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TORAH PORTION

Be Confident As We Go
Into The Jewish Future

Shabbat Shelach Lecha:
Numbers 13:115:41;
Joshua 2:1-24.

S

helach Lecha truly illustrates
God that prevented the people from
the idea that "the best laid
entering Israel, but rather a lack of
plans of mice and men often
faith in themselves. The medieval
go awry." One might add that even
commentator Rashi teaches us that
God's plans seem to go awry in this
while the plan to send the spies seems
parshah, which contains the story of
to originate with God, in fact God is
the 12 spies.
only acquiescing to a request by the
In the Torah portion, God tells
people. It is the Children of Israel who
Moses to send 12 men to scout out
want reassurance that they will be
the land of Israel in preparation for
successful in the conquest and settle-
the people entering the land. -loses
ment of the land, not God.
tells the spies to bring
With such lack of
back word about the
confidence, it isn't
inhabitants and produce
surprising that the
of the land as well as the
majority report is a
military resistance they
defeatist message, which
will encounter when they
reaffirms the people's
enter Israel.
fears. The people feel
When the spies return,
small and weak, and
the Israelites are pre-
the spies tell them that
sented with two different
they themselves felt like
accounts of the trip. Ten
grasshoppers
amongst
Rabbi Steven
spies claim that while
the
inhabitants
of Israel.
Rubenstein
the land is bountiful, it is
The
people
have
been
Special to the
inhabited by giants who
without
a
permanent
Jewish News
live in fortified cities. The
home for some time
land itself devours those
and the spies stress the
who live in it! The 10 spies counsel
invincibility of the fortified cities.
that it is impossible for the Israelites
There are those in the Jewish past
to go into the land of Israel.
(and the Jewish present) who found
The other two spies remind the
it easier to believe the worst about
people that God has promised them
the mission and hopes of the Jewish
the land. If they follow God, they will
people. Those who are presented with
be successful in their mission.
the blueprints for the future but would
rather return to the past. Perhaps
But the people refuse to listen. They
cry out to Moses, "if only we might
our ancestors could be forgiven their
die in this wilderness?' And, in fact,
reluctance because of their long
their frustrated cry turns into a reality. enslavement.
The entire generation of adults that
But for each generation of Jews, the
opportunity is there to go forward
left Egyptian slavery will die in the
towards a stronger Jewish future. Are
wilderness, having squandered the
opportunity to enter the land of Israel
we up for the challenge? ❑
themselves. That honor will now be
left to their children and grandchil-
Conversations
What are the major opportunities for
dren.
our Jewish community as we plan our
But how could this happen? They
future? What elements in our past have
were so close to entering the land.
the potential of holding us back as a
They had witnessed the plagues of
community?
Egypt, the splitting of the sea, the
revelation at Mt. Sinai. Couldn't they
Steven Rubenstein is rabbi of
believe that God would also bring
Congregation Beth Ahm in West
them into the land of Israel?
Bloomfield.
Perhaps it is not a lack of faith in

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PRESCRIPTIONS

32910 MIDDLEBELT RD.

at 14 Mile

• FARMINGTON HILLS

(Next to Nino's/Strawberry Hill)

248-855-1177

1128760

June 22 8 2006

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