Parshat Shelach Lecha; Numbers 13:1-15:41 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger
In this week’s parasha, Shelach Lecha in the book of Numbers, Moses saves the Jewish people! After a group of representatives that were appointed from each tribe cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land to check things out, they return to the encampment of the tribes and present an inaccurate picture of the situation there. “The country we traversed and scouted is one that devours its settlers All the people that we saw in it are of great size (Num. 13:32).” They spread lies about the land and its inhabitants. They exaggerate and tell outright lies in their reconnaissance reports. Rather than be inspired by the bounty of the land, they return to the Israelites with deep fears and a lack of faith in their ability to conquer the land. With the exception of Caleb and Joshua, each of the tribal representatives are negative about the land of Israel and whip the people into a frenzy with their exaggerations and negative talk of Eretz Yisrael.
The scouts’ fears about being able to take the land and settle the land spread like an infection in a people already cranky and tired after its desert dwellings. “All of the Israelites railed against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in the land of Egypt the whole community shouted at them, “or if only we might die in this wilderness!” (Num. 14:2), they say. The Children of Israel have already forgotten the many miracles they have lived through and seemingly have forgotten that God has been with them on this journey to the Promised Land. They exhibit a tremendous lack of faith as a nation and once again seem more than willing to be swayed by the few rather than their amazing journey of survival.
God too gets impatient. It is as if this insolence is the last straw. “How long will this people spurn Me, and how long will they have no faith in Me despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst?” (Num 14:11). God has had it with the People’s lack of faith. God promised them the land. Why don’t they just believe it? Have they forgotten their deliverance and redemption from Egypt already? Have they forgotten the walls of water of the Red Sea? Have they forgotten the food provided for in the desert—the manna and the quail? Have they forgotten the majestic moments of covenant at the foot of Mt. Sinai? Clearly they have and God is not happy with them. In truth God is deeply hurt and angry. So much so that God is ready to start over. The lack of faith is so infectious that God now has lost faith in the children of Israel!!!!
But Moses comes to the rescue; restoring balance to the sacred covenantal relationship of God and the Jewish people. Moses intercedes with God on the Israelites behalf and in so doing helps God to calm down and reframe the moment. How amazing is Moses in this moment. That he can so intimately converse with the Eternal One and help God refocus and renew the covenant in love. Moses reminds God of God’s own words from Exodus: “The Eternal slow to anger and abounding in kindness; forgiving iniquity and transgression yet not remitting all punishment…” (Num. 14:18 and Ex. 34:6-7). In fact the words that follow have become part of our Yom Kippur liturgy—“And the Eternal One said, I pardon as you have asked ” (Num. 14:20). Moses’ request for kindness, gentleness and forgiveness is granted by God. Most importantly we get a glimpse of the amazingly intimate relationship between God and Moses and we can see in their relationship a model of love and caring, respect and honor.
Moses takes a moment of doom for the Israelites and transforms God’s raw emotion of anger and disappointment and hurt and helps to move God towards the scale of compassion and love. The Israelites’ lack of faith –that God would be with them in the Holy Land and in their ability to settle land becomes prophetic. God does indeed withdraw from this particular group of people in the sense that this generation will not be the one to settle the land. Rather it will be their descendants. And so in this portion the judgment against Israelites for their lack of faith and for the scouts who spread lies about the Promised Land is announced. This generation who left Egypt of the Children of Israel will not enter the land—but their descendants will. Only Caleb and Joshua who were among the scouts who spoke positively of the land and expressed their faith in God and tried to cheer and inspire the Israelites toward their mission to settle the land will cross over the Jordan.
We learn from this section the price of lies. We learn from this the price of lack of faith. Our lack of faith in God was contagious and spurred God’s lack of faith in us. Perhaps we expect better of God—certainly Moses did and reminded God of that very fact. When we ignore those we love or take advantage of them or take them for granted all the time—hurt, anger and disappointment grow. Sometimes we all need to be reminded of the faith we have in one another. In Judaism our prayers help us to do just that—restore not only our own faith but perhaps uplift and reassure God and others of our love and that we don’t take them granted. May we learn to be like Moses who can help turn hurt and anger into love and forgiveness.
Posted by Lee at June 4, 2007 10:06 AM
