Parashat Sh'lach

June 4, 2021
24 Sivan 5781
Parashat Sh'lach
Numbers 13:1 - 15:41

Dear Friends,

What is it you see when you look around you – is it what is or is it what can be? How do you know which perspective to trust? On what do we base our action? Are we motivated by scarcity or abundance?

These questions sum up the dilemma that faces the twelve spies, one from each of the tribes. sent forth to scout the land by Moses in this week’s Torah portion Shl’ach, Numbers 13:1-15:41. Although ten see the potential of the land -- “a land flowing in milk and honey” -- their point of view is formed by the trauma that was Egypt. Just last week, we read of their longing for the produce and meat that was available in Egypt; they know that they cannot go back, but they cannot seem to go forward either. They are stuck, frozen, unable to trust the lessons learned or hold onto the miraculous moments that have occurred since leaving Egypt.

We cannot judge them too harshly; they have been through so much. Is too much expected of them and as we see ourselves in them, in us? Aren’t we also at a critical point as we come out of Covid -- unsure of what happens next, unsure of how to go forward?

Then our eyes turn to Joshua and Caleb, the two spies whose perspective differed from the rest. Their perspective was one of abundance and possibility buoyed by faith after all that they had experienced. It is easy to understand why Joshua had this attitude. After all, he was Moses’ disciple and handpicked successor. He saw and learned so much from his proximity to Moses.  It makes perfect sense that he would believe that if God willed it, it could happen.

Then there is Caleb from the tribe of Judah. In their journey through the wilderness, the tribe of Judah was in the vanguard of the procession, leading the way. Their position was not a safe place, but one of great responsibility -- a place meant to ensure the safety of all that followed .

When I look at Caleb, I see someone who simply has the faith to go forward, to take risks, and to believe that somehow it can work out. It is that belief that allows him to be one of two from his generation who ultimately enter the land after forty years of wandering.

Over the past week, I had a number of experiences that allowed me to see the moment in which we find ourselves with greater clarity. Caleb is a true exemplar of courage, vision, and hope. In one situation, I was with an individual who was able to take an enormous first step, one that required faith, hope, and trust. In another situation, I witnessed someone with power unable to comprehend that what was being offered was a path to abundance and hope. The individual was unable at that moment to take the leap. However, I witness individuals, over and over again, who when faced with obstacles draw upon their belief that with support those obstacles can be faced, and hopefully overcome.

We find ourselves at a crucial moment where we cannot go back to what was before Covid. The world has changed and we have changed along with it. How we face the future is up to each of us. I look to Caleb as my guide, going forward with hope, vision, a sense of abundance, and most of all, courage. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn