggled with parnassa, and with a houseful of children, they were excited about a prospective shiduch with an affluent groom who could provide well for their daughter. But to their chagrin, when the influential, wealthy, ‘eligible bachelor’ in town sought out her hand in marriage, she was not interested in the shidduch. Though wealthy beyond her wildest imagination, the prospective suitor was known to have poor midos, and as such, she refused to meet with him.
Her parents pressed her to give the young man a chance, saying, “After all, what’s the harm in one date — it’s just a cup of coffee….” So, against her better judgement, but to honor her parents, the young woman agreed to meet him. When the young man
arrived at their home as arranged, he was warmly received by the girl’s father. After some small talk, the young woman made her entrance into the living room slouching, dressed in a crumpled, faded dress, hair uncombed, appearing all together disheveled and unkempt. Taking one look at her, the potential suitor, who had been so eager to meet her, made a hurried exit.
After their ‘date’, the man made sure to let his friends know that the young woman he met, who was reputed to be of extraordinary beauty, was actually not at all attractive.
Pausing to allow the anecdote to sink in, Rav Tzvi Yehudah addressed his talmidim:
“L’che’ora, at first thought, it would seem that the brash fellow rejected the young woman. In truth however, it was she who had rejected him. The same is true regarding the visitors who ‘toured’ Eretz Yisrael, the most beautiful, desirable and special land in the world. It may appear as if those Jews are the ones who have found faults and rejected Eretz Yisrael, where in reality, the Land of Israel rejected them! :ֹורבדל
“They rejected the desirable land; they did not believe His word!” (Tehillim, 106:24)
Rashi tells us that David HaMelech is referring to the Meraglim of our sedra, who upon arriving in Eretz Yisrael, ץראה לע
, “brought calumny on the Land”. Indeed, our parsha details the tragic unravelling of Divine promise: painful events coming on the heels of misplaced fears, the tears and negativity of the spies, and the discouragement of others. While on the surface, it seems the spies’ lack of faith led to their ‘rejection of the Desirable Land’, through
the lens of Rav Shmuel Mohilever’s parable told by Rav Tzvi Yehudah, perhaps it was actually the beautiful, beloved Holy Land itself that rejected the Meraglim.
HaRav Kook was known to bless visiting petitioners with another phrase from David HaMelech in Sefer Tehillim, ןויצמ ׳ה ךכרבי, “May Hashem bless you from Zion” (128:5). He would then explain the content of the bracha with the rest of the pasuk: בוטב הארו םילשורי, “…and may you see the goodness of Yerushalayim.” Our aspiration is not simply to merit seeing Yerushalayim; but to have the privilege of seeing and experiencing its elevated character. Many visit the Holy Land; not everyone merits recognizing — and speaking of — its incredible spiritual and physical beauty. Not everyone instantly commits to our essential ‘spousal’ love relationship with the Eretz chalav u-d’vash, “the Land of Milk and Date Honey”, Eretz chemda, tova u-r’chava, our “desired, good and spacious Homeland”. And even when it is ‘love at first sight’, a real relationship still takes patience and returning again and again to seeing and affirming the nikudos tovos, good points.
This Parshas Shelach, may we rectify the tragic sin of the spies, both ancient and modern, and be zocheh that the Land reveals to us all its holiness and ‘alleh mailes’, all its exquisite, good qualities, as she welcomes all of us home.
In honor of the Wedding of our daughter Ahuva & David Gellis … and with gratitude to our dear mechutanim and friends, Jonathan & Alisa. May we and our children celebrate the building of their home and our Land with great love and in good health,
SIMCHAT SHMUEL
simchat shmuel
BY RABBI SAM SHOR DIRECTOR, TORAH INITIATIVES, OU ISRAEL
BY RABBI SAM SHOR
Program Director, OU Israel Center
Parshat Shelach of course contains the troubling episode of the meraglim , the twelve important individuals whom Moshe Rabbeinu empowers to enter into Eretz Yisrael, and to return with a detailed report about the reality both in terms of the terrain, resources and people that the Jewish people will encounter upon entering the land of Israel. We are familiar that ten of these twelve return and offer a very honest, detailed assessment that there will be many challenges that Am Yisrael will face as they enter and settle the land. Two of the meraglim, Calev ben Yefuna and Yehoshua Bin Nun, however are able to see beyond those challenges and intuit the beauty and spiritual clarity that is inherent and waiting for us in Eretz Yisrael.
Upon hearing the initial report of the Meraglim, the people obviously became concerned, yet Calev, determined to not let any perceived negativity influence our capacity to settle and dwell in Eretz Yisrael, quickly quiets those rumblings and offers a compelling declaration:
Calev silenced the people before Moshe, saying, “Alo Naaleh-We can go up and take possession of it, Ki yachol nuchal la- for we can indeed achieve it.”
This passage is analyzed and explained by the Piascezna Rebbe h’yd, zy’a in a powerful teaching which he delivered in the Warsaw Ghetto. The Rebbe pointed out that the meraglim offer very logical reasons for their reluctance to enter the land of Israel, the people are fierce, the cities are heavily fortified, etc. Yet Calev’s response does not address those points or offer a different assessment of the situation, rather he states simply and clearly that we should indeed enter the land, because it is within our capacity to do so. The Rebbe asks, why didn’t Calev try to debate the others, or offer any other evidence to contradict their seemingly negative report?
The Rebbe explains that Calev actually taught us an eternal lesson of how we must put our faith and trust in Hakadosh Baruch Hu at all times. A Jew must always believe that Hashem can deliver us and guide us to success in all circumstances, even when according to our own logic we cannot intuit any clear cut path to that success, we must always believe ki yachol nuchal la- Hashem can, and will indeed bring us success and salvation, even when it might seem, based on our human intellect and perspective, that that success and salvation does not
seem possible.
As we continue to navigate our current challenging circumstances may we be strengthened by the powerful words of Calev ben Yefuneh and the Rebbe of Piascezna, and may we indeed have the emotional perseverance to put our full faith in Hashem, and merit to experience only success and salvation as we move forward. Shabbat Shalom.
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GEULAS YISRAEL
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RABBI
MOSHE TARAGIN
RAM YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
MAGGID SHIUR ALL PARSHA AND ALL DAF, OU.ORG
This Time, We Feel Ready
The mission of the meraglim was initiated by the general population, as Moshe recounts in Parshat Devarim:
םישנא החלשנ ורמאתו םכלוכ ילא ןוברקתו"
“ונינפל—you all approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead.”
Yet in Parshat Shelach, it appears as if Hashem commands the mission:
Chazal explain that the idea came from the people, and Hashem merely “permitted” it. By instructing us םישנא ךל חלש Moshe Rabeinu accepted the request and reframed it as a formal mission hoping to steer it toward a constructive outcome.
As Rashi explains from the Midrash, this was a silent tefillah—“May God save you from the counsel of the spies.” A subtle act, but filled with concern.
Yet despite approving the mission, Moshe appears deeply uneasy about its trajectory. Sensing danger, he changed his student’s name from Hoshei’a to Yehoshua. As Rashi cites from the Midrash, Moshe embedded a silent tefillah within the renaming:
“םילגרמ תצעמ ךעישוי הק" - May God save you from the counsel of the spies.
This quiet gesture reveals Moshe’s inner tension. He granted permission and hoped for success, yet sensed that the mission rested on shaky ground. If the overall plan was
legitimate, why the prayer? Why the anxiety?
Evidently, the mission of the spies represented far more than a military tactic. It reflected a broader attitude shift—one that Moshe found troubling.
THE TRANSITION
As many have noted (see Ramban, Ralbag, and Abarbanel), the request for spies signaled a desire to enter the Land through natural, human effort. Hashem could have delivered the Land through supernatural intervention—just as He had split the ocean and struck Egypt with makkot. However, after over a year of living in the desert, sustained by manna and surrounded by miracles, Am Yisrael longed for a more grounded, earthly experience. They wanted to conquer Israel the way any nation would: by sending scouts, gathering intelligence, and preparing strategically.
This desire to transition from supernatural dependence to a more natural path was not inherently wrong. It reflected a maturing national consciousness, seeking a different kind of relationship with Hashem- more stable and more routine. Less fireworks and more candlelight.
Yet Moshe remained unsettled. My Rebbe, HaRav Amital, explained that though the meraglim request was legitimate in theory, the nation might not have been ready for such
a transition. It is easier to encounter Hashem through supernatural miracles. When the sea splits or the heavens thunder at Har Sinai, His presence is unmistakable. It requires little imagination or faith to recognize the divine.
But to live a natural life and still sense Hashem’s presence demands deeper religious maturity. It requires a more refined faith—a vision that can detect the divine in the rhythms of daily life. Moshe feared the people had not yet reached that level. After generations of slavery, their spirits were still fragile. They needed time to rebuild belief and restore inner confidence before they could shoulder the demands of a more natural, less overtly miraculous relationship with Hashem.
Moshe’s concern wasn’t about the meraglim themselves, but about the larger shift which this mission represented. The desire to live by natural means was noble— but perhaps premature. Am Yisrael aspired to an ideal they had not yet grown into.
For this reason, even though Hashem ultimately forgave the sin of the meraglim—as echoed in the iconic phrase ךירבדכ יתחלס—we were not allowed to enter the Land. Moshe’s concerns were tragically borne out. We were not yet religiously mature enough to move from a life of visible miracles to one shaped by routine, effort, and hiddenness. We needed more time.
Only the next generation—raised in the wilderness but not shackled by Egypt—could embrace this shift. They would be the ones to enter the Land, to build a life infused with faith yet grounded in natural experience.
IDEALS
WHOSE TIME HASN’T COME
Sometimes an ideal exists—but we are not yet ready for it. Growth even at a national
level takes time, and premature entry into a noble vision can lead to collapse.
In the 19th century—even before Herzl’s political Zionism crystallized—there was a quiet reawakening among European Jews, a growing desire to return to the Land of Israel. Throughout the century, small religious communities persisted primarily in Tzefat and Yerushalayim. Then, in the final decades of the century, the First Aliyah brought approximately 25,000 Jewish immigrants, marking the beginning of a more organized and national effort to rebuild Jewish life in the Land.
Amid this renewed longing for Zion, a debate emerged about the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash. Rav Shmuel Mohilever, one of the foremost rabbinic voices in Chovevei Tzion and a central figure in bridging Zionism and Halakha, supported cautiously advancing toward the rebuilding of the Mikdash. In contrast, Rav Yisrael Yehoshua Kutner—grounded in the tradition of the Vilna Gaon—strongly opposed this move.
As explained in the sefer Kli Chemda, Rav Yisrael Yehoshua Kutner acknowledged that the Mikdash was the ultimate ideal, but he questioned whether the Jewish people were spiritually ready. Lofty goals cannot be pursued in a vacuum; timing and collective
readiness must be considered. Just as Moshe feared that the people in the wilderness were unprepared for a life of natural faith, Rav Kutner feared that the generation of his time was unprepared for the sanctity and demands of a rebuilt Mikdash.
HASHEM WITHOLDS PREMATURE “IDEALS”
An ideal must be more than true—it must be attainable. In one of his letters (volume I Letter 20), Rav Kook writes that Hashem Himself withholds certain realities from us—again not because they aren’t the ideal but because we are unready. Hashem often waits—offering not what we desire, but what we are capable of receiving. Rav Kook writes:
“It is known that God does not always give to His servants all that they deserve, but rather what they are ready to receive. Sometimes the full measure is withheld, not due to a lack of merit, but because the soul is not yet prepared to bear the weight of that revelation”.
ONCE AGAIN
We find ourselves in a similar—though not identical—moment. We have returned to Israel after an absence of two thousand years. This return has fused human initiative with unmistakable divine miracles. Over the past year and a half, we have waged battles— fierce and sacred—against those who oppose
our presence in the Land promised to us by Hashem. Through faith and courage, we have fought valiantly on His behalf. As I write these words, we are deep into the third day of war with the modern enemies of Hashem—those who foolishly vow to erase His chosen people.
Over the course of this war we have been granted countless hidden miracles—nissim nistarim—from the strength and technology to defend ourselves against a violent coalition of foes, to the enduring folly of our enemies, which again and again unravels their own hateful designs. We are deeply grateful for Hashem’s miracles woven into our human efforts.
Yet after so much struggle and hardship we desperately yearn for Hashem’s overt miracles. We daven for nissim g’luyim and for Hashem to appear in this world and decimate His enemies.
We pray that our enemies not only tremble before our soldiers and our might, but recoil in awe at the presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself.
Thousands of years ago, we longed to leave behind the supernatural in favor of a more grounded, stable life in Israel—one built upon routine. Now, generations later, we find ourselves facing the opposite challenge. As we rebuild our homeland through immense human effort and sacrifice, we yearn for the reverse transition. We are entangled in battle, doing all we can through natural means, yet we desperately crave Hashem’s supernatural hand to intervene. We dream of seeing Hashem rise again in full glory to defeat His enemies and sanctify His name.
ARE WE READY?
Rav Kook’s question still lingers in the air: Do we truly deserve to ascend to this loftier
spiritual plane? Are we ready for it? It may well be the ideal—but as a people, have we earned it?
From our vantage point, it feels as though we have. The generation of the desert lacked religious maturity; they had not yet shown the capacity to live a natural, grounded life still infused with deep emunah. But we, in our day, have displayed that strength. Over the past eighty years, we have rebuilt a shattered nation from the ashes of the Holocaust. We have defended our homeland not merely as a national enterprise, but as a fulfillment of Hashem’s ancient promises.
And above all, the extraordinary faith and courage of our people—wounded and traumatized on Simchat Torah, yet rising with strength and sanctifying God’s name—testifies to our readiness. It feels as though we are prepared, not only for Hashem’s hidden guidance, but for His revealed presence—for the moment when He will judge those who defy His will and deny His promises.
HIS NAME
And not only do we feel deserving—there is a broader narrative unfolding which warrants Hashem’s overt intervention. Our enemies speak in the name of God, yet they defile His essence. They desecrate His presence by casting Him as a god of wrath and blood, rather than a God of compassion and mercy. Their distortion of the Divine is a colossal chilul Hashem.
Even if we, as a people, are not yet fully worthy of supernatural redemption, we cry out for it in response to this chilul Hashem. We yearn for Hashem to reveal Himself— not only on our behalf, but to restore the honor of His name in a world so darkened by falsehood.
We do not know why Hashem has not yet revealed Himself fully to silence this desecration and usher in a complete geulah for His children. We will never fully grasp the designs or the calculus of Hashem. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts far surpass our understanding. His decisions— especially those that guide the course of geulah and reshape a shattered world—remain cloaked in mystery.
We remain deeply grateful for the countless daily miracles He grants us—for the strength, the courage, and the abilities to continue defeating our enemies, even as we bear the burden of terrible loss.
Yet we must feel ready for more and daven for more. With reverence and humility, we must believe that at this moment in history, we are worthy of overt miracles, not only hidden ones. We continue to daven, to plead with Hashem for supernatural intervention—to pierce the veil of nature and flood our world with His presence.
Until that moment arrives, we will labor with emunah, unwavering in faith, and treasure the quieter miracles. But we pray for the grand vision of Zecharyah (chapter 14) :
For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem…Then Hashem will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights on the day of battle. And on that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives... And Hashem will be King over all the earth.
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HAFTORAH
INSIGHTS
Rope of Redemption
The sin of the spies in Parshat Shelach marks one of the most devastating moments in the wilderness journey. Their fearful report leads to national panic, tears, and the decree of forty years of wandering. It’s a story of missed opportunity, of a generation that could not move past fear to faith.
In the haftorah from Yehoshua Chapter 2, we encounter a spy story with a very different outcome. Yehoshua sends two men on a quiet, focused mission to Yericho. This time, the spies return successfully. But the true transformation belongs not to them, but to the woman who shelters them: Rachav.
Rachav is introduced as Rachav HaZonah (Yehoshua 2:1)—a woman of disrepute, her home is built into the city wall. Yet when the spies arrive, she acts decisively. She hides them, misleading the king’s soldiers, and ultimately lowering them to safety through her window with a scarlet cord—the tikvat hashani (Yehoshua 2:18).
It is this image—of a woman transforming her tools of sin into a vehicle of salvation— that becomes the heart of her teshuva. Rashi comments:
BY REBBETZIN DR. ADINA SHMIDMAN
DIRECTOR, OU WOMEN’S INITIATIVE
repentance.” —Rashi, Yehoshua 2:15
Rachav doesn't hide from her past—she repurposes it. The rope that once lowered clients now lowers spies. The window that opened to sin now opens to sanctity. Her transformation is not about erasure—it’s about elevation.
The word tikvah in Hebrew means both cord and hope. As it says in Yirmiyahu 29:11:
“To give you a future and a hope.”
Rachav ties her hope—her future—to the Jewish people, literally and spiritually.The Rambam, in Hilchot Teshuva 2:1, defines teshuva gemurah as returning to the same situation and choosing differently. Rachav goes further—she returns to the same tools, and turns them into instruments of redemption. Her courage and clarity earn her a lasting legacy. The Gemara (Megillah 14b) teaches that Rachav converted, married Yehoshua, and became the ancestor of prophets including Yirmiyahu, Baruch, and Chilkiyahu. From a scarlet cord, a prophetic line was born.
Rachav models for all of us what it means to change course with courage, to tie our futures to hope, and to transform the very window of sin into a door to sanctity. May the story of Rachav inspire us live with courage and hope to achieve the greatest of spiritual heights.
“With the same rope and window through which she sinned, she performed her
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REBBETZIN ZEMIRA OZAROWSKI
DIRECTOR OF OU ISRAEL WOMEN’S DIVISION
From Crisis to Hope: Shelach’s Timeless Parenting Lesson
While this article was written a few days before the events that have shaken Israel this week, its message feels more relevant than ever. Our nation is once again facing days of fear, uncertainty, and pain. Yet even as we walk through these difficult moments, we are living through an extraordinary chapter of Jewish history — writing the next chapter of Tanach, which will b’Ezrat Hashem lead us towards the Geula..
In this spirit, I share a parenting thought connected to this week’s parsha, Shelach, which carries a timeless message of hope and growth even in the face of challenge.
Parshat Shelach famously tells the story of Chet HaMeraglim — the sin of the spies. Moshe sends twelve leaders to scout out Eretz Yisrael just before Bnei Yisrael are meant to enter. The spies return with a discouraging report. The people cry, rebel, and refuse to enter the land. In response, Hashem decrees that they will wander the desert for forty years until the adult generation passes away, and only their children will enter the land. This tragic episode could easily have ended in despair. But immediately afterward, the Torah introduces what at first glance seems like an unrelated set of mitzvot: the laws of nesachim — the wine, oil, and flour offerings
that accompany korbanot — and the mitzvah of hafrashat challah, separating a portion of dough when baking bread. The placement of these mitzvot here seems puzzling.
Rashi (15:2) offers a crucial insight. The verse begins, “םכיתבשומ ץרא-לא ואֹבת-יכ" — “When you come to the land of your dwelling places.”
Rashi explains: “ץראל
"He gave them the good news that they would ultimately enter the land."
Even in the moment of punishment, Hashem offers reassurance. Yes, there was a serious mistake, and yes, there are consequences. But this is not the end of the story. Your children will enter the land. The future remains bright. You will get there — eventually.
This is a profound parenting and chinuch lesson. When a child misbehaves, it’s easy to focus only on the failure. But if we stop there, we risk leaving the child with a sense of despair — feeling defined by their mistake. Instead, we must strive to emulate the model Hashem provides. Correct the behavior, yes. Set limits, yes. But also remind the child that they are capable of better. Give them hope. Teach them the skills they need to grow. Let them feel your confidence in their potential.
And most importantly, help them believe in themselves.
A number of years ago, I experienced this lesson firsthand. My son was about seven years old when he became very upset about something. In his frustration, he knocked all the shirts off the hangers in his closet and threw them across his room. When I walked in and saw the mess, my first instinct was to get upset. But instead, I took a deep breath and, with a burst of Siyata D’Shmaya, calmly explained to him that while it was okay to feel frustrated, the way he had acted was not acceptable. Then I used the moment to teach him how to re-hang the shirts on the hangers. He quickly learned the skill, eagerly cleaned up the mess, and beamed with pride at having taken responsibility and learned something new. What could have ended in shame and punishment instead became a moment of growth, confidence, and positive parenting. Had I simply punished him for the outburst, he might have been left feeling ashamed or frustrated. But by turning it into an opportunity to learn, he not only fixed the problem but walked away feeling proud and empowered.
As parents, grandparents, and educators, our role is to strike that delicate balance — setting boundaries and holding firm when necessary, while also encouraging our children to recognize their great potential to grow and succeed.
This is the lasting message of Parshat Shelach: even when we face setbacks and challenges, the story doesn’t end with failure. It continues with hope, growth, and the promise of a brighter future. May we merit to hear Besorot Tovot and see tremendous yeshuot in the coming days!!
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RABBI
AARON GOLDSCHEIDER
RABBI AARON GOLDSCHEIDER EDITOR, TORAH TIDBITS
Editor, Torah Tidbits
RAV, THE JERUSALEM SHUL BAKA, JERUSALEM
Rav Kook: Divine is in the Details
THE SEEMINGLY INSIGNIFICANT MINUTIAE
Over the generations certain segments of Jews have found it difficult to appreciate how the minutiae of the Jewish law fits into the larger system of Jewish living. This particular challenge to Orthodoxy was an issue that Rav Kook faced in his own day. Therefore, in his exquisite collection of teachings on the meaning and philosophy of Talmud Torah he addresses this issue and offers a number of compelling insights clarifying the importance of a halachic system which is
exceedingly elaborate and precise. “HOW PRECISE ARE YOUR DEEDS HASHEM”
The words “How vast are Your deeds Hashem!” come from a verse in Tehillim (104:24). With these words King David expresses his wonder and awe over the grandness and expansiveness of Hashem’s exquisite world. However, Hashem’s majesty is not found only in the cosmic drama unfolding in nature and the vast universe but it is also compressed into the dazzling wisdom contained within the tiniest details of the world.
Rav Kook writes (Orot Hatorah 3:8) that we should apply this same principle when studying Torah. We must also exclaim in astonishment, “How tiny are Your deeds Hashem.” Our encounter with the Torah’s particulars and complexities drives us to discover the wisdom contained within her most delicate details: “A person must consider that just as one can find great wealth in the major principles of the Torah, one can likewise find heaps and mounds of insights and treasures upon every crown and within the sublest details of the Torah…” (Ibid. translation from Oros Hatorah, Weinberg, p. 285)
The minutiae found in Jewish law, which at times is seen by some in an unfavorable light, ought to genuinely be celebrated as one of Judaism’s most remarkable qualities. The
Rav Abraham Isaac Kook zt”l
extensive laws and details of Halacha provide guidance in every area of life and uniquely supplies a Jew with a framework for pursuing an elevated and purposeful existence.
THE HEART AND VEINS
Rav Kook wrote: “When the heart is healthy, its circulatory function proceeds with appropriate force, so that blood courses through the thinnest and most distant veins” (Orot Hatorah 3:4)
Rav Kook employs the metaphor of the heart, which represents the core values of Judaism, the big ideas, so to speak, that characterize our faith. However, the health of the body is dependent on the blood flowing to every limb and every organ. The overarching values only have meaning and are ennobling when they inform the far-reaching branches and details of life.
Rav Kook elucidates on this notion in his commentary on an extremely challenging talmudic passage describing a tragic death. The Talmud tells of a young scholar who studied Mishna, Scripture, and served the Sages, but nevertheless died prematurely (Ain Aya, Shabbat, Vol. 1, pp. 35-37).
His wife frequented the synagogue and study halls to complain about the injustice that had befallen her husband. When she finally meets up with Elijah the Prophet he compels her to admit that the couple had not observed the laws of harchokot (secondary separations practiced during the time of Nida ). Rav Kook notes that the Talmud describes the young scholar as one who studied much “Mishnah and Scripture.” This is a deviation from the typical depiction of a Tamudic scholar as one who studies much “Scripture and Mishnah.” Scripture gives one the prerequisite themes and flavor of the law.
Only then does one turn to Mishna which deals with the tiny details.
Perhaps this young scholar rejected certain details of halacha because he failed to see the harmony between the overarching values and the minute points which the halacha requires. It is not coincidence that it is Elijah the Prophet who points out the scholar’s misstep. Rav Kook explains: “In the future, Elijah will elucidate all the obscurities of the Torah’s details” (Ibid).
The well known prophetic description of Elijah's appearance at the end of days and the uniting of families (Malachi 3:24) can be understood in another way. The avot and banim refer to the Torah Principles (avot) and the details of halacha (banim). Elijah is tasked with recalibrating the Jewish hearts, with returning the heart of the avot, the fundamentals, with the toldot, the Torah’s
minutiae. (Orot HaTorah, Vol. 1, Weinberg, p. 259)
THE JOY WHEN HALACHA IS UNDERSTOOD CORRECTLY
Rav Kook argued that at times we find Jews who are frustrated with the halacha because they simply have not studied the laws comprehensively and they, therefore, fail to see an integrated system. “The more that Torah laws are clearly understood, the greater the joy they bring to those who keep them and observe them with care. Conversely, a lack of clarity - lacking a clear understanding that resonates in the soul - leads to a feeling that punctilious observance of halachic details is burdensome” (Orot HaTorah 9:4 translation Morrison, pp. 83-84).
Thus it is of supreme importance to study the law thoroughly in order to appreciate its many contours. Moreover, one will feel the “joy and purity” of halacha when one delves into the meaning of the law and “grasps their higher meaning.”
Rav Kook took this message to heart. He poured his heart and soul into offering many profound insights to a variety of areas of halacha by interpreting their details. He penned an extensive commentary, titled Ain Aya, on the first two tractates of the Talmud elucidating a wealth of material in the areas of prayer, blessings, reciting the Shema, laws of Shabbat etc. In addition, Rav Kook wrote halachic works regarding the mitzvah of Tefillin and Shemita with an extensive interpretation regarding these mitzvot and how by observing these mitzvot we dramatically enhance meaning in our lives.
EVERY THREAD COUNTS
The Talmud employs harsh terminology concerning one who fails to wear tzitzit:
“Who is an am ha’aretz? (ignoramus)…whoever does not have tzitzit on his garment..” (Berachot 47a). Beyond the simple meaning that such a person fails to observe a basic Torah requirement, Rav Kook suggests an additional flaw in failing to wear tzitzit. Tzitzit represents the multiple threads that make up the multifaceted laws of Judaism. A single thread may appear insignificant, but one cannot make a beautiful garment without every one of its fibers being in place. Every thread serves a function in the divine tapestry. Not even the smallest, most technical halacha may be neglected. (Pinkasei ha-Re’iyah, vol. 1, pinkas 4, 24)
It is noteworthy that in Korach’s rebellion against Moshe that Korach dresses his followers in blue garments and questions the reasoning of needing to add a single strand of blue to a garment that already is flooded with blue color.
What was it that Korach was arguing? Perhaps the midrash intends to suggest that Korach was proposing that the details are less significant as long as the major messages of the Torah are understood and pursued. Korach was sorely mistaken. Moshe taught that every strand has significance. Whether we can fully grasp the meaning of every nuance is inconsequential. Only when all the laws and their fine points are observed can the exalted goals of Judaism be realized (See Torah United, vol. 2, Goldscheider, p. 517).
Rabbi Goldscheider’s most recent OU Press Publication, “Torah United” on the weekly Parsha, can be ordered directly from Rabbi Goldscheider at aarong@ouisrael.org at a special price for Torah Tidbits readers.
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telling them what to do, but by asking the right questions so they can reach their own clarity.
Sarah asks:
I have a male candidate who’s very clear about what he wants. The challenge is that these are exactly the kinds of women who keep turning him down. Meanwhile, there’s a whole group of women actively pursuing him, and he’s completely uninterested in them. He has high expectations and isn’t willing to compromise. I’m not sure how to help him move forward. Do you have any advice?
Aleeza answers:
Ah yes, the classic mismatch: “This is who I want… but that’s not who wants me.”
This dynamic comes up more often than you’d think. The key is to guide your candidate through a process of discovery, not by
Start by asking: “Who do you think is usually drawn to you? Why do you think that is?” Let him reflect and give you insight. Then pivot: “Who are you drawn to, and why do you think those women aren't reciprocating?” This isn’t about criticism, it’s about helping him notice a pattern.
I once had a client in a very similar situation. He wanted confident, stylish, sophisticated women. But when I asked him why he thought those women weren’t drawn to him, he answered honestly: “Because I slouch, and I’m not exactly polished. The guys they like probably carry themselves differently, they are more confident and more fit.”
He didn’t want to give up on what he wanted, so I posed the challenge: “You can either align more with what they’re looking for, or you can redirect toward women who are naturally drawn to you. Both are valid. Which path do you want to take?”
He chose to grow. He bought a posture brace, hired a stylist, joined a gym. Not to change his essence, but to better reflect the energy and image of the type of woman he hoped to attract. And it worked, he started showing up with more confidence and presence.
Did he suddenly start dating dream girls left and right? No. He still had challenges, because changing your outer self doesn’t always immediately shift the dynamic. But he felt more empowered, more aligned, and more hopeful.
And eventually, time, our greatest teacher, will do what it does best. The more mismatched experiences he has, the more open he’ll be to hearing different ideas. That’s when you, as the ambassador, can gently offer alternatives: “Would you consider trying one woman from the group you’ve overlooked, just once?”
Sometimes they’ll still say no. But maybe, after a few years of the same story, they’ll say, “Okay. I’m willing to try.”
That’s when real change begins.
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From Destruction to Construction: A 21-Day Challenge
What if I told you that every small act of loving-kindness, every baby step in the right direction, and even the initial thought—a רוהרה —of trying to improve a character trait is already meaningful in Hashem’s eyes? What if I told you that each attempt to grow in middot—let alone each success—is actually placing another stone in the rebuilding of Yerushalayim?
As the 17th of Tammuz approaches, we enter the somber period known as Bein HaMetzarim—the Three Weeks. These 21 days, spanning from the breach of Yerushalayim’s walls to the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash on Tisha B’Av, are often seen as a time of mourning, loss, and spiritual darkness.
But Chazal teach us that embedded within these days is a powerful opportunity—not just to remember what was broken, but to begin repairing it. The Yerushalmi Yoma opens with
- Any generation in which the Beit HaMikdash is not rebuilt, it is as if it was destroyed in that generation.
This piercing statement challenges us. The destruction of the Beit HaMikdash isn’t just a tragedy of the past. It is a present and ongoing
responsibility. If we continue to perpetuate division, hatred, and disconnection, then the churban is not history—it’s reality.
We must commit to rebuilding.
This Sunday, the 26th of Sivan, marks exactly 21 days before the Three Weeks. What if we reclaimed this period—not for mourning, but for building? What if we transformed these 21 days into a time of construction? Imagine if the “םירצימה ימי”—the days of narrowness and pain—could become “הבחרה ימי” days of expansion, growth, and renewal: for ourselves, our people, and Yerushalayim.
Chazal teach that the First Temple was destroyed due to the cardinal sins of idolatry, immorality, and murder. But the Second Temple was taken due to something more insidious and corrosive: sinat chinam—baseless hatred between Jews. Even in a society filled with Torah learning and religious observance, interpersonal mistrust and division undermined the foundations.
Sinat chinam isn’t only about open hostility. It includes indifference to another’s pain, harsh judgment, jealousy, and a lack of empathy. These forces drive the Divine Presence away.
So if sinat chinam destroyed the Temple,
then ahavat chinam—unconditional love— must be the foundation of its rebuilding.
During the Three Weeks, we are invited to become spiritual builders—constructing a society that can once again host the Shechinah. And if you’re thinking, “Me? Can I really make a difference? Do my actions matter?”—the answer is a resounding YES. Even the smallest, sincere effort matters profoundly. A moment of patience, a kind word, a private struggle to overcome anger or jealousy—each one is a brick in the rebuilding of Yerushalayim.
So I’m proposing a 21-Day Challenge.
Let’s fill these coming three weeks with intentional acts of love, kindness, and growth—so we can ultimately abolish the other Three Weeks.
Start small:
• Smile at someone you’d normally avoid.
• Reach out to someone you’ve grown distant from.
• Speak gently, even when it’s hard.
• Organize a chesed activity—not just to help others, but to grow the love within the community.
• Hold your tongue when insulted.
• Send a message of support.
Even the thought, “I want to grow,” is holy in Hashem’s eyes.
True unity isn’t uniformity —it’s harmony. And this is what we desperately need right now. Take time during these weeks to learn Torah that focuses on bein adam lechaveiro— how we treat one another. Study Pirkei Avot, the teachings of the Chofetz Chaim, or the halachot of lashon hara. Even more powerful: learn with others. Invite a friend to be your chavruta, or start a small group in your home or community.
The prophet Zechariah envisions a future in which:
“The fast of the fourth month..will become for the House of Yehudah days of joy, gladness, and cheerful festivals”
These days are not meant to remain days of sadness. The walls were breached because of our failures. They will be rebuilt through our tikkun—our repair.
If we maximize these 21 days and beyond to stretch ourselves, to transform and grow- to build love and connection, to spread kindness and compassion—these days will become the very foundation stones of a rebuilt Yerushalayim and a renewed Beit HaMikdash and be worthy of fulfilling Zecharia’s prophecy. We’ve had enough destruction. It’s time for construction.
Let’s build.
Our People.
Hashem’s Home.
Are you up for the challenge?
The Airleys have built Beit Binyamin, a retreat center in Tzfat for those directly affected by the war. Soldiers, Zaka members, security forces, bereaved families and widows can come for respite, relaxation and rejuvenation. For more information and to donate, visit Beitbinyamin.org
LIFE SETTLEMENTS
Do you have a
• No longer need?
• Can no longer afford the premium?
This Dvar Torah is dedicated in loving memory of Yita bat Shlomo, Rav Aharon Ziegler’s mother whose yahrzeit is on Shavuot.
• Could you use extra money instead of keeping your policy?
I can guarantee that if you qualify with the underwriting process I can get you more money than if you cash it in with the company.
Torah Tidbits extends a mazal tov to Rav Ziegler on his upcoming book of Torah Derashot, “The Sapphire Bricks of Torah”
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