Briefly D'var Torah ––– Sh'lach L'cha

––– Briefly D’var Torah ––– Sh’lach L’cha: Numbers 13:1 - 15:41 The name of this week’s parsha, Sh’lach lecha, shares a similar meaning with a parsha we read back in Genesis - Lech L’cha, literally meaning, “go forth” or “go to you.” This week’s parsha, however, is translated to “send for you” or “send for yourself.” The title is taken from the first few verses of the portion, where God tells Moses to “send for yourself” spies to Canaan. Moses sends twelve spies, one from each tribe, to scout out the land of Israel before the people enter and settle there. Ten of the twelve spies return with a discouraging report, saying that the people who dwell within it are strong, terrible, and cannot be overcome. Upon hearing this report, the Israelites become full of fear and doubt. They begin to weep and defame God and insist on retreating and returning to Egypt. Overcome with fear of the future, they fail to listen to the two scouts, Caleb and Joshua, whose report contradicts the ten others. While the ten scouts saw themselves as as weak and ineffectual, only seeing the surface reality of physical strength, Caleb and Joshua believed their spiritual strength and faith in the God would lead them to their destiny in the Promised Land. If we had been able to see into the future of the past year, perhaps we too would have felt like the Israelites, daunted by the enormity of the challenges up ahead. How would we have reacted if we knew we would be socially distanced from our friends and family for so many months? Could we have ever imagined a world in which our work, school, worship services and milestones would take place virtually for over a year? In many ways, not knowing the future allowed us to tap into our creativity and innovation as we were guided by the present moment. In the words of Rabbi Marisa Elena James, “we are continually sending our thoughts to the future, wondering what will be. And like the Israelites in the wilderness, we are continually learning to look at the future through the lens of our strengths, rather than through the lens of our fears.” That which is overwhelming and uncertain is often a chance for radical change, courage, and bravery. According to Rabbi Neal Loevinger, the story of Caleb and Joshua teaches us that “seeing only the outer husk of things keeps us from moving forward; having faith in ourselves and faith in the Holy One enables us to grow, evolve, and become what we’re meant to be.” As more and more people receive the vaccine, the “old-familiar” way of life is reemerging - but we are by no means “returning.” We are reimagining, reinvigorating, and reshaping our Judaism and our lives for the better in order to create a more inclusive and accessible world for all. While Parshat Sh’lach L’cha reminds us of Parshat Lech L’cha’s message to “go forth,” the significance of Sh’lach L’cha’s translation - “send for yourself” - feels particularly meaningful at this time. The process of sending something indicates a destination or direction. As we sit in this moment of transition, we must ask ourselves, which direction are we going? Shabbat Shalom, Cantorial Intern Becky Mann 1.

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