Overview
of the Torah Reading
To be read on Shabbat Shelach -23Sivan 5777 /June 17
Torah: Numbers 13:1-15:41; Haftorah: Joshua 2:1-24 (the
two spies sent to Jericho)
Pirkei Avot:
Chapter 3
Shelach is the 4th Reading out of 10 in Numbers
and it contains 5820 letters, in 1540 words, in 119
verses
Overview: Shelach
begins by relating how Moshe sent the 12 spies to explore the Promised
Land. Ten of the spies subsequently gave an evil report which influenced
a majority of the people. Because of the Jews’ apparent disbelief in
G-d’s ability to conquer the Land, the adult men of that generation
were decreed to perish in the desert during the next 38 years (see the
Book of our Heritage for a detailed account). Despite the decree, a
group of Jews defiantly attempted to enter the Holy Land but were defeated
by Amalekites and Canaanites. The next section describes the details
of meal and dough offerings, and communal and individual sin offerings
for committing idolatry inadvertently. Next is the story of a man caught
gathering sticks in violation of Shabbos and his death as consequence.
The Reading concludes with the mitzva to separate challah from dough,
to wear fringes (tzitzis) with a special strand of blue on four cornered
garments and not to be drawn after your heart and eyes.
An
essay from Rabbi
Shaul Yosef Leiter, director of Ascent
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here)
Toward the end of this week's Torah portion we read
that when the children of Israel were in the desert they found a man
gathering wood on Shabbat (15:32). Rashi explains the depth of the
verse: in addition to the sin of this one person, it was a disgrace
for the entire nation that on the second Shabbat they were observing
as a nation, a Jew had already transgressed.
An obvious lesson is that all Jewish people are intertwined one with
the other, and one person's negative actions can affect all of us.
But the Lubavitcher Rebbe offers another, more positive interpretation.
Lets us think about it for a moment: the Jewish nation was comprised
of many thousands of people, from simple ones to the great leaders
Moshe, Aharon, and the 70 elders. Nevertheless, one person's disgracing
the Shabbat was considered a disgrace for the entire Jewish nation!
Our purpose as Jews is to guarantee that there will never be even
one Jew that comes to any kind of negative behavior. Therefore, the
sin of just one person is considered a disgrace for the entire nation-proof
that we did not try hard enough to prevent it.
If this standard is true about negative behavior, it applies all
the more so to positive behavior. There is a principle in Jewish tradition
that the return investment on something positive is always greater
than the return on something negative (Tamud tractate Sotah, 11a).
This means that when even one Jew does something good, it brings great
honor and merit to the entire Jewish people!
The Torah is teaching us how important for each of us to invest in
helping others do good.
For many years the Rebbe would allot a few nights a week to meeting
people in private audiences. Registration was done months in advance,
and those with appointments would often wait in line for hours. When
certain special leaders would come, they were given the privilege
of not having to wait. Once, the Chief Rabbi of Romania, Rabbi Dovid
Moshe Rozen, came to see the Rebbe. As he was ushered in before everyone
else, he saw that waiting in line were not just one, but a few prominent
rabbis.
"When I entered the Rebbe's room," relates Rabbi Rozen,
"the Rebbe immediately asked me how many Jews were in Romania.
And I told him 60,000. Afterward the Rebbe asked me to sit down. I
knew that there were all of these important people waiting, so I asked
the Rebbe, 'How much time has been allotted for me?'"
"I already answered you," the Rebbe responded.
I was surprised and said, "I am sorry, but I did not ask the
Rebbe that question before." And the Rebbe said again, "I
already answered you." This went back and forth four times until
the Rebbe realized that I did not understand.
He said, "I have all the time that is necessary for 60,000 Jews!"
What are we waiting for? Let's get out there and help someone do a
good deed today!
Shabbat Shalom, Shaul
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here)
For last year's essay by Rabbi Leiter on this
week's Reading, see the archive.
FROM
THE SAGES OF KABBALAH ON KabbalaOnline.org
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Kabbalists, and more,
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one sample:
Mystical Classics
By
the Sweat of Your Brow
From Shenei Luchot HaBrit by Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz
"Man does not live by bread alone, rather on all that emanates
from the mouth of G-d."
The Ari explains
that the intake of food enables the soul to remain attached to the body,
although the soul, by definition, does not need to eat for food is something
both physical as well as spiritual. The soul can benefit from those
spiritual ingredients in food, just as the body derives strength from
the foods' nutrients.
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