Torah Portion / Synagogues
God's Special Bond With The Land Of Israel
Shabbat Shelach•
Numbers 13:1-15:41;
Joshua 2:1-24.
Er
ow can we understand the "sin
of the scouts," of the 10
princes of the tribes? Why did
they hold back from attempting to con-
quer the land of Israel — especially after
they had just seen the miracles of the
Almighty in freeing them from Egyptian
servitude?
Our Torah portion opens: "The Lord
spoke to Moses saying, 'Send forth for
yourselves men to spy out the land of
Canaan which I am giving to the chil-
dren of Israel.'"
The classical commentator Rashi
asks, "What is the connection between
this biblical segment of the scouts and
the biblical segment of Miriam (at the
conclusion of last week's Torah reading)?
It is the fact that she was punished for
speaking evil words against her brother
Moses, and these wicked 'leaders' saw
and did not internalize the lesson."
Is then the sin of slander the connec-
tion point between the biblical segments
Shlomo Riskin is head of Israel's Ohr
Torah Stone Institute and chief rabbi
of Efrat.
a.m., 6 p.m. Ivriah religious school (810) 732-6312.
ADAT SHALOM SYNAGOGUE
BETH ISRAEL (ANN ARBOR)
CONGREGATION
AHAVAS ISRAEL (GRAND RAPIDS)
2727 Michigan St. SE, Grand Rapids, 49506-1297,
(616) 949-2840. Rabbi: David J.B. Krishef. Cantor:
Stuart R. Rapaport. Services: Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, 7:30 a.m.; Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30
a.m.
BEIT KODESH
31840 W. Seven Mile, Livonia, (248) 477-8974. Cantor:
David Gutman. President: Larry Stein. Vice presidents:
Martin Diskin, Al Gittleman. Services: Friday 8 p.m.;
Saturday 9 a.m.
CONGREGATION BETH AHM
5075 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, 48322, (248) 851-
6880. Rabbi: Charles Popky. Ritual director: Joseph
Mermelstein. Rabbi emeritus: A. Irving Schnipper.
Cantor Emeritus: Shabtai Ackerman. Services: Friday 6
p.m.; Saturday 9:30 a.m., 8:45 p.m.; weekdays 7 a.m.,
7 p.m.; Sundays and civic holidays: 8:15 a.m., 5 p.m.
BETH ISRAEL (FLINT)
G-5240 Calkins Road, Flint, 48532, (810) 732-6310.
Cantor emeritus: Sholom Kalib. President: Leonard
Meizlish. Services: Saturday 9:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; week-
days 7:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; Sunday and legal holidays 8
6/11
56
ness of the land of Israel for the people
of Israel.
The scouts investigated the land of
Israel as any would-be settlers would
investigate any land they hoped to con-
quer and inhabit; they were blind to,the
very special relationship that God had to
this land for His people and His promise
that they would be able to conquer it.
Indeed, the portion concludes with
the commandment of ritual fringes
appended to our four-cornered gar-
ments. Rav Joseph Soloveitchik explains
that white represents clarity, logic,
rational truth; blue symbolizes the infini-
ty of the oceans and the heavens and
represents longing, infinity, mystery,
supra-rational.
Torah, the land of Israel and the peo-
ple of Israel are a combination of logic
and love, natural and super-natural,
mathematic reason and miraculous
romance. This message had to be
taught to both Miriam and the scouts.
Our generation must understand that
"to live in Israel and to believe in mir-
acles is to be a realist." O
•
CONSERVATIVE
29901 Middlebelt, Farmington Hills, 48334, (248) 851-
5100. Rabbis: Daniel Nevins, Herbert Yoskowitz. Cantor:
Howard Glantz. Rabbi emeritus: Efry Spectre. Cantor
emeritus: Larry Vieder. Services: Friday 6 p.m.;
Saturday 9 a.m., 9 p.m.; weekdays 7:30 a.m., 6 p.m.;
Sunday 8:30 a.m.
2004
and the major transgression of the desert
much the slander as it was her inability
generation? It seems to me that the issue
to recognize the unique prophecy of
must be a bit deeper!
Moses; and if Moses' relationship to
Let us take a second look at Miriam's
God was not unique, then the Five Books
slander: Miriam and Aaron spoke
ofMoses'Divine revelation, likewise
against Moses regarding the Cushite
would lose its unique status.
woman he had married. The biblical text
The great philosopher — legalist of
explicitly states that Miriam and Aaron
the 12th century — Maimonides uses
were directing their criticism against
the very verses with which we are dealing
Moses, not against Zipporah!
to prove the uniqueness of Moses'
Rashi explains that his siblings were
prophecy and therefore of his Torah:
upset with Moses "because he had mar-
"When God told the Israelites to return
ried this woman and now
to their homes but directed
divorced her." Moses retorted
Moses to stand with Him, He
that the Almighty had indeed
was testifying that Moses was
singled him out for special
in a constant state of prophecy
conduct, insisting — immedi-
... His mind (active intellect)
ately after instructing the
was bound up with the mind
Israelite men to return to their
(active intellect) of the Rock
wives — "But as for you
of Ages, whose glory did not
(Moses), stand here with Me
leave Moses for an instant ...
and I shall speak to you the
Moses was sanctified as one of
entire commandment ... You,
the Divine messengers
Moses, shall not return to your
(malakhim) (Laws of Torah
RABBI
family!"
Fundamentals, 7,6).
SHLOMO
Apparently, his siblings did
For an individual such as
RISKIN
not accept Moses' response,
Moses, it became virtually
Special to the
insisting that God spoke to
impossible to return home
Jewish News
them as well, and Moses was
and bond with wife and chil-
certainly included in the gen-
dren; Moses bonded with the
eral command to return to the w ives.
Divine!
They could not accept the notion that
Just as the real transgression of
Moses had a unique relationship with
Miriam lay in her inability to see the
God.
absolute uniqueness of Moses, so did the
From this perspective, the fundamen-
real transgression of the scouts lay in
tal transgression of Miriam was not so
their inability to see the absolute unique-
2000 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor, 48104, (734) 665-
9897. Rabbi: Robert Dobrusin. Services: Friday 6 p.m.;
Saturday 9:30 a.m.; weekdays 7:30 p.m.; Sunday 5
p.m.
CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM
14601 W. Lincoln, Oak Park, 48237, (248) 547-7970.
Rabbi: David A. Nelson. Cantor: Samuel L. Greenbaum.
Ritual director: Rev. Samuel Semp. Services: Friday 6
p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 6:30 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m., 5
p.m.; weekdays 7 a.m., 6:30 p.m. Bar mitzvah of
Nathan Samuel Chesterman, son of Elaine Webber and
Barry Chesterman.
BETH TEPHILATH MOSES
146 South Ave., Mt. Clemens, 48043, (810) 465-0641.
Services: weekdays 7:15 a.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.;
Sunday 8 a.m.
CONGREGATION B'NAI MOSHE
6800 Drake, West Bloomfield, 48322, (248) 788-0600.
Rabbi: Elliot Pachter. Cantor: Earl Berris. Services:
Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 8:45 p.m.; Monday-
Thursday 7 a.m., 6 p.m.; Friday 7 a.m.; Sunday and
legal holidays 9 a.m.; Sunday 6 p.m. Bat mitzvah of
Mollie White, daughter of Julie and Matthew Whitcomb
and Lee White.
ISAAC AGREE
DOWNTOWN SYNAGOGUE
1457 Griswold, Detroit, 48226, (313) 961-9328.
Chazan: Cantor Usher Adler. Baal Kriah: Rabbi Craig
Allen. Cantorial soloist: Neil Barris. Ritual director: Dr.
Martin Herman. President: Dr. Ellen Kahn. Services:
Saturday 8:30 a.m.
CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK
Rabbis: Joseph H. Krakoff, Jonathan E. Berkun. Rabbi
emeritus: Irwin Groner. Cantor: Chaim Najman. Ritual
director: Leonard Gutman.
Southfield: 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, 48034, (248)
357-5544. Services: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 7:30
a.m.; Monday, Thursday 7:15 a.m.; daily 6 p.m.; Friday
6 p.m.; Saturday 8:45 a.m., 8:15 p.m.; Sunday 8:30
a.m. B'nai mitzvah of Marissa McClain, daughter of
Marilyn Madorsky and Robert McClain; Samuel William
Shreeman, son of Maureen and Mark Shreeman.
West Bloomfield, B'nai Israel Center: 4200 Walnut
Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323-2772, (248) 357-
5544. Services: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 7:15 a.m.;
Monday, Thursday 7 a.m.; daily 6 p.m.; Friday 6 p.m.;
Saturday 9 a.m., 8:45 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m.
TEMPLE ISRAEL
2300 Center Ave., Bay City, 48708; (989) 893-7811.
Cantor: Daniel Gale. President: Dr. Jonathan Abramson.
Services: Saturday 9:30 a.m. A liberal, egalitarian con-
gregation serving the tri-cities area. Religious and
Hebrew education programs for children and adults.
INDEPENDENT
AHAVAT SHALOM
413 N. Division St., Traverse City, 49684, (231) 929-
4330. Rabbi: Chava (Stacie) Bahle. Weekly Shabbat cel-
ebrations, holidays, year round programming, children's
education. Summer programming for downstate visi-
tors.
Conversations
What lessons can we derive
today from the sin of the scouts?
GROSSE POINTE JEWISH COUNCIL
(313) 882-6700. Rabbi: Nicholas Behrmann. Cantorial
soloist: Bryant Frank.
JEWBILATION
P.O. Box 130014, Ann Arbor, 48103, (734) 996-3524 or
995-1963. Rev. Lauren Zinn. Services: Friday 6:15, fol-
lowing dinner. Jewish Roots with Interfaith Wings holds
bi-monthly Shabbat dinner, services, kids' programs,
family school and Hebrew school for all ages.
ORTHODOX
AGUDAS YISROEL
MOGEN ABRAHAM
15751 W. Lincoln, Southfield, 48075, (248) 552-1971.
Rabbis: Dov Loketch, Asher Eisenberger. President:
Irwin Cohen.
ANN ARBOR CHABAD HOUSE
715 Hill St., Ann Arbor, 48104, (734) 995-3276. Rabbi:
Aharon Goldstein. Services: Friday at sundown;
Saturday 9:45 a.m., 20 min. before sundown; week-
days 7:30 a.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. Times for weekdays and
Sunday are for the academic year.
ANN ARBOR ORTHODOX MINYAN
1429 Hill St., Ann Arbor, 48014. Rabbi: Rod Glogower.
Services: Friday at sundown; Saturday 9:30 a.m. and
20 minutes before sundown; weekdays during the aca-
demic year 7:30 a.m.; Sunday 9 a.m.
BAIS CHABAD OF
FARMINGTON HILLS
32000 Middlebelt, Farmington Hills, 48334, (248) 855-
2910. Rabbi: Chaim Bergstein. Services: Friday sun-