(2) “Send people to scout the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelite people; send one participant from each of their ancestral tribes, each one a chieftain among them.”
שלח לך SEND for yourself) — i.e. according to your own judgement: I do not command you, but if you wish to do so send them. — God said this because the Israelites came to Moses and said. “We will send men before us etc.”, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 1:22): “And you approached me, all of you, [saying, We will send men, etc.]”, and Moses took counsel with the Shechinah (the Lord), whereupon He said to them, I have told them long ago that it (the land) is good, as it is said, (Exodus 3:17): “I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt … [unto a land flowing with milk and honey]”. By their lives! I swear that I will give them now an opportunity to fall into error through the statements of the spies, so that they should not come into possession of it (the land) (Sotah 34b; cf. also Rashi on Sotah 34b:8 מדעתך and Midrash Tanchuma, Sh'lach 5).
(30) Caleb hushed the people before Moses and said, “Let us arise, going up, and we shall gain possession of it, for we are surely able to do it.”
. אָמְרוּ (במדבר יג, לג): וַנְהִי בְעֵינֵינוּ כַּחֲגָבִים, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וִתַּרְתִּי עֲלֵיהֶם, אֶלָּא (במדבר יג, לג): וְכֵן הָיִינוּ בְּעֵינֵיהֶם. יוֹדְעִים הֱיִיתֶם מֶה עָשִׂיתִי אֶתְכֶם לְעֵינֵיהֶם, מִי יֹאמַר שֶׁלֹא הֱיִיתֶם בְּעֵינֵיהֶם כְּמַלְאָכִים. מַה גְּרַמְתֶּם לְעַצְמְכֶם (במדבר יד, לד): בְּמִסְפַּר הַיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר תַּרְתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ, לֹא דַיָּם כָּךְ אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹא נִכְנְסוּ לָאָרֶץ. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהָיוּ שְׁלוּחֵי בָּשָׂר וָדָם נִגְזַר עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁלֹא יִכָּנְסוּ לָאָרֶץ, אֲבָל לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא אֲנִי מְשַׁלֵּחַ לָכֶם מַלְאָכִי פִּתְאוֹם וִיפַנֶּה אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלאכי ג, א): הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָכִי וּפִנָּה דֶרֶךְ לְפָנָי וּפִתְאֹם יָבוֹא אֶל הֵיכָלוֹ.
“And in our own eyes we were like grasshoppers.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I forgave them for that [remark]; but I was exacting [when they said] (ibid., cont.), ‘And so we were in their eyes.’ The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Did you know what I made you in their eyes? Who would say that you were not like angels in their eyes?” What had they brought upon themselves? (Numb. 14:34,) “According to the number of days that you explored the land […] forty years.” As though this was not enough, they did not even enter the land. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “In this world, because the representatives (literally, those sent) were of flesh and blood, it has been decreed over them that they should not enter the land; but in the world to come I will suddenly send My angel (mal'akh), and he shall clear a way.” It is so stated (in Mal. 3:1), “Behold, I am sending My messenger (mal'akh) to clear a way before Me, and [the Lord whom you seek] shall suddenly come unto his Temple.”
The Twelve set out to “Latour” or tour the land, and they are amazed. It is indeed a beautiful and lush land, but one not watered by a giant river Nile, rather dependent upon G*d for rainfall. And all 12 back giant fruit to show the Kahal and tales of Giant inhabitants as well. What's with the Giant fruit? Ten of the leaders are fearful, and have decided that it would be a terrible idea to continue. Their words: V’hineh V’einenu “and behold we were in our own eyes K’Chagavim” as Grasshoppers, v’chein hayinu b’einehem – and so we were in their eyes!
I sometimes feel tiny, insecure, against life’s challenges. They felt tiny compared to other human beings. Inadequate, in comparison! What forces in our own lives makes us feel inadequate compared to others? Social media, folks posting images of perfect lives? Ads that make us feel that we don’t look like models, commercials that make us always hungry for what we don’t have. My grandparents generation growing up in the great depression told me that they didn’t think they were poor everyone in their community was the same. It’s the comparison to others that they felt inadequate.
Insecurity is understandable, not a crime for sure. It is in the next sentence where the danger creeps in: and so we were grasshoppers in their own eyes. What is wrong with that statement? First of all grasshoppers cannot beat anyone up, they are peaceful little creatures. And powerful together, when things are tough the become a powerful swarm of locusts. Secondly you cannot ever know how you appear in another’s eyes. We think people are always judging us as inadequate bc of our appearance, height, disability. And we make ourselves into less than we are.
We are fashioned in nothing less than the Divine image, made of Stardust, Golden. We are enough! Perhaps the giant fruit is a symbol of this enoughness.
So what happens next in the saga, how do the Israelites respond? Fear took root from the first ten two people stand up, cries of terror. At one point they tell Moses they wish they had died in Egypt or in the wilderness rather than by enemy’s sword, with their wives and children carried off, Wait what? They have no hope, no faith, fear has taken it's place. Here’s the thing about fear: it’s catching. There are mirror neurons in the brain. Mobs formed. And when Joshua and Caleb said, c’mon guys we can do it, the mob threatened them with stones to kill them. . Fear, says Yoda is the pathway to the dark side, we lose our self in becoming part of a Mob.
This makes us deaf and blind –to their lives and that of their family, to the of the land, to the presence of miracles and G*d in their midst. Quaker minister Parker Palmer writes “We cannot know the great things of the universe until we know ourselves to be great", yet, also, a humble part of the whole. A paradox of huge importance, Rabbi Siimcha Bunim taught his students to keep two pieces of paper, one in each pocket. On the first he would write “I am but dust and ashes” and on the second “The whole world was made for my sake” And when arrogance reared it’s head to read the first, and when inadequacy the other, to remind us who we are.
The haftarah read on this day also begins Sh'lach, out spies, and a they hide with a woman, a harlot named Rachav, helps the spies escape and this time faith in G*d is with Joshua, and fear makes the people of Jericho flee.
This amazing parashah ends with a command to put fringes with a cord of blue on the four corners of the garment. Like those pieces of paper, they remind us that we are connected on our corners to G*d, to one another to the earth, part of the whole, yet free.
Kol Am is certainly facing challenges, as is our country. Can we keep our eyes on the promise, our ideals? How can we make and keep connections, How can we know G*d is with us?
Know that you are stardust, Golden, in the divine image. Don’t compare yourselves to anyone, but remember you are connected with fringes to the pattern as well.
Poem, Soul Shine, Alden Solovy
Let your soul shine in your chest
Let your heart sparkle your eyes
Let joy fill your limbs with radiance
Let love fill your hands with splendor
You are the instrument of G*ds music
A tool for repairing the earth
Yours is the voice of wonder and awe
The song Of hope and tomorrow.
This gift,
This majesty within,
Is not yours to keep.
It is not yours to hold.
It is not yours to hide.
Let your soul shine
Luminous, elegant,
Brave and true,
A beacon of praise,
A lantern of song,
A summons for holiness
To enter our lives
And this world.
Let your soul shine.
Set it free.
Set it free to fill the space
Between the here
And the unknown
With abundance
And with blessings.
(ט) וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֲנָשִׁ֔ים יָדַ֕עְתִּי כִּֽי־נָתַ֧ן יְהֹוָ֛ה לָכֶ֖ם אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ וְכִֽי־נָפְלָ֤ה אֵֽימַתְכֶם֙ עָלֵ֔ינוּ וְכִ֥י נָמֹ֛גוּ כׇּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֥י הָאָ֖רֶץ מִפְּנֵיכֶֽם׃