Dvar Torah Parashat Shelach
- Jun 10
- 10 min read
Dedicated in Honor of my Great Grandson, Albert Shamula By Michael Gammal and Family _______________________________________________________ Parashat Shelach
It’s All How You Look at it
Hashem said, “You shall bear your punishment for forty years, corresponding to the number of days—forty days—that you scouted the land: a year for each day (14:34).” Hashem made Bnei Yisrael wander in the desert for forty years to correspond to the forty days the spies scouted. Rabbi Frand cites a question from Rav Asher Weiss on this issue.
The actual sin of the spies occurred when they returned and delivered their negative report on that infamous eve of Tisha B’Av. The message was delivered in at most one day. For the previous 39 days, they did not report anything. They were merely gathering information. How then do we understand this correlation of 40 years for 40 days?
Rav Weiss answers that the sin of lashon hara is not a sin only of the mouth. It is also a sin of the eyes —how one perceives things. Two people can see virtually the same thing and view it differently. The punishment was “a year for each day” because, for 40 days, the spies looked negatively at Eretz Yisrael. Everything they saw was perceived with a distorted view. It was 40 days of misperception, 40 days of cynicism, 40 days of being negative, and 40 days of lashon hara. The punishment for that was 40 years of wandering—a year for each day! Lashon hara is referred to by Chazal as ena bisha—a bad eye. That is where it all starts. It all begins with perception.
Beyond Our Hearts and Eyes
The parasha began with the sending out of the spies, using the word “veyaturu—send them to scout.” It ends with the mitzvah of tzitzit, using the same root with the terms, “velo taturu acharei levavchem veacharei enechem—and you shall not stray after your hearts and eyes.” The Torah seems to be hinting to us that the spies had abandoned the correct path by following their hearts and eyes. They paid attention only to what they felt and saw rather than remaining steadfast in their faith and trust in the Almighty.
By ending the parasha with similar wording, we learn that the purpose of the mitzvah of tzitzit is to inspire us to have bitachon and to put our trust in G-d. Bitachon is a fundamental concept in Judaism, and because the spies lacked it, we recite this paragraph every morning and evening in the Shema.
At an event in Brooklyn, Rabbi Shimon Freundlich, a Chabad shaliach for Beijing told the following story about something that occurred in his shul in China about a man who found his faith in Hashem once again.
“A lot of people come to visit our Chabad House for Shabbat. Well, one Shabbat evening a few months ago, an older man, maybe about eighty years old, who didn’t look very religious, appeared in the company of a younger man in his forties.
“The old fellow found a seat and just minutes after we began the prayers, he put his face in his hands and began to cry. He kept it up for almost an hour; he would calm down for a few minutes, dry his eyes and blow his nose and then begin again. I quietly approached him and asked him if everything was all right. He told me not to worry. After the prayers, he and his friend joined us all for the Shabbat evening meal.
“There were over fifty people there. I sat him next to me and after he calmed down, he asked if he could speak. He wanted to explain the reason for his weeping.
“‘My name is Sam Katz (pseudonym*),’ he said. ‘The last time I was in a synagogue was over sixty years ago in Poland. I was a young man when the Germans came and took the entire Jewish population of my city to Buchenwald. I was there for four years, and in that time, I lost everyone; my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, my friends, all killed, some of them before my eyes. But I survived, and when the war ended, I spent a few years searching for family or friends with no results. Finally, I moved to Australia.
‘I was totally alone and angry at G-d. I managed to succeed in business and make a lot of money and to marry and have children. But my wounds and anger were so deep that I swore to never go into a synagogue or have anything to do with Judaism again. Nothing!
‘But then just yesterday I came to China with my friend, and he said we should visit the Chabad House. At first, I didn’t want to come, but he said that he’d been here before and the food is good, and anyway there was no better alternative, so I shrugged and agreed.
‘But as soon as the prayers began, everything suddenly came back to me. I remembered how good it is to be a Jew; how proud and happy my father and mother were. Suddenly it was as if a wall of ice just melted. That’s why I cried. I thought I’d never forgive G-d again, but now I feel like a small child that just wants to be home. All thanks to this Chabad House and the Rabbi here.’
“The crowd clapped, wiped tears from their eyes, and congratulated him for the beautiful story. One woman stood up and asked, ‘Tell me, Mr. Katz. If you were in Buchenwald until the end, maybe you knew my father. His name is Naftali Kogen (pseudonym*); he was also in Buchenwald.’
“Mr. Katz’s jaw dropped, his eyes were wide open, and he held his head in wonder. ‘Naftali Kogen?! What? Naftali is still alive?! We were the only two Kohanim in the camp and we were always together. We risked our lives for each other, and not just once. We were like brothers! Oy! Naftali! We were put in different recovery camps and got separated. I searched for him for a long time after the war but finally, I gave up. I thought he was dead. Now you say he is alive, and you are his daughter? It’s a miracle!!’
Rabbi Freundlich finished his story by saying that after Shabbat a meeting was arranged between the two old friends, and this is only one example of the miracles that happen in Beijing thanks to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
At that point, much to everyone’s surprise, a head of a yeshivah in the Satmar community by the name of Rav Yaakov Kaplan (pseudonym*) who had listened intently to the story, called out. He stood slowly, his face pale and his eyes staring wildly at the ceiling. Those seated near him rose to help him, but he came to himself. He stood up to his full height and yelled aloud to all those present, “Tell them that Yaakov is still alive!”
“There weren’t just two Kohanim in Buchenwald, there were three! Sam Katz, Naftali Kogan, and me too!”
“We stuck together like brothers…. more than brothers. But just a few days before the end of the war I was moved to another camp. They probably thought I was dead, and I almost was, and I was sure that they were. I never considered it possible that they could still be alive even now!”
Soon after this story, there was another joyous reunion.
The Benefit of the Doubt
When scouting Eretz Yisrael, the spies neglected a critical concept: giving the benefit of the doubt. They went in with preconceived notions about the land and cast judgments quickly. When telling Bnei Yisrael about the land, they looked at what they saw with a negative eye. Rashi tells us that when the spies went to Eretz Yisrael they saw many Cana’anim being buried. Hashem sent this distraction to the Cana’anim so that they didn’t notice the spies (13:32). Instead of noticing the chessed of Hashem, the spies told Bnei Yisrael that Eretz Yisrael devoured its inhabitants.
We must be aware of our tendency to judge others and the consequences of this tendency. First, we judge, and soon enough, we feel the need to relay it to others. One of the Baal Shem Tov’s most famous teachings is, “Your fellow man is your mirror.” He explained that people see purity in others when they are pure. On the other hand, if one sees a blemish in another, he is encountering his own imperfection. “Whoever judges his fellow, whether for the good or the bad, simultaneously reveals his own verdict.” Perhaps the woman saw selfishness because that is a quality of hers that she needed to work on.
Hashem Wants To Reward Us
Don Ghermezian, Jewish CEO of American Dream Mall tells of a personal struggle he began to have with shmirat enayim—gaurding your eyes. Recently I decided to talk to Hashem about this problem. Even though this is not the way you are supposed to talk to Hashem, I was really struggling so I made a deal with Him. If tomorrow at work You send me a business deal out of the blue that will give me the strength to continue this personal battle.
The next morning, I walked into work as usual. At 10 am I get a call from a tenant I had been chasing for eight years. For whatever reasons they never ended up working with us. They said that their CEO had been in one of the Ghermezian malls, and it looked very busy. They insisted they needed to rent 4,000 square feet, and they were just waiting for Don to send over the details and paperwork.
Wow. What hashgacha pratit—divine supervision! I clearly saw Hashem had heard me last night. At 10:30 I received another phone call. Another tenant wanted space. Again at 12 o’ clock, 3 o’ clock and 5 o’ clock clients I have been chasing down for years called me out of the blue requesting space in my malls. I could hardly believe what a day I had.
After a few weeks the yetzer hara comes up and tells you that these signs are all a coincidence. Don’t let the yetzer hara take away your appreciation for Hashem’s gifts and rewards. The spies in the desert were not looking for Hashem’s kindness, and they stumbled. Kalev and Yehoshua were rewarded at the end of this week’s parasha for looking for and telling of Hashem’s Goodness.
What is Natural?
When reading the parasha we can’t help but ask. The spies saw more miracles than anyone else in the world. However, when they came back from the land, they panicked Bnei Yisrael. How could they lose faith in Hashem?
When Hashem said that Bnei Yisrael will go to Israel, He told them they will have to live within the laws of nature. In the desert everything was a visible miracle. The Jews had their food falling from the sky, clouds of G-d’s glory protected them, water flowed from a rock…. Hashem told them when they would go to Israel they would have to live within the regular means of nature. While nature is Hashem’s creation, it is harder to recognize that what is happening is directly from Hashem. Bnei Yisrael would have to conquer the land, fight wars and plant for their food. Hashem promised that even though they will be living within the laws of nature, He would have an extra special divine supervision over the land and the Jews of Israel.
Rabbi Menachem Azolai shares a parable that helps illuminate this idea. One evening there was a knock at the door as dozens of people stood outside. The owner of the house asked them who they were. One of them responded, “I am Happiness. He is Faith. That one is Wealth. This is Health. The tall one is Success. The hoodlum over there is Power.” And so, he identified each one.
“We are your wishes and desires. But,” he said to the bewildered family, “you may choose only one of us.”
The family was uncertain. Success or Health? Happiness or Money? Finally, the patriarch decided, “We will take Faith.”
Faith entered the house – and all of the other wishes began to follow him. “What’s going on,” wondered the father aloud, “you said we could only choose one wish?”
“That’s true,” explained Happiness, “but wherever Faith goes, we all follow.”
The spies worried that the Jews would lose their faith in Hashem without witnessing open miracles. They lack emunah in Hashem and His master plan. Hashem continuously protects Israel. It does not make sense that Israel still exists. Israel would not survive if Hashem did not make miracles.
Especially today, we can clearly see Hashem’s Hand in protecting this tiny country amongst the hateful nations. Hashem is showing us that He is in charge of everything that is happening. May we all merit to be safe in our eternal homeland, Israel in these days of the coming of Moshiach very soon!
May we learn to appreciate all Hashem gives us and know that whether we perceive it as good or bad, it is always good. May we also build up our children, so they have healthy self-esteem and can ultimately be valuable contributors to society and Am Yisrael! May we also be careful not to prejudge any situation, like the spies, and understand that if we see someone with a fault, we should look inward.
Discussion Point:
|
This book is a compilation of Divre Torah from the weekly parasha classes from Rabbi Sananes’ teachings over the last 10 years along with my own experiences in those classes which has stimulated my Torah growth. I’ve included many pertinent stories and life lessons to grow from at your Shabbat table. There’s also questions and discussion points at the end of each Parasha to stimulate a Torah conversation at your Shabbat table for the whole family to participate in. Also, included is a holidays section at the end of the book to use for all of our special holidays and Yomiim Toviim. Now available in all Jewish bookstores and Amazon! Scan the barcode on the right to purchase from Amazon. |
Rabbi Sananes and I look forward to hearing your feedback. Sincerely, Rabbi Amram Sananes and Jack E. Rahmey AmramSananes@me.com and jrahmey@rahmeyfinancial.com (917-226-6276) |
Le’ilui Nishmat…
Eliyahu Ben Rachel Rabbi Shimon Chay Ben Yaasher Avraham Ben Garaz Sarah Bat Chanah Esther Bat Sarah Avraham Ben Mazal Shulamit Bat Helaina Rabbi Meyer Ben Chana Rahamim Ben Mazal Batsheva Bat Sarah Esther Rafael Ben Miriam Ovadia Ben Esther Rav Haim Ben Rivka Moshe Ben Mazal Moshe Ben Yael Yitzchak Ben Adele Avraham Ben Mazal Meir Ben Latifa Chanah Bat Esther Yaakov Ben Rachel Malka Bat Garaz Moshe Ben Garaz Avraham Ben Kami Yaakov Ben Leah Mordechai Ben Rachel Chacham Shaul Rachamim Ben Mazal Natan Ben Rachel Saadia Ben Miriam Eliyah Ben Latifa Simhon Margalit Bat Mazal Ovadia Haim Ben Malaky Rabbi Aharon Chaim Ben Ruchama Luratte Bat Masouda Esther Bat Menucha Uri Ben Rahel Rivka Bat Dona Shalom Ben Zahra Rachel Bat Sarah Shalom Ben Zahra Chava Yvette Bat Jamile Yehoshoua Ben Batsheva Aharon Ben Matel Yehudis Yitzchak Ben Mazal Refuah Shelemah…
Rachel Bat Devorah Gimol Sarah Ester Bat Batsheva Haim Ben Miriam Rachmim Ben Leah
Anyone interested in dedicating this Divre Torah Le'ilui Nishmat or Refuah Shelemah or In Honor of someone, can email me at jrahmey@rahmeyfinancial.com. Checks can be made out to “A Life of Torah” for $101 and mailed to 2387 Ocean Ave Suite 1G, Brooklyn, NY 11229 (please put in the memo “Divre Torah”). Anyone interested in past parshiot please go to the website ParashaPerspective.org |
Comments