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Video Study for Parasha Shelach

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muman613:
The Jewish people in the book of Bamidbar appear to be very rebellious against Hashem and Moshe our teacher. It is always shocking to me when I read these stories that the people of that generation could be so 'petty' and or 'small minded' as to rebel for the various reasons we have been reading.

It is in Parasha Shelach that we read about the HORRIBLE SIN of the spies (or scouts) who were sent into the land to report about its wealth and beauty. Instead of bringing a report of what they saw they bring back a report about what they think should be done {which turned out to be against going into the land}. Their 'opinion' was that the land was too hostile for the Jews to conquer. The land was inhabited with rather large giants, descendants of the great Og who was a giant. Of the twelve spies who were sent to survey the land, ten of them gave the WICKED report and caused the entire nation of Israel to weep bitterly, and despair that they would never enter the land Hashem promised.

Only Calev and Joshua related the wonders of the land, the wonderfully large fruits, the milk and the honey, and they told the people that because Hashem promised it that they would be able to defeat these giants who were in the land.


Lets start with the G-dcast animated Parasha...

muman613:
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/535238/jewish/Calev-Moshes-Conversation.htm

http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/396911/jewish/The-Giant-Og.htm

About the giants:


--- Quote ---http://www.torah.org/learning/beyond-pshat/5765/devarim.html

3. What is Concealed from the Eye

The Torah tells us that Moshe recounted to the Jewish people the events in which they had failed as well as those in which they had been beneficiaries of miracles. The Torah states, "Moshe spoke to the Children of Israel...after he had smitten Sichon, king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Cheshbon, and Og, king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth..." Sichon and Og were both giants who were formidable enemies of the Jewish people who were destroyed by Moshe.

The Midrash Tanchuma states, "I (G'd) have destroyed before you Sichon, king of the Amorites and Og, king of Bashan... In what merit were you able to defeat these giants? It was in the merit of Torah. Our Rabbis of Blessed Memory explain that the strength of Sichon was so awesome that he was similar to a tower. He was the more powerful than any creature in existence and his height was greater than any tower. There was no human being that could defeat him. The Prophet Amos states, 'I (G'd) will destroy his fruits from above and his roots from below...' How did G'd go about destroying him? He subordinated/subdued the archangel of the nation and the land and toppled them before the Jewish people. Firstly, G'd destroyed the spiritual counterpart of the nation from above, then the Jewish people were able to destroy the nation in a physical sense (from below). Our Rabbis of Blessed Memory tell us that it was more difficult to destroy Sichon and Og than Pharaoh and his entire army. As the Jewish people had given song of praise/thanks after the closing of the Sea (defeating Pharaoh) so too should they have done after the defeat of Sichon and Og. Yet they did not. It was not until King David, who authored the songs of praise for the defeat of these giants. As King David writes, 'To him Who smote great kings, for His kindness endures forever...Sichon king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, for His kindness endures forever...'"

It is interesting to note that the Midrash tells us that despite the fact that Pharaoh was known to be the most powerful monarch of the most advanced civilization, it was more difficult to destroy Sichon and Og. They were the protectors of Canaan and it was only after they were destroyed was it possible for the Jewish people to conquer the Land. The Midrash explains that Sichon and Og needed to be defeated on a spiritual level before they could be destroyed by the Jewish people. They possessed a level of spiritual contamination that was even greater than that of Egypt. Their contamination was the counter balance to the Jewish people and the Torah. Despite the enormity of the miracle of defeating Sichon and Og, the Jewish people did not recognize or appreciate the difficulty of their predicament. This is evidenced by the fact that they did not sing G'd's praises after their conquest as they had done after the closing of the Sea.

The meraglim (spies) that were sent by Moshe to scout out the Land were people of special caliber. They were princes, leaders of their tribes, and tzaddikim (righteous). They were able to perceive and evaluate events in a way that went beyond the average person. When they had entered into the Land, they had seen giants that they believed to be undefeatable. The spies understood that in order to destroy these giants of Canaan, their archangels (who were more powerful than those of Egypt) had to be toppled. This was something the spies believed was not possible because of the lack of worthiness of the Jewish people. The basis for their conclusion was their lack of faith in G'd. Because He had promised them the Land, it was obvious that He would intervene and destroy the archangels of these formidable giants on their behalf.

There are many levels to which one needs to be beholden to G'd and His Kindness. There are situations in which His Kindness is obvious - as in the destruction of Pharaoh and Egypt, while there are other circumstances in which His Kindness is concealed, i.e. concerning the destruction of Sichon and Og. It was only the few who were at a special spiritual level that could appreciate the difficulty and miracle that was required to destroy these giants. It was only in the merit of Torah, which is the most potent spiritual force in existence, that the Jewish people could have defeated Sichon and Og.

The Brisker Rav z'tl had lost his wife and a number of his children during the Holocaust. He had escaped to Israel with a number of his children during the war. When he was asked, "Are you not angered by what has befallen your family?" he responded, "Every day we thank G'd in the Modim (in the Amidah) - 'We gratefully thank You...for Your miracles that are with us every day...' We are continuously beneficiaries of miracles that G'd chooses to perform on our behalf. Do I have a claim if He chooses not to perform a miracle on my behalf?" Obviously the answer is "no."

King David understood and appreciated the great kindness of G'd when He miraculously destroyed Sichon and Og. He thus authored songs of praise/thanks that the Jewish people did not express. It is not enough just to say the "Modim" in the Amidah three times a day. Rather we must be continuously cognizant of G'd's Kindness in allowing the Jewish people to exist and survive through the most difficult situations as well as the ongoing miracle of daily survival, which is more concealed.
--- End quote ---

muman613:
The Kabbalistic Rabbi Ginsburg discusses the Psychology of the Spies:

muman613:
Rabbi Miller is a favorite of a friend of mine... He is pretty good at presenting the Parasha:



Rabbi Miller does go on some Kabbalistic tangents at times...

muman613:
Rabbi Yehuda Moses from Los Angeles gives a dvar Torah on Shelach-Lecha...



The problem I have with Rabbi Moses explanation of why the ten gave their report is that in last weeks Parasha we see that the people were not satisfied with the Mannah, and they were lusting for meat, and they wanted to return to Egypt. While most of those complainers had already passed away from plagues or fires and these spies were also Princes of their tribes it may be possible that they were so satisfied living the life with G-d in the Midbar/desert that they didn't want to enter the land...

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