Sivan 18, 5776/June 24, 2016
They say that success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan. G-d tells Moshe, "Send out for yourself men who will scout the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel." (Numbers 13:2) These are G-d's words, but our sages say that the language used in the original Hebrew implies that G-d was giving his assent to a preconceived plan, and not presenting a directive to the children of Israel. Moshe himself later testifies that the idea originated with the people. "And all of you approached me and said, 'Let us send men ahead of us so that they will search out the land for us and bring us back word by which route we shall go up, and to which cities we shall come.'"(Deuteronomy 1:22) After which, Moshe says, "And the matter pleased me; so I took twelve men from you, one man for each tribe." (ibid)
Beyond the question of whose idea it was, are the questions what was the intended purpose of the mission, why were twelve tribal leaders chosen to fulfill the mission, and what instructions did they receive? According to Moshe's words quoted above, the purpose was to collect information that would enable a successful military entrance into the land. However, in this week's reading of Shelach we hear Moshe giving the twelve scouts instructions that seem unconnected to the mission described in Deuteronomy:"What is the soil like is it fat or lean? Are there any trees in it or not? You shall be courageous and take from the fruit of the land." Numbers 13:20) How is this relevant to a military reconnaissance mission, and why question the goodness of the land when G-d has promised on numerous occasions that it is a "goodly land, flowing with milk and honey?"
Finally, why choose twelve tribal leaders, known men of stature? If the purpose is to spy out the land in order to return with information useful in drawing up a military plan to enter and conquer, why are so many men required and why notables? (Thirty nine years later Yehoshua successfully sent in just two spies in order to prepare for the conquest of Jericho.) This current mission of twelve men of prominence seems more like a delegation or even a junket. Being men of stature they no doubt regarded their own opinions and understood from their instructions that they were to return with a full report of pros and cons, and not a pre-written statement of "all is good in the promised land." Hadn't G-d already stated that?
We may never get to the bottom of whose idea this really was, why things went so awry at this point, and why only two of the twelve, Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev ben Yefuneh, remained true to G-d's promise to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, imploring emphatically to the rapidly despairing nation, "We can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it." (ibid 13:30) What we do know is the disastrous fallout from the incident, G-d's decree that the generation that witnessed G-d's wonders in Egypt, crossed the Sea of Reeds and stood at Mount Sinai would not be the generation that would enter and inherit the land He promised to their forefathers. This would wait for the maturation of the generation born in the desert. Were that the only price to be paid by the perfidy of Israel toward the land, it would have been a painful enough lesson for all generations. But, in fact, the treachery of the evil report delivered by the spies and gobbled up by the people would prove to be the spiritual blemish that would ultimately cause the destruction of the first and second Holy Temples and the two thousand year exile that resulted from the calamity.
The G-d of Israel loves His people and He loves the land He promised them. He could not bear to hear His children speak falsely about the land and inflicted a high price for their infidelity. But in the immediate aftermath of the affair, in a move designed to soften the blow and give heart to the disheartened people, Torah abruptly changes the subject, as it were, but not really:
"HaShem spoke to Moshe saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you arrive in the Land of your dwelling place, which I am giving you, and you make a fire offering to HaShem, a burnt offering or a sacrifice [namely a peace offering], for an expressed vow or for a voluntary offering or on your festivals, to provide a pleasing fragrance for HaShem, from the cattle or from the sheep.'" (ibid 15:1-3) In short, G-d is reminding the people that, in spite of it all, they (their children) will, indeed, enter the land, build a Holy Temple, and maintain their intimate relationship with G-d and the precious ability (obligation) "to provide a pleasing fragrance for HaShem."
Parashat Shelach closes with the commandment of tzitzit, "fringes on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations, and they shall affix a thread of sky blue [wool] on the fringe of each corner. This shall be fringes for you, and when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of HaShem to perform them, and you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes after which you are going astray. So that you shall remember and perform all My commandments and you shall be holy to your G-d. I am HaShem, your G-d, Who took you out of the land of Egypt to be your G-d; I am HaShem, your G-d." (ibid 15:38-41) The wearing of tzitzit is an inoculation against the wandering eye and heart that went astray when the twelve spies entered Canaan and later infected the people with self-doubt and a lack of faith in G-d .
A beautiful postscript to the sin of the spies and its centuries long ramifications is the flag of the modern state of Israel, designed after the tallit prayer shawl which contains on its four corners the four blue threads of techelet blue, represented on the flag by the two blue stripes. The message of the tzitzit, meant to be a reminder to every individual of G-d's promise and their obligation to remain true to that promise, became the symbol and message of an entire nation, reestablished miraculously after 2000 years in the wilderness of exile.
What the fathers of our modern state neglected to incorporate into the national ethos was the earlier message of consolation delivered in parashat Shelach, the continuation (reestablishment, today) of the Divine service of the Holy Temple, the obligation and privilege "to provide a pleasing fragrance for HaShem." This must remain the aspiration and unifying mission of our generation today. Of the Temple Mount, let it be said, "We can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it!"
-The Temple Institute
No comments:
Post a Comment