Parshat Shelah-Lekha - How to Make Ourselves a Holy Community
In this week's parashah/portion, Shelah-Lekha (Bemidbar/Numbers 13:1-15:41), 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 about the land 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. When they return, they do bring back huge bunches of 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" so huge that they made the 10 spies feel “like grasshoppers.” Only two of the spies, Yehoshua /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...