בס״ד ׁשְלַח לְָך SHELACH LECHA In loving memory of Harav Yitzchak Yoel ben Shlomo Halevi Volume 32 | #39 “...and they showed them the fruits of the Land” 20 June 2020 (Bemidbar 13:26) 28 Sivan 5780 Shabbat ends: London 10:28pm Sheffield 11.02pm Edinburgh 11.41pm Birmingham 10.42pm Jerusalem 8.30pm Please look regularly at the social media and websites of the US, Tribe and your community for ongoing updates relating to Coronavirus as well as educational programming and community support. You do not need to sign into Facebook to access the US Facebook page. The US Coronavirus Helpline is on 020 8343 5696. May God bless us and the whole world. Shabbat Mevarechim for Tammuz. Rosh Chodesh is on Monday and Tuesday INSIDE: Artscroll p.798 Haftarah p.1184 The long jump to conclusions by Rabbi Piny Hackenbroch Hertz p.623 Haftarah p.635 Soncino p.860 The Victorian Era of the US Haftarah p.875 by Simon Goulden Daf Hashavua Sidra breakdown The long jump ׁשְלַח לְָך Shelach Lecha 4th Sidra in: to conclusions ,by Rabbi Piny Hackenbroch מִ ּבְ דְ ּבַ ר Woodside Park Synagogue Bemidbar There are ‘Good Then the man dressed in the Samaritan’ headlines more expensive clothes also By Numbers: and stories that always struggles, collapses and cries for seem to make you help. Within seconds, a crowd of 119 verses smile, but every once in a while, we people has formed to assist him. 1,540 words come across those that just break The drastic difference in your heart. Such is the case in a willingness to help is eye-opening. 5,820 letters social experiment that examines Both men were clearly in trouble, how much people judge based on but their appearance dictated the appearances. treatment they received. Headlines: A social experiment done by The failure of the spies’ mission YouTube features two differently- that we learn about in this week’s Sending spies to dressed men struggling and sidra after Moshe sent them to collapsing in the same spot on a reconnoitre the Land is particularly Canaan busy street. The man wearing the shocking when we consider their less-expensive clothing is passed standing amongst the Children of by time and time again while he Israel. These men were considered cries for help. Many people look, princes of Israel, men of great but no one feels compelled to come stature, yet their tragic downfall to his aid. came partly as a consequence of In loving memory of Chaya Rachel bat Moshe Ben-tzion United Synagogue Daf Hashavua Produced by US Living & Learning together with the Rabbinical Council of Sidra Summary the United Synagogue 1st Aliya (Kohen) – Bemidbar 13:1-20 Editor-in-Chief: Rabbi Baruch Davis God tells Moshe to send spies into Cana’an (later the Land of Israel), one from each Editorial and Production Team: tribe. The names of the spies are listed. One of them is Hoshea, whose name is Rabbi Daniel Sturgess, Rabbi Michael Laitner, changed by Moshe to Yehoshua (Joshua). Moshe instructs the spies to enter the Land Rebbetzen Nechama Davis, from the south, look at its landscape and assess the strength of its inhabitants. Joanna Rose Available also via email US website Point to Consider: Why did Moshe specifically instruct them to enter from the www.theus.org.uk ©United Synagogue south? (see Rashi to 13:17) To sponsor Daf Hashavua please contact Danielle Fox on 020 8343 6261, 2nd Aliya (Levi) – 13:21-14:7 or [email protected] The spies enter the Land. They travel to the valley of Eshkol, where they cut a vine If you have any comments or questions regarding Daf Hashavua please email with a cluster of grapes which they carry on poles, as well as figs and pomegranates. [email protected] After 40 days in the Land, the spies return to share their report and show the people viewing superficially events they enormous amount of videos and surface. Both looking at tzitzit, such witnessed in their tour of the Land, images available to us today as on a tallit, and remembering to jumping to conclusions. Seeing huge through social media, as well as the judge situations carefully offer a funeral processions throughout the abundance of editing tools, we face great antidote to the superficial Land, they presumed it was a “land similar pressures to jump to hasty judgement of events shown by the that consumed its inhabitants”. Had conclusions, especially in our fast- spies. they thought carefully, they might paced world. The Torah teaches us Moreover, the third paragraph have realised that large crowds make sure we avoid the mistakes of of the Shema is a direct comment suggested this was highly unusual the spies and act more judiciously. on the failings of the spies: "Velo and had been orchestrated by the This may be part of the taturu acharei levechem – do not Almighty to divert attention from psychology that underlies the stray after your heart…” The word them, ensuring they could scout out mitzva of Tzitzit, as taught in the taturu is the same word used to the Land undetected. third paragraph of the Shema. It denote the spies’ mission “veyaturu The appearance of the Land, as is no coincidence that this mitzva et haaretz – they should tour the they viewed it initially, led them to was detailed in the Torah in the land”. Instead, they followed their hasty, incorrect conclusions even aftermath of the story of the spies. hearts, forgetting the message of though they were people of such The tzitzit are mere woollen strings, the last line of the Shema, that God stature. With the at least superficially. Yet it says in took us out of Egypt “to be to us for the Talmud that we are expected a God”. He would therefore surely to look beneath the not abandon us on the borders of The appearance of the Land that He promised us! the Land, as they viewed it initially, led them to hasty, incorrect conclusions the fruit. Their report begins positively, but then warns of the Israelites’ conquest of the Land as long as they do not rebel powerful nations living in the Land and the strength of their against Him, but the people threaten to stone them to death. fortified cities. Calev, one of the spies, tries to reassure the God laments the nation’s lack of faith and threatens to destroy people that they will nevertheless conquer the Land. The them in a plague. Moshe pleads for forgiveness on their other spies, except Yehoshua, contradict him, claiming that it behalf, stressing that other nations may claim that it was is a land "that devours its inhabitants and that all the people beyond God’s power to bring Israel into the Land (see p.3 are giants". The people cry all night in response to this report article). God relents, but with a qualification – all those who and announce that they would seek a new leader who would angered Him will not enter the Land (see next aliya). take them back to Egypt. Moshe and Aharon despair at the people’s reaction to the spies’ report. Yehoshua and Calev tear 4th Aliya (Revi’i) – 14:26-15:7 their clothes in a sign of mourning, and declare the Land to be God decrees that men currently over the age of 20 will die in “very, very good”. the desert over the next 40 years. The spies die in a plague, except Yehoshua and Calev. Moshe tells the nation about 3rd Aliya (Shlishi) – 14:8-25 the 40-year decree and they mourn. A group of people then Yehoshua and Calev declare that God will ensure the try to enter the Land, despite Moshe’s attempts to dissuade Tehillim (Psalm 130) by Rabbi Yehudah Black, Kenton United Synagogue This psalm is read It could be interpreted as together with the the depths of the sea, as in Bar’chi Nafshi group Psalm 69:3. In our context, of psalms on Shabbat perhaps it instead refers afternoons during the winter months. to the depths of despair. It is also recited in some Ashkenazi Indeed, Rashi (1040-1105) communities after the Yishtabach notes the many aspects prayer every morning during the Ten of despondency – poverty, Days of Repentance. In addition, it is illness and war – from recited at times of threat or tragedy. which despair may originate. Psalm 130 is the 11th of the Shir Perhaps that is the reason HaMaalot – ‘the songs of ascents’ why this psalm is often said or ‘degrees’ – group of psalms.These in worrying times. psalms were recited as the Kohanim The Talmud (Berachot and Levi’im ascended the steps of the 10b) states that from this Temple. Yet interestingly, this psalm verse we learn that a person begins with the words “I call You from should pray to God from a physically that God provides forgiveness for our the depths”, which is the opposite of low place and from a position of sins, and that provides us with hope. ascent. humility. In some shuls around the Now we understand why this The psalm fluctuates. It begins world, the prayers are led from a psalm begins in the personal, yet in the first person. This is personal, position lower than the rest of the ends by speaking about our national and God is referred to in the second congregation. redemption. Recited in the run-up person. Yet from verse 5 onwards this The Psalmist also states (verse to Yom Kippur, it leaves us with the changes.