Taste of Torah
A Bima-Ready D'var Torah 

23 Sivan 5782
​
Parashat Sh'lach L'cha
Faith vs. Fear
Torah Portion: Numbers 13:1-15:41
Haftarah Portion: Joshua 2:1-24

---

Shalom!

​​In this week’s parashah, the Israelites reach the borders of Canaan for the first time since leaving Egypt. At the very beginning of the parashah, God commands Moses to send representatives to scout out the land (Numbers 13:1). God has already promised the land to the Israelites, and God has already guaranteed their victory over the Canaanites living there. So why would God tell the Israelites to send scouts?

In a way, the title of this week’s parashah is a bit passive-aggressive. Sh’lach l’cha literally means “send yourself” (as in, “send yourself some people”). Rashi interprets it even more literally so that God says: “send for yourself some people,” meaning, “according to your own judgement,” so that God is really saying, “I do not command you [to send scouts], but if you wish to do so, send them.”[i] In other words, God is saying that, if the people really need to send spies they can. But they shouldn’t have to; they could just have a little faith, instead.

But their faith is shaky. So they send the scouts.

Gathering this kind of intelligence is a logical thing to do in a normal military campaign. After all, the Israelites need to know what exactly they are up against in order to best prepare for war, and going in blind is unwise at the best of times. But the Israelites are not in a normal situation. They have been traversing the wilderness, following a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They have been feeding themselves daily on manna and quail provided by God. Although the Torah has plenty of examples of Israelites complaining or protesting God’s authority, in general, the people do as they are told—and by now, they should know they can trust in God.

However, approaching Canaan’s border, they offer pushback before the military campaign. The Israelites need more information. They want to compare military campaign assets—army sizes, armaments, fortifications—and see how their own numbers stack against the Canaanites’. The Israelites have had more than their fair share of proof of God’s existence, God’s active presence, and God’s commitment to them. When God has had them wander in the wilderness following clouds and flame, the Israelites don’t question those directions. But now the Israelites balk.

This isn’t the first time the Israelites have warred since they left Egypt. However, during one of the previous times, the Israelites were guaranteed victory so long as Moses’ hands were kept raised. Again, they were given a visible sign to follow toward the desired outcome. It didn’t matter how well the Israelites fought; so long as Moses held his hands up, the Israelites would win.[ii]

Perhaps one key difference in this week’s parashah is that the Israelites have to take a more active role in this next challenge. Following pillars and gathering manna didn’t require much effort. The Israelites don’t even need to hunt the quail they are provided—they just need to hold out their nets and the quail fly right in. Now the Israelites must engage in battle, in a whole new way—and they don’t want to do so without a little fact-finding.

Matters only worsen when the scouts return. The scouts report: “…the people who inhabit the country are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large…. we cannot attack that people, for it is stronger than we… all the people that we saw in it are of great size… and we looked like grasshoppers [in comparison to them]” (Numbers 13:28, 32-33). Not a very encouraging report. But the Israelites have gone up against bigger foes before—Egypt was one of the strongest countries in the world at that time, and with God’s help, the Israelites won against them. The Canaanites are nothing in comparison to the Egyptians.

The Israelites are still wrestling with faith vs. fear: having faith in what God is saying versus the fear of what they can see with their own eyes. By sending the scouts, the Israelites are listening more to their fear than their faith, and the scouts’ subsequent reports magnify those fears. When fear fully overrides all well-established faith, this, too, can be perilous.

The truth is, fact-checking is a good thing— but not everything can be verified. There are things that cannot be tested or proven before we give it a go. At some point, while acknowledging our fear and engaging in fact-checking, we have to eventually just take a leap of faith—especially when the person (or all-powerful deity) we’re being asked to trust has a good track record of caring for us.

​As we go forward into a new week, may we “send for ourselves” in a way that balances concerns with compassion. May we focus on being more trusting and accepting of our friends and allies, and always working to maintain their trust, as well.

Shabbat shalom!
​
Rabbi Caroline Sim
ISJL Director of Rabbinical Services

Please share this message with family and friends; we also invite you to read this Taste of Torah from the bima or share it during digital services. As always, please be in touch. We particularly appreciate hearing about simchahs (moments of joy) like births, birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, graduations, as well as illnesses or other challenges in your family or community. ​

---

_______________________________
[i] Rashi on Numbers 13:1
[ii] See Exodus 17:8-16.

---

Support our work

---