Torah Gems - August 1, 2008 Parashat Ma'asei

Torah Gems - August 1, 2008

Parashat Ma'asei

Compiled by Rabbi William Hamilton

"On all other liturgical occasions, the Jew basks in the warmth of a creative partnership with God. Only on rare occasions of national calamity does he throw himself completely upon the divine mercies." Professor Yochanan Muffs, the great biblical scholar, hones in on the season we prepare to enter this Shabbat with Rosh Hodesh Menachem Av and the nine bleakest days of Judaism's calendar.

Customs vary during "the nine days." As has been the case for the prior 12 days (since the 17th of Tammuz), weddings and overly joyous celebrations are not arranged. Many refrain from eating meat products (except on Shabbat) during the first eight days of Av (with the 9th of Av, of course, being a fast day), because the rabbis associated eating meat with joy.

Returning to Muff's laser-sharp appraisal of the theological mood of this season, I want to consider a teaching from his book, The Personhood of God, which bares on the Haftorah this Shabbat, penned by the prophet who accompanies us on our theological descent to Tisha B'av. As gloomy and ominous as things sound, Jeremiah offers a silver lining thanks to the body of his work in the book that bares his name.

Muffs highlights three divine aspects: power, love, and justice. "When justice combines with love, the result is 'creative justice.' In His love for man and need for his sympathetic collaboration, God calls upon him to translate the divine norms into concrete reality, to assume the moral responsibility for partnership with Him." Jeremiah is the prophet most associated with this moral optimism, which is woven throughout our daily, Sabbath, and Festival liturgy.

"When justice combines with power," continues Muffs, "the result is judgment and condemnation. This notion is most typical of Isaiah, who stresses more than all the other prophets God's absolute transcendence, holiness, power, and otherness and man's ultimate fallibility and weakness." "When justice combined with power is about to destroy the world, a new configuration makes itself manifest: power with love. This is the basic idea of Second Isaiah (the latter portions of Isaiah which seem to come from a matured, more sympathetic voice)." Having failed to realize our potential, humanity experiences God's mercy (the highest form of God's power) as justice recedes into the background. It is no accident that the Haftorot for the seven weeks of comfort, which lift us from Tisha B'av up to the High Holidays, all come from Second Isaiah.

{Parenthetically, Muffs generalizes (his ideas on power, love, and justice) onto Judaism, Islam, and Christianity: "If Judaism was somehow able to balance these three elements (power, love, and justice) in a creative but often uneasy harmony, Christianity and Islam each sundered the original triad, extracting one element and making it normative, often to the complete exclusion of the other two. In Christianity, love became normative to the exclusion of justice and power. In Islam, power became normative to the exclusion of love and justice." The Personhood of God, P. 87}

What does this have to do with this week's Haftorah? Jeremiah's words: "Just look at the nations of the world; did they ever exchange their gods - who are, after all, nothings - while My people exchanged Me for that which is without use! "(Jer.2:11). The prophet persists: "Can you think of anything more stupid than rejecting a spring of freshwater, for the brackish, water of a cistern, a broken one!"(Jer.2:13) And finally exhorts, "Do yourselves a favor, save your feet and be kind to your voice; and the people retort, 'Get off my back! I like my lovers!"(Jer.2:25)

Its no wonder God has reached the point of no return in enabling the destruction of the Temple (by the Babylonians in Jeremiah's day, and much later the Second Temple by the Romans).

Jeremiah's eyewitness account of Jerusalem in flames - his book of Lamentations - will soon be the core text around which our observance of Tisha B'av will collect.

Yet, here is where I find a silver lining. Muffs points out that it is none other than Jeremiah who becomes the prophetic embodiment of "justice and love" which inspires sympathetic collaboration, grounded hope, which, again, is woven into the core of our daily, Sabbath, and Festival liturgy. The prophet of doom and gloom is also the prophet who inspires agency, partnership, and hope. At a season when "national calamity" looms largest, Jeremiah, the body of whose work enables us to "bask in the warmth of creative partnership with God" is the messenger.


Shabbat Shalom and Hodesh Tov

Rabbi William Hamilton

Torah Gems - July 25th Parashat Mattot

Torah Gems - July 25th

This week's Torah Gems were prepared by

Danny Margolis

Parashat Mattot

At first blush, Parashat Mattot has a "quaint" discussion about the importance of vows. To modern ears, this may seem out of date, for we live in a world where only written words have lasting meaning. If you want to make sure that promises are kept, get it in writing and keep a copy for your records.

Words, however, are very important in Judaism. Each day we begin the P'suke D'zimra, saying "Barukh She'amar v'Hayah HaOlam." (Blessed is the One who spoke and the world came into being.) The world was created through the power of words. They have power, creative power, and we must be very careful how we use them. Human words have the capacity to destroy the world as well.

Therefore, Parashat Mattot dedicates a whole chapter to the language of vows. Vows are more than promises; they are, as S. R. Hirsch noted, "Self imposed legislation." With our vows, we elevate our words to the realm of law; our speech becomes legally binding upon us. [More on this below.]

Rabbi Randall J. Konigsburg, Oz Ve

-Shalom

The Legal Sublimation of Anger and The Power of Words

Moshe Meir, Oz Ve-Shalom

"If the descendants of Gad and Reuven cross the Jordan with you before the Lord, and the Land is conquered before you, you shall give them the land of Gilead as a heritage.But if they do not cross over with you armed [for battle], they shall receive a possession among you in the land of Canaan."32:28

-30

The stipulation is clearly stated in a double format; it reflects all of the anger and distrust that Moshe felt towards the tribes who had betrayed his dream.The Sages used these conditional statements as a paradigm for the formulation of conditional statements in law:

From where do we learn about all conditional statements?From the stipulations of the Children of Gad and the Children of Reuven. (Gittin 75a)

For any stipulation to be halakhically valid, it must fulfill 3 criteria learned from the stipulations of the children of Gad and Reuven.First - it must be a double conditional ["If you do X, then X will happen; if you don't do X then Y will not happen"], and the principle that "the positive conditional implies the negative conditional" must not be applied.Second - the conditional term must precede the resulting act ["if" precedes "you shall give"]. Third - the positive conditional precedes the negative one ["If the descendants of Gad and Reuven cross" precedes, "But if they do not cross"].

Transforming his anger into a principle of Jewish law helps Moshe to retain his leadership, just as he reminds God to suppress His anger to preserve His larger covenantal commitment to the people. Anger born of disappointment and feelings of betrayal can, unchecked by law, give rise to aggressive and violent deeds. A culture's power finds expression in the restraint of human inclinations, even when they are justified, in binding legal frameworks. An eternal institution of law allows Moshe to accept the children of Gad and Reuven despite his feelings of alienation from them.

The Present Shapes the Memory of the Past

Menachem Klein, Oz Ve

-Shalom

The content of our parashah contrasts with the season in which we read it. While parashat Mattot tells of the Israelites' great victories over the 5 kings of Midyan, the distribution of the territories captured from the 2 Kings, Sihon and Og, it is read bein ha'metzarim, the days that mark the destruction of both Temples, the loss of national autonomy, the conquest of the Land by alien empires, and our exile.The days bein ha'metzarim control our minds, hiding the victories from our eyes.The fasts and customs of mourning of this season help us remember catastrophes and forget parts of the parashah that are relevant in our day.

This contrast shows us that memory is not objective; rather, it is dependent upon our situation, and it is an act of selection. We choose what to remember and, simultaneously, what to forget.Remembering and forgetting are not only an individual act; it also shapes peoples and communities which create and rely on collective and national memories.The Jewish People is such a community of memory.Our calendar, great sections of the siddur, rituals personal and public, as well as many of the mitzvot are geared towards the construction of memory.The construction of Jewish memory continues throughout the course of everyday life even while factors wholly foreign to the object of memory actually control reality.For example: We remember divine providence and the presence of God in a world that proceeds by its own laws, and we remember the Exodus from Egypt thousands of years after it actually occurred.

The construction of memory is accomplished via formative and activating agents (tzitzit on our garments, tefilin on our heads, the Pesah Seder, dwelling in the sukkah, the prohibitions that shape Sabbath observance, reading the Shma and Megilat Esther) and by the construction of heroes and villains, e.g., Harvona vs. Haman.

The way we remember an event does not accurately reconstruct the past.Rather, it is an activity of selection, of reshaping an event that was.Since memory is recalled through and must contend with the present, the event, as it lives on in memory, bears a different character than it had in reality.The present shapes, challenges and influences the past.

In our parashah, Moshe lifts recollections out of the tangled past, bringing up memories of the national trauma of 40 years earlier.He reminds them that the spies had seen the Land of Israel and decided to convince the people not to enter it.Only Kalev ben Yefuneh and Yehoshua bin Nun remained outside of the conspiracy.According to this version, the people remained passive and the two great heroes of the story were the two spies who refused to join the conspiracy.Moshe says that the children of Gad and Reuven are repeating the sin of the spies.nature of the Land of Israel is not the central issue here, but rather the ability to disagree with the majority; individual courage and self-denial for the sake of the collective goal.

The end of parashat Devarim (in 2 weeks) also teaches us how powerfully the present shapes memory and constructs it.There, Moshe, ignoring the debate he had held with Gad and Reuven, now presents their settlement of the Jordan's East Bank as having been determined by God and himself.He leaves his bitter disagreement with them, as well as the spies' evil precedent, entirely out of the story.The argument with Gad and Reuven had been settled and accurate recollection of the past became pointless.

During the period of bein ha'metzarim in general and on the 9^th of Av in particular, we are enjoined to recall the past. These days invite simplistic historical analogies and the wholesale identification of present with past events.The Torah's various versions of the story of the spies teach us that even the remembrance of this essential element of Tisha B'Av involves a process informed by the present, and significance is lent to it by the present.To remember an event not only requires a contemplation of history. It also requires that we be aware of the changing present and allow it to shape our view of the past, lending it varied meanings.

Dr. Menachem Klein, a member of Oz Ve

-Shalom, teaches in the department of political science of Bar Ilan University.

SHABBAT SHALOM

Torah Gems - July 18th Parashat Pinchas

Torah Gems - July 18th

Sunday, July 20th, the 17 of Tammuz is a fast day. Mincha will take place at 6:30PM at KI, followed by Ma'ariv at 100 Centre Street.

This week's Torah Gems were prepared by

Adam Solomon

Parashat Pinchas

This week's parasha, Pinchas, is greatly concerned with the issue of leadership and the need to prepare for a transfer of power from one generation to another. This is in preparation for entering Eretz Israel. The tititular Pinchas and his descendants are awarded with the permanent status of kohen as a reward for his zealous actions in last week's parasha. According to the prolific French Medieval commentator Rashi, this was made explicit since Pinchas' birth preceded Aharon and his sons being anointed and as a result Pinchas and his offspring would not otherwise have been kohenim.

HaShem tells Moshe that he will not be entering Eretz Israel and that he needs to designate Joshua as a successor. In this instance, Moshe displays the humility for which he is so well known in our tradition and doesn't argue that he should be allowed to enter the land.

In preparation for a generational transfer and the subsequent conquest of Eretz Israel, another census is taken, inheritances among the tribes are designated. We also have the famous incident with Zelophehad's daughters in which the initial laws of inheritance are amended to allow daughters to inherit if they have no brothers. To a modern eye this patriarchal bias is troubling, though we can take some comfort in realizing that even as Jewish law was being formulated, it was open to amendment and interpretation.

The parasha finishes with a description of the some of sacrifices to be offered on the festivals, going into some detail for the Sukkot sacrifices. Rashi notes that through the whole holiday of Sukkot sacrifices are made for the benefit of all the nations of the world, but on the last day only one is made, being for Israel alone. This last day (Shemini Atzeret) is a day for Jews and HaShem only -- making Shemini Atzeret into Sukkot's "after party", if you will.

"one bull, one ram". These correspond to Israel. [God said,] "Remain with Me a little longer." It expresses [His] affection [for Israel]. It is like children taking leave of their father, who says to them, "It is difficult for me to part with you; stay one more day." It is analogous to a king who made a banquet, etc. [and on the last day, his closest friend makes a small banquet for the king] as is stated in Tractate Sukkah [55b]. In the Midrash of R. Tanchuma (Pinchas 16) [it says]: The Torah teaches common courtesy. Someone who has a guest, [and wants him to feel at home,] on the first day, he should serve him fattened poultry, on the following day he should serve him fish, on the following day beef, on the following day pulses, and on the following day vegetables, progressively diminishing, as in the case of the festival bulls. - from Rashi's commentary on Pinchas

Former chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Ismar Schorsch noted that Rashi departed from previous interpretations of Sukkot that were universalist in nature. It was traditionally thought that Sukkot was the time when HaShem decided how much rain the entire world would receive and the sacrifice of 70 bulls was on behalf of all the nations of the world. (see http://www.jtsa.edu/PreBuilt/ParashahArchives/5755/pinhas.shtml). I find the idea that we're in that select group that gets to hang out after the party for one more drink with the host captivating. I just hope that I remember this on Shemini Atzeret after a week of sukkah- hopping.

The Jewish values illustrated by this parasha are invaluable - humility in leadership, preparation for handing off responsibilities to the next generation, the importance of hospitality. These are values that I hope we can carry out of this Shabbat and into the rest of the week.

SHABBAT SHALOM

Torah Gems - July 11th Parshat Balak

Torah Gems - July 11th

This week's Torah Gems were prepared by

Dr. Bruce Weinstock

Parshat Balak

This week's parshat, Balak, contains two major story lines. The Bulk of the narrative tells of the non-Hebrew prophet Bilaam being called by the King Balak to curse the Children of Israel and how, after much hesitation, he is ultimately forced to beautifully bless them. The second is the concise story of Children of Israel straying to follow foreign practices culminating in a Hebrew man and non-Hebrew woman engaging in the public performance of a sexual pagan ritual and being speared in the midst of the act by the Kohane Pinchas.

Popular themes of study in many Divrei Torah include an examination of Bilaam's struggle in the first story and examination of the propriety of Pinchas's reaction in the second story. Rather than examine Bilaam or Pinchas, lets examine the Children of Israel in these two stories. In the first, what about Israel elicited the blessing rather than the curse? In the second, how could they ONCE AGAIN have strayed from fidelity to G-D?

Numbers 24:5 - "Ma Tovu Ohalecha ya'akov, Mishkinotecha Yisrael" - 'How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel.'
What was so beautiful about the tents and the dwelling places? Rashi comments that in his preparation to curse the Jewish people, Bilaam noted a very deliberate pattern to the social arrangements of the Israel dwelling tents. Despite being closed together, every tent doorway was oriented in such a way that one could not from inside his tent see through the open doorway of his neighbors. This wonderful mix of encouraging community while maintaining family privacy is what Bilaam is describing.

Numbers 25:1-3
'Israel settled in Shittim " Vahel Ha'am Liznot" - And the people began to commit Harlotry, with the daughters of Moab. They invited the people to the feasts of their gods. The people ate and prostrated themselves to their gods. Israel became attached to Baal-Peor, and the wrath of Hashem flared up against Israel.'

Sforno, the Italian philosopher, mathematician, and physician (Approximately 1470-1550 C.E.) stresses that the worship of other gods was a gradual unplanned event. It began with sexual indiscretion when approached by the Daughters of Moab. This led to more open socializing with idol worshippers at enticing meals. What followed was a meaningless mimicking of the social customs of their non-Hebrew friends. However, this led to Israel becoming spiritually attached to and worshipping Baal-Peor. Sforno goes on to explain, that the majority of the Children of Israel did not engage in these practices. However, they also failed to intervene or protest. As a result, the punishment decreed by G-d was to take the leaders of the practices and to hang them before G-d "neged hashamesh"- 'against the sun'. That is to punish them out in the open, in pure daylight, where the entire population will be forced to witness and recognize that these were sins affecting and permitted by the entire community and the punishment requires community participation.


It seems to me that the Rashi and Sforno commentaries have a common theme. The manner in which we arrange and orchestrate our physical lives and interact in our communities both have a profound impact on our spiritual development. Bilaam saw that the arrangement of the physical arrangement of the camp promoted community cohesion while maintaining personal privacy. Recognizing this, (and many commentators say advised by Bilaam) Moab attacked Israel by encouraging public physical pleasures that would gradually erode the inner spiritual strength. Israel's great sin was not only the actual participation in the rituals which were numerically the domain of only a few, Israel's true infidelity was in failing to act as a cohesive community, failing to protest or intervene among their fellow members of the community who were engaged in the practices. Public sins are not only sins that impact the public, but if there is no protest, they are sins that are owned by the public.

Summer is a time when we are all encouraged to be "neged hashemesh" - out in the sun. Weather provides opportunities to build physical changes in our structures and calendars encourage social get togethers that strengthen our community bonds. Whatever we do can be visible and inspiring. Whatever we see that is ugly, we should protest and strive to improve. May we all continue to build our physical and social lives in a way that will force others to say "How beautiful are your tents!"

SHABBAT SHALOM

Torah Gems - July 4th Parshat Chukat

Torah Gems - July 4th

This week's Torah Gems were prepared by Jennifer Rudin

Parshat Chukat

WE ARE ALL CONNECTED ONE TO ANOTHER...

MOSES, AARON & MIRIAM

The Israelites arrived in a body at the wilderness of Zin on the first new moon, and the people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there. (Numbers 20:1)

The Gemara tells us that the Jewish people had three special caretakers

- Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. The Jewish people were the recipients of three special gifts - the wellspring, the Clouds of Glory, and the Mana. The wellspring was in the merit of Miriam. The Clouds of Glory were in the merit of Aaron and the Mana was in the merit of Moses. The Gemara quotes a verse in Zacharia which states," I removed the three shepherds in one month." This verse indicates that Moses, Aaron, and Miriam all passed away in the same month. Yet we know that this is not the case because Miriam passed away in the month of Nissan, Aaron in Av, and Moses in Adar. The fact is that each of them passed away in different months. How does the Gemara resolve the seeming contradiction between the verse and fact?

The Gemara answers

- that when Miriam passed away the wellspring ceased to flow and it was only in the merit of Moses that it was reinstated. After Aaron passed away the Clouds of Glory were dispersed and were also quickly reinstated in the merit of Moses. The Gemara explains that since these miracles were so quickly replaced in the merit of Moses, the Jewish people did not sense the loss of Miriam and Aaron, who had been their benefactors for close to forty years. It was not until Moses passed away and all of these gifts ceased that the Jewish people internalized the loss of the "three special shepherds of Israel." Although the Jewish people understood that each of the miracles from which they derived continuous benefit was in the merit of these special individuals, they had not internalized the reality of their loss until Moses passed away. Therefore, although Miriam passed away "on the first new moon" her absence was not felt until months later when Moses passed away and the wellspring permanently ceased to flow.

MOSES & ABRAHAM

The Torah tells us that after Miriam passed away the water ceased to flow and Moses was told by God to speak to the rock so that it would give forth its water. However, rather than speaking to it Moses struck the rock. The Sforno explains that if Moses had spoken to the rock, he would have brought about a revealed miracle. However since Moses struck the rock he did not bring about the Kiddush Hashem (Sanctification of God's Name) that would have resulted from his speaking to it. As a result of this failing, Moses and Aaron had to pass away before the Jews entered the Land of Israel. As much as Moses pleaded with God for forgiveness, God did not listen to his pleas because when he had the opportunity to Sanctify God's Name he did not do so. Why would Moses, a man of such "great merit" do such a thing? The Gemara in Tractate Bava Metzia states that the manner in which Abraham hosted the visiting angels determined the manner in which God accommodated the needs of the Jewish people in the desert. The Talmud states that any act of hospitality which Abraham performed himself resulted in a miracle coming directly from God without any human intervention. However any act of hospitality that was brought about through an intermediary, God allowed the corresponding miracle to come only through an intermediary. The Gemara explains that since Abraham offered the bread himself, the Jewish people received the Mana in the desert. Because of the shade of the tree that was offered by Abraham to protect his guests, we merited the Clouds of Glory, which protected the Jews in the desert for forty years. However since Abraham offered the water (to wash their feet) to the angels through an intermediary the Jews received the water through Moses who had to extract it from the rock.

SHABBAT SHALOM

Torah Gems - June 27th Parshat Korach

Torah Gems - June 27th

This week's Torah Gems were prepared by Larry Sochrin

Parshat Korach

"You want too much, sons of Levi."

As a Levi, especially one who expresses his views about KI religious policies as a KI officer, I'm naturally concerned about this parasha. Korach, also a Levi, argues against a system that categorizes levels of holiness within the community, a view that would fit in well in this age of egalitarianism. Korach is swallowed by the earth for expressing his views.

What exactly did Korach do to be so strongly punished?

Most commentary on this topic focuses on Pirkei Avot (a volume of the Mishnah), chapter 5: Every argument that is in the name of heaven will be established at the end. And those that are not in the name of heaven will not. What is an argument in the name of heaven? The arguments of Hillel and Shammai. And one that is NOT in the name of heaven? The argument of Korach and his followers. Why was Korach's argument not in the name of heaven? Because he was advancing a selfish cause:

"Is it not enough for you that the G-d of Israel has distinguished you from the community of Israel... that you also desire the priesthood?"

From Moses' response, we see that Korach actually desired the office of the Kohen Gadol for himself! He wasn't protesting because of the injustice to others. He was protesting because he wanted to inflate his own position. He was jealous. (Rabbi Michael Gold.)

The Talmud proclaims: "Anyone who engages in divisiveness transgresses a divine prohibition, as it is written: 'and he shall not be as Korach and his company.'"

Korach's vision seems the paradigm of harmony: diverse elements unified by a common goal. But while his "separate but equal" world may unite its various components in that they all serve the same common goal, it fails to provide for any true connection between them. The paths may converge at the destination, but they are separated by walls which isolate and divide them. Without a reciprocal relationship between them, without any sense of where they stand vis-à-vis each other, their separateness inevitably disintegrates into factionalism and conflict. By pointing to Korach as the father and prototype of divisiveness (machloket), the Talmud is saying: This pseudo-peace, this "Parallelism" that says, "I do my thing, you do yours, but it's all equally good, there's no objective 'higher' and 'lower' so there's neither need nor responsibility of one towards the other" - that is the source of all conflict in our world. (Lubavicher Rebbe.)

There is a second question that needs answering. G-d told Moses to physically move away from Korach. Why did G-d do that? Was it a fear that bad ideas were physically contagious?

"Separate Yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment."

The typical interpretation of this is that Moses and Aaron would be vulnerable to destruction were they to remain in the vicinity of Korach. Fifteenth century Italian commentator Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno states: "for we have a principle 'woe to the wicked and woe to his neighbor.' Hence, they are told to distance themselves, 'lest they be swept away.'"

But after pointing this out, Sforno comes up with a very different interpretation, saying that it actually could be read as "Separate yourselves from among this congregation, so that your merit should not shield them." He based this on Job 22:30, which says, "He delivers the one who is not innocent." Sforno believes that "the guilty can be saved by the righteous, for as the Metzudos David interprets the verse, the meaning is G-d delivers those who are not innocent in the merit of those 'whose hands are pure.' Therefore, Moses and Aaron are told to separate themselves from these sinners for otherwise, their presence will protect Korach and the others from punishment."

A more modern interpretation would be that sometimes, good people change bad people's minds. In the Torah, G-d occasionally works against people changing their minds to teach a lesson, such as when G-d kept hardening Pharaoh's heart, or here, where G-d did not wish Moses' presence to positively influence Korach.

So what can we learn from these interpretations of the elements of Parshat Korach?

1. We should be careful that our motives are not selfish ones before arguing with others.

2. We each need to view our roles in terms of their positive impact on the rest of the community.

3. When others are arguing on behalf of a bad situation, we may have the power to change their minds simply by setting good examples.

SHABBAT SHALOM

Torah Gems - June 20th Parashat Shelach

Torah Gems - June 20th

This week's TORAH GEMS were prepared by Stephanie Berkowitz

Parashat Shelach contains the story of the 12 spies: one leader from each of the 12 tribes who are sent to check out the land of Canaan. After forty days they return with a very large cluster of grapes (a symbol now used by the Israeli bureau of tourism) and report that the land is indeed flowing with milk and honey, but inhabited by powerful peoples, too strong to overcome. The consensus is that they should not try to enter the land. Only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, dissent from this opinion. Angry with their rejection of the holy land, G-d punishes the spies and all those who listened to them.

According to the Ramban, none of the facts that the spies reported were untrue. However, they phrased their report with their own negative bias-in a way that caused the Israelites to panic and lose faith. According to the Talmud, this is the way of all who seek to slander someone. They start off by saying something nice and conclude with something evil. Moreover, the spies' report suggests that even G-d cannot overcome the Canaanites. The sin of the spies is allowing their fear, triggered by what they see in Canaan, to taint their belief in the word of G-d, who has already promised the Israelites that they will inhabit this land.

The parasha also contains the mitzvah of "taking challah." Every time we mix a significant amount of flour (opinions vary but usually at least 3 pounds) and water to make bread, we are required to "set some aside as a gift to the Lord." This portion is called challah. Originally the loaf was given to the Cohanim, but in absence of the Temple, we observe the mitzvah today by burning this portion and rendering it inedible. By consecrating a piece of the bread dough before it is baked/finished, we are reminded that all of our possessions originate with G-d and all of our creations are made possible by the original Creation. However, Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik says, the mitzvah also reminds us thatnot everything is handed to us on a silver platter. We must contribute some effort in order to reap the benefits of Creation. This could also be interpreted as the sin of the spies-an unwillingness to put in the effort necessary to actualize G-d's word and to work to claim the land promised them.

Shelach starts out with the commandment "Send men to scout (v'yaturu) the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelite people," and ends with what is now used as the third paragraph of the Sh'ma, the commandment to wear tzitzit. We are told, "look at it (the tzitzit) and remember all the commandments of the Lord and observe them so that you do not follow (v'lo taturu) after your heart and eyes in your lustful urge. The same word, tur: to scout or tour or follow, is used in both places. The Torah is telling us that the tzitzit are a physical reminder not to succumb to the sins of spies. Rashi says, "The heart and eyes are the spies for the body. They are its agents for sinning: the eye sees, the heart covets and the body commits the transgression." In the Talmud (Bavli Menachot 43b), Rabbi Meir interprets the phrase "look at it (u'reitem oto) to mean "look at Him." Thus, when one fulfills the mitzvah of tzitzit, it is as if one is in the Divine Presence.

The mitzvot of challah and tzitzit are not incumbent on the Israelites until they enter the land of Israel. These mitzvot can be viewed as a promise to the Jewish people that despite the transgressions of the spies and the subsequent punishment (continued wandering for 40 years), ultimately they will enter the land. G-d's forgiveness is explicit, saying "I pardon as you have asked (slachti kidvarecha-a phrase quoted in the liturgy on Kol Nidre)." May it continue to be so.

SHABBAT SHALOM