Mindful Torah...and more

Parashat Shelah - Lekha Bemidbar (Numbers) 13:1 - 15:41 In this parasha, Moses, at God's command, chooses one leader from each of the twelve tribes to serve as spies. Their mission is to enter the land of Canaan, the Promised Land, and bring back a report to the people. "See what kind of country it is.....investigate its cities, people, soil, and forests and] bring back some of the fruit of the land," they are told. They do bring back grapes and other fruits, but ten of the twelve spies also bring back a report that, though the land is flowing "with milk and honey," it is filled with large fortified cities, "giants," and other dangerous inhabitants. Only two of the spies, Yehoahua/Joshua and Calev/Caleb, bring back a positive report and remind the people that God is with them, and so they can overcome any obstacle or enemy. Unfortunately, the people are carried away by the negative report of the majority and wonder if Moses brought them this far out of

This week's parashah is Be'haalotekha (Numbers/Be'midbar 8:1-12:16). At the end of the last parashah God spoke to Moses from between the wings of the cherubim that hovered over the Ark. This occured immediatel following the completion of the building of the Mishkan/sanctuary. In the opening line of Be'haalotekha, Moses is told to instruct Aaron concerning his ascent to kindle the lights of the seven-branch menorah. Many rabbis have commented on the symbolism of the menorah as the light of the Divine. In addition, the Kabbalists/mystics imagined that the seven branches of the menorah represented the seven lower sefirot/divine emanations that human beings could experience in this world. Light as representing God's presence is also found in the parashah in the image of the fire enshrouded in the cloud that hovered over the Mishkan signifying God's presence. According to the text, the fire/presence of God would be seen within a cloud over the Mishkan by day and as f