Parashat Shelach 5785

by Rabbi Margie Cella

At God’s command, Moses sent twelve men to scout out the land of Canaan before entering it. 

They spent 40 days traversing the land, returning with a cluster of grapes so large that it required two people to carry it. They described the land as bounteous, with very large inhabitants. Of the twelve men who spied in the land, only Caleb and Joshua recommended going into the land; the remaining ten were too afraid to do so. The people listened to the 10, refusing to go into Canaan. This angered God, Who threatened to destroy the nation, starting again with Moses. Moses interceded for the Israelites, convincing God not to destroy them. Instead, God decreed that they would wander in the desert for 40 years, and all the fighting men of that generation except Joshua and Caleb would die before entering the land. 

The last five verses of the parashah are very familiar to us, as they are the last of the three paragraphs of the Shema prayer that we are enjoined to recite twice daily. We are commanded by God to put fringes (tzitzit) on the corners of our garments to remind us of all of God’s commandments. Donning a tallit in the morning evokes in us the memory of our redemption from slavery in Egypt, and the covenant that was sealed between us and God at Sinai. This is a mitzvah for Israel for all generations. It is, in a very real sense, the tie(s) that bind us to our Creator. 

Am Yisrael Chai! All people of Israel Live!