JUNE 15 • 2023 | 61

SPIRIT

Children of Israel
Act Like Children
O

ur Torah portion this 
week contains the 
famous story of the 
12 spies who return from the 
promised land with a report.
The spies find a rich 
land that “flows with 
milk and honey.” But 
they report that it is a 
place of giants and dan-
ger. This is not the first 
time we are troubled 
that the Israelites are 
frightened and passive. 
Back in Exodus, the 
Israelites complain 
of having no water to 
drink. Last week’s por-
tion contained a par-
ticularly embarrassing 
episode with the people 
weeping in their desert tents 
that they only have manna to 
eat. As God burns with anger 
toward the people, Moses 
registers his own complaints 
with God.
“Why have You, God, treat-
ed me so poorly?” Moses 
cries. “Why have I not found 
some favor in Your eyes that 
You have laid the burden of 
these people on me alone? 
Why do I have to carry them 
to the land that You promised 
them? Now, where am I going 
to get meat for them to eat? 
If this is the way that You are 
going to treat me, then just 
kill me and put me out of my 
misery.”
God, it appears, is “up to 
here” with the lot of them. So, 
God declares to the people: 
“You want meat to eat? I’ll 
give you your meat — you 
will eat it not just for one day, 
not just for two days or five 
days or 10 days or 20 days, 
but for a solid month until it 

comes out your noses and is 
loathsome to you. I’ll teach 
you to wail and whine about 
having to leave the wonderful 
place that was Egypt.”
Moses lets God’s 
sarcasm go right over 
his head, saying, “So 
much meat, God? The 
people here number 
600,000 men and they 
are all going to get that 
much meat? Where are 
those flocks or herds 
enough for that?” And 
God answered, “Do you 
really think, Moses, that 
I am limited in what I 
can do?”
Though the Israelites 
this week are whining 
in their wandering, we know 
that they will indeed pull 
themselves together, that they 
will affirm a covenant with 
God that will sustain them 
unto us thousands of years 
later. 
In finally figuring out who 
they were, they found enough 
strength in their communion 
with God and their communi-
ty under God.
While it is somewhat 
embarrassing to read these 
stories of our ancestral lead-
ers, way back at the begin-
ning of our people, there is 
an ennobling reassurance 
that from them arose this 
enduring and world changing 
nation. 
We are they, and they are us 
— and the chosen people are 
still choosing themselves. 

Rabbi Joseph Klein was the rabbi of 

Temple Emanu-El in Oak Park. This 

article originally appeared in the JN 

on June 7, 2002.

TORAH PORTION

Rabbi 
Joseph Klein

Parshat 

Shelach 

Lecha: 

Numbers 13:1-

15:41; Joshua 

2:1-24.

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