6.14.2012








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Moses and the Messengers from
 Canaan (painting by Giovanni Lanfranco)





In Parashat Shlah, we are told the story of the spies who investigate the Land of Israel before the people enter and settle there. They return and report that though the land is bountiful, the people who dwell within it are strong, terrible, and cannot be overcome (Number 13:27-31). Despite the lone protests of Caleb, who insists that the Israelites can indeed possess the land, the people of Israel are paralyzed with fear, begin to weep and defame God, and then insist on returning to Egypt. It is this rebellion that is punished by 40 years of desert wandering
When spies were sent to check out the promised land, most came back with som serious concerns: the Canaanites were too strong for them to overcome. A quick lesson in self-confidence was just what the doctor prescribed . MORE>
Parshat Shelach Lecha for children:
The Spies and their Confidence Problem


Pictture - Dore Return of the Spies From the Land of Promise
Moses sends scouts to explore the Land of Israel; ten of them convince the people that it will be too difficult to conquer the land; God responds to their lack of confidence by punishing them with 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.

By Nancy Reuben

  • e
After the Levites are appointed caretakers of the Dwelling Place for God and the Sanctuary is anointed, God says to Moses, "Send out men to explore the land of Canaan which I am giving to the sons of Israel."
Each of the tribes of Israel sent a leader for the exploration. Moses said to these explorers, "See if the land is good or bad, fertile or lean. Are the people strong or weak, few or numerous? Are the cities opened or fortified?"
Picture - Israel Driven Back into the Desert
 (illustration by B. Barnards from the 1908 Bible and Its
 Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons)



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 PARASHAH  

* SHLACH *


Awakening the Holiness

 in Every Language
(from Kovetz Alef, section 887)

In an age when we witness a powerful attraction to the study of languages and science, it is impossible to fight against all who are drawn towards them. Indeed, the times and the signs of the day indicate the necessity [for these studies]. The inner righteous, with their mystical service, come to the rescue at this hour. With nobility of spirit, they open up the blocked conduits and establish the mystical secret of God in "His studies." These studies encompass all that is in the universe, especially that which advances the world's progress.
The righteous awaken the holiness hidden in each language. They utilize the power of Joseph, who incorporated all [of the physical world] with the Hebrew letter hey.1 They apply the power of the Divine word from Sinai, which illuminates with an ever-increasing light. "Each Divine command split up into seventy languages" (Shabbat 88b).

Similarly, we find that Moses explained the Torah be'er heitev, "very clearly" (Deut. 27:8).2 Moses uncovered the essence of good in every language, the inner force that introduced it from holy Majesty. The language itself is thus clarified and refined. Then we may present a "language of clarity" to all nations, so that "all will be able to call out in the name of God" (Zephania 3:9).


Picture - Joshua And Calev

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Picture : Two spies tour Jericho




    *HAFTARA*
The haftarah selection is from the 
In Parashat Shlah Moses sends 12 spies into the Land of Israel to gather information that will make the Israelites more enthusiastic about entering the Promised Land. The spies are also charged with scouting out the land for military purposes.

In the haftarah for Shlah, Joshua is continuing the mission that Moses began: planning a military crusade to conquer the land. Joshua sends two spies into the city of Jericho to survey the region and assess the military options. The spies lodge with a prostitute named Rahab, who lives along the wall built around the city. 
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שבת שלום ושבוע טוב



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