This Shabbos we discussed parsha Shelach, including commentary by Rav Yeager. And we welcomed back Ariav, who is here from Israel! David Schlesinger led discussion.
We discussed how in the parsha, we sent spies into Israel to see about conquering the land. The spies came back and talked about the fruits of the land, but they also came back with a bleak report concerning the obstacles we would face in fighting any battles. Only 2 of the spies dissented and urged that we move forward and have faith in Hashem. After the spies returned, we started complaining that we would rather go back to Egypt than conquer the land. Hashem decreed that as a consequence for our lack of faith, we would have to wander the desert for 40 more years before having another opportunity to enter Israel.
We discussed how a lack of faith in Hashem lead to our having to spend this 40 more years in the desert. We discussed some differences between the commentary of Rashi and Rombam. Rashi’s commentary is that it was a sin to send the spies to begin with. However, the Rombam’s commentary is that any nation would send spies in order to understand what they were facing. The Rombam's position is that the information from the spies should have been used simply to come up with a strategy.
Ariav gave a dvar Torah in which he commented that many parshas in the Torah are about our complaining, and preferring to go back to the past. Why it is that we never seem to get it? Ariav suggested that we simply always continued to be out of touch with reality. This would be like telling someone not to wear a certain color any more. It just doesn’t make sense, so the person keeps wearing that color. It seemed to take us a very long time to get it.
David talked about exactly what it is that we needed to get. There are 2 main fundamental beliefs to our belief system. These are first of all that Hashem created everything – including the earth, world, and ourselves. And secondly, that Hashem continues to take an active role in the world and in our lives. We discussed how the “sin of the spies” represents a lack of belief in the second foundational belief. If we had faith that Hashem plays an active role in our lives, we would have had the confidence and motivation to go on into Israel.
One of the other points that I think it was Ariav brought up, is how it was unusual that the leaders, in this case Moses, went along with what the spies were saying. It may be that the leaders had faith in Hashem, but knew that our soldiers did not.
We discussed the point that although Hashem decreed we would spend 40 more years in the desert, this consequence was just our most natural course. We all have a most natural course. Our not going into Israel based on the spy’s report was also our most natural course. But we can always use our free will to go against what is our natural course.
It is important that we use our free will in our own personal lives to not just follow a natural course. In our personal lives we often wander the desert for a long time before making progress with something that would be analogous to “entering Israel”. We come up with some negative aspect, or some obstacle, and then decide to not to anything and keep wandering our own personal “deserts”. In our personal life it may not be black and white. We may have entered Israel in some ways and not in others, but the lessons are in the Torah, and all these lessons are communication that Hashem is having with us not just about the past, but in our own lives in the modern world today.
Yaki spoke about how our conquering of Israel was not only physical, but spiritual as well. Yaki noted that the spies we sent into Israel were elders, who had reached great spiritual heights. In our personal lives we may not be ready to make progress spiritually. But once we have reached the spiritual growth, to know that a certain path represents Hashem’s will for us, we are ready to move forward. Yaki also asked why it is that the younger generation was punished for the older generation's lack of faith. The answer may be that Hashem wants everyone to learn from this entire experience, and as we have discussed in the past we are all in this together and what one person does affects everyone else.
David spoke about how once in a while we get a tap on the shoulder, and are reminded that Hashem is with us. I can definitely relate to getting these taps on the shoulder. I have survived a few emergencies, gone to what seemed like random learnings and events and then heard exactly what I needed, felt surprisingly good about decisions at the time the decisions were made, and then not realizing why I had felt good for several years later. We can always find other explanations for coincidences at the time they happen, but then I see the hand of hashem many years later in what has happened.
Finally, we discussed this Shabbos how we say the prayer of ha gomel when we have survived a potentially dangerous event, or series of events. I can think of a few times in which I did not, but should have said this prayer, including car accidents, and times in which I was unconscious. We discussed whether we should say Gomel after plane flights. I missed part of this discussion, but I tend to feel very safe, although have been in situations in which I was very grateful to have landed.
Yaki spoke about how our conquering of Israel was not only physical, but spiritual as well. Yaki noted that the spies we sent into Israel were elders, who had reached great spiritual heights. In our personal lives we may not be ready to make progress spiritually. But once we have reached the spiritual growth, to know that a certain path represents Hashem’s will for us, we are ready to move forward. Yaki also asked why it is that the younger generation was punished for the older generation's lack of faith. The answer may be that Hashem wants everyone to learn from this entire experience, and as we have discussed in the past we are all in this together and what one person does affects everyone else.
David spoke about how once in a while we get a tap on the shoulder, and are reminded that Hashem is with us. I can definitely relate to getting these taps on the shoulder. I have survived a few emergencies, gone to what seemed like random learnings and events and then heard exactly what I needed, felt surprisingly good about decisions at the time the decisions were made, and then not realizing why I had felt good for several years later. We can always find other explanations for coincidences at the time they happen, but then I see the hand of hashem many years later in what has happened.
Finally, we discussed this Shabbos how we say the prayer of ha gomel when we have survived a potentially dangerous event, or series of events. I can think of a few times in which I did not, but should have said this prayer, including car accidents, and times in which I was unconscious. We discussed whether we should say Gomel after plane flights. I missed part of this discussion, but I tend to feel very safe, although have been in situations in which I was very grateful to have landed.
This is a summary of what we discussed. No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.
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