Shalom JTF members,
This last week flew by like an arrow to me. I guess the day off on Monday made the week fly...
Anyway this Shabbat we are reading the portion of Shelach, the portion which is mainly taken up by the SAD SAD story of the spies. These spies who spoke badly about the land which Hashem had promised them caused the Jewish people to suffer throughout history. We mourn with the same tears we cried when we heard the bad report from 10 of the 12 spies. Only two of those sent into the land came back with the proper report, that the land was brimming with milk and honey and with Hashems help they would drive out the evil caananites.
But because of this episode we mourn every Tish B'av (9th of Av) which is the day which the spies report was given...
Here is the Chabad parsha in a nutshell:
Moses sends twelve spies to the land of Canaan. Forty days later they return, carrying a huge cluster of grapes, a pomegranate and a fig, to report on a lush and bountiful land. But ten of the spies warn that the inhabitants of the land are giants and warriors “more powerful than we”; only Caleb and Joshua insist that the land can be conquered, as G‑d has commanded.
The people weep that they’d rather return to Egypt. G‑d decrees that Israel’s entry into the Land shall be delayed forty years, during which time that entire generation will die out in the desert. A group of remorseful Jews storm the mountain on the border of the Land, and are routed by the Amalekites and Canaanites.
The laws of the menachot (meal, wine and oil offerings) are given, as well as the mitzvah to consecrate a portion of the dough (challah) to G‑d when making bread. A man violates the Shabbat by gathering sticks, and is put to death. G‑d instructs to place fringes (tzitzit) on the four corners of our garments, so that we should remember to fulfill the mitzvot (divine commandments).
Here is Rabbi Richman from the Temple Institute's latest video talking about the portion:
Topic: Video Study for Parsha Shelach (Read 2806 times)