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ותשא כל העדה ויתנו את קולם ויבכו העם בלילה ההוא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shelach, 5777

The entire assembly raised up and issued its voice; the people wept that night. (14:1)

The Talmud Sanhedrin 104b states that the fateful night on which the meraglim, spies, shared their slanderous report of Eretz Yisrael with the nation was the Ninth of Av. The people reacted with unwarranted, incessant weeping, which consumed the entire nation. The weeping was a reaction to a report that was foundless. Furthermore, they had been guided by Hashem in the wilderness under the protective shield of the Clouds of Glory. For them to cry without reason was ludicrous. Hashem said, “You cried a bchiyah shel chinam, unwarranted weeping. I will establish for you a b’chiyah l’doros, weeping for generations.”…

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Home -> 5777 -> Shelach

במדבר הזה יפלו פגריכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shelach, 5777

In this wilderness shall your carcasses drop. (14:29)

Ever since that first Tishah B’Av, when the meraglim, spies, returned with their slanderous report of Eretz Yisrael, Tishah B’Av became a sad, fateful night for the male members of Klal Yisrael. The decree had been issued that they would not enter into the Promised Land. The wilderness would become their graveyard. Every Tishah B’Av every (eligible) Jew dug a grave for himself, lay down in it and prayed. Would he wake up in the morning, or would this be his last night on earth? Every year, fifteen thousand men did not wake up. Whoever did not arise in the…

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Home -> 5777 -> Shelach

והיה אם מעיני העדה נעשתה לשגגה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shelach, 5777

And it will be, if from the eyes of the assembly it was done by error. (15:24)

Enei ha’eidah, eyes of the assembly, refer to the Sanhedrin who, as the leaders of the nation, provide guidance, vision and illumination – which are all functions of one’s eyes. As the final arbiters of Jewish law, they infuse our nation with the clarity that comes with Torah erudition and the wisdom, the result of their daas Torah, wisdom honed and inspired by the Torah. In his hesped, eulogy, for the Maharam Shick, Horav Nota Wolf, Rav of Pressburg, Hungary, and the leading elder of the Torah community, offered the following parable, which gives us a powerful insight into the…

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Home -> 5776 -> Shelach

שלח לך אנשים ויתרו את ארץ כנען

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shelach, 5776

Sent forth men, if you please, and let them spy out the Land of Canaan. (13:2)

The chapter of the meraglim, spies, follows immediately after the closing chapter of the previous parshah, which details the incident of Miriam Ha’Neviayah’s criticizing Moshe Rabbeinu and the consequential punishment which she experienced. Despite the fact that the spying incident took place shortly after Miriam’s debacle, the spies did not learn a lesson concerning the gravity of malicious gossip. They saw what happened to Miriam, yet they still had no compunction whatsoever about slandering Eretz Yisrael. The commentators question this exposition (Midrash Rabbah 16:6; cited by Rashi). They quote Chazal in the Talmud Arachin 16a, who deplore the speaking of…

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Home -> 5776 -> Shelach

ונהי בעינינו כחגבים וכן היינו בעיניהם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shelach, 5776

We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so were we in their eyes. (13:33)

The meraglim felt a sense of low esteem when they heard the Canaanites refer to them as grasshoppers. These people were giants and, to them, the Jewish spies appeared quite puny. Why is it necessary to inform us how they felt about themselves? All that is necessary for the reader to know is that the Canaanite giants perceived the Jews as tiny insects. Perhaps the lesson is that, as long as one maintains his own self-esteem, others will also respect him. Once the meraglim felt like grasshoppers, they were, in turn, viewed as grasshoppers. One cannot be put down unless…

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Home -> 5776 -> Shelach

ויאמרו כל העדה לרגום אתם באבנים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shelach, 5776

But the entire assembly said to pelt them with stones. (14:10)

Rashi comments: “Them” refers to Yehoshua and Calev. Is this a rational reaction? We can accept anger and even threatening bodily harm against those who would do us harm. We seek to avenge ourselves from those who have caused us pain and trouble. Yehoshua and Calev, however, had done nothing negative to the Jewish people. They posed no threat. Ten spies disputed them. What power could they hold with which to dissuade the people? Indeed, if the entire assembly was prepared to stone them, it means that everyone was against them. What threat or potential danger did these two harmless…

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Home -> 5776 -> Shelach

וישכמו בבקר ויעלו אל ראש ההר לאמר הננו ועלינו אל המקום אשר אמר ד' כי חטאנו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shelach, 5776

They awoke early in the morning and ascended toward the mountain top saying, “We are ready, and we will ascend to the place of which Hashem has spoken, for we have sinned. (14:40)”

The nation was chastened. They now realized that they had overreacted to the slanderous news conveyed by the meraglim, spies, and that they must do something to repair the rift created by their sins. Nonetheless, there is a time and place for everything. They had forfeited their chance to enter Eretz Yisrael. Without Hashem’s mandate and leadership they could never conquer the Land. Now was not the time. Some people simply do not understand the meaning of “no.” A group of Jews decided to prove that they were willing to move on, to wage war against the inhabitants of the…

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Home -> 5776 -> Shelach

והיה לכם לציצית וראיתם אותו וזכרתם את כל מצוות ד' ועשיתם אותם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shelach, 5776

It shall constitute Tzitzis for you, that you may see it and remember all the commandments of Hashem and perform them. (15:39)

We are to wear Tzitzis, so that when we look at them, we will remember all of the other mitzvos in the Torah. In other words, wearing Tzitzis generates mitzvah observance. “Seeing” catalyzes remembering, which engenders positive action via religious observance. Indeed, the Rambam writes that one should be diligent in his observance of Tzitzis, because of its compelling effect vis-à-vis all other mitzvos. In his commentary to the Chumash, Rashi writes: “The parsha of the mekosheish eitzim— he who had transgressed Shabbos by picking twigs and carrying them in a public place– is juxtaposed upon the parsha of avodah…

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Home -> 5775 -> Shelach

שלח לך אנשים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shelach, 5775

Send forth men, if you please. (13:2)

The Baal HaTurim makes an interesting observation which gives the reader an opportunity to pause and question. The letters at the end of the three words: shlach, lecha, anashim are ches, chof and mem, which spell the word chacham, wise man. This spurs the Baal HaTurim to say that there was Heavenly instruction concerning the quality of the person Moshe Rabbeinu would select to be among the meraglim, spies. He was to be a chacham, wise man. These men were Nesiim, Princes, of each shevet, tribe. It, thus, makes sense that they were individuals not lacking in wisdom, and they…

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Home -> 5775 -> Shelach

ויקרא משה להושע בן נון יהושע

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Shelach, 5775

Moshe called Hoshea bin Nun Yehoshua. (13:16)

Rashi explains that Moshe Rabbeinu added the letter yud to Hoshea’s name, thereby transforming it to Yehoshua, so that his name would begin with Yud-Kay, the letters of G-d’s Name. The Hebrew name, Yehoshua, means, “G-d will save.” Moshe was praying that Hashem would spare his primary student, Yehoshua, from falling under the mutinous influence of the spies. Chazal give a number of reasons that Moshe singled out Yehoshua over Calev. Surely, it was not favoritism. Moshe was concerned that Yehoshua’s extreme humility would get the better of him and not permit him to stand up to the meraglim. Alternatively,…

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