Shelach
We scout the land not to see if we can conquer it. We scan the land to see how we can conquer it.
To achieve the objective and realize the dream, Moses sends a twelve-man reconnaissance team to get the lay of the land. They return with samples of the land’s magnitude. Ten of the scouts claim that the objective cannot be met. Caleb and Joshua are adamant that, as the Creator instructed, Israel could certainly conquer the land. When the people hear the dejection of the ten spies, they begin to moan and insist on returning o Egypt. Well, if you don’t think you can enter the land you won’t. The people are thus destined to remain in the desert for forty years until they pass away and the new generation arises. Meal offerings and laws of Challa are conveyed. The intricacies of the fringed heavenly reminders, Tzitzit, are delivered.
Shelach: Ronald Reagan
Learning from President Ronald Reagan & the sin of the spies in Parshat Shelach: hope & confidence breeds confidence; self-doubt & fear demoralizes & taints
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Shelach: The Journey Part I
Each chapter in the book of Bamidbar (as captured in each chapter name) conveys a vital message to us, in accumulating order, how we must travel our journey
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Shelach: Jury Duty
Learning Samech Vav while doing jury duty: Living a spiritual life in a material world means engaging and transforming life not just avoidance & insulation.
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Shelach: Six-Day War
Paralleling the miraculous Six-Day War victory with the story of the Twelve Spies in Parshat Shelach – how Jewish leaders should learn from past mistakes.
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Shelach: Circles and Squares
Whether you are more “square-like” or more “circle-like,” both personalities are necessary, and both complement each other.
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Shelach: Spain 2010
Sitting in Spain – a country that once expelled all its Jews – listening to the powerful influence that Jews have today on world leaders is quite overwhelming. We sure have come a long way.
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Holy Land: Using the Lessons of the Twelve Spies
In our own lives, we each have a “generation of the desert” and a “generation which enters the land.” Learn personal lessons from The Twelve Spies. Essay based on address by the Rebbe.
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Defining Need
It is easy for one to get caught up with all the things they need and don’t have.
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Land and See
One of the greatest tragedies of Jewish history was the debacle of “The Spies” in Parshat Shelach. The spies failed their mission: it all came down to sight
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Free Agent
In the case of the Spies in Parshat Shelach G-d said, “I’m not telling you what to do—do as you see fit.” G-d was opening a new arena of human potential.
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A Brighter Future
Small piece of insight by Rabbi Sholom DovBer of Lubavitch, the Rebbe Rashab, on the present, future and coming of Moshiach.
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Self-Styled Spies
In Parshat Shelach, the distinction in wording between “spies” and “scouts” makes all the difference in understanding the tragedy of the Twelve Spies.
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A Restless Land
Chassidic master Rabbi Yitzchak of Varka explains the deeper significance of “it is a land that consumes its settlers” in the bad report in Parshat Shelach.
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Doubly Small
Worse than feeling inferior to one’s adversaries is being concerned about how one is perceived by others, as explained in Parshat Shelach.
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Subjective Judge
Insight into judgement: The only power on earth or heaven that can judge man is man himself.
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The “Impossible” Dream
Caleb’s role in the tragic story of The 12 Spies in Parshat Shelach.
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Bitter Knowledge
Insightful words by the Rebbe Maharash: “In truth, we could be rid of the oppressors of Israel. But the Jewish people prefer the bitter medicine”.
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The Rebbe’s Memory?
“I do not add ‘his soul is in Eden’ to my father’s name – I am not about to assign him an ‘address.’ As far as I am concerned, Father has not departed.”
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Where’s the Beef?
In Parshat Shelach the scouts reveal for us a deeper understanding of Atzilut & our ability to face any challenge in life: to connect to above.
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The Birth of Projection
Only through prayer and through our connection to the past do we have the power to overcome the challenges of the present. When you are stuck in a pit overwhelmed by difficulties, you cannot solve the problem alone.
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42 Journeys Part 2
Around 70% of the Torah is occupied with the 42 journeys of the Jewish people through the wilderness. The Baal Shem Tov explains that the forty-two journeys in the wilderness – from Egypt to Israel – mirror forty-two journeys or phases that each person experiences throughout life.
Are Your Reactive or Proactive?
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Are You Living Up To Your Potential?
Learn to become the person you are capable of being, not just the person you are.
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Does Your Job Define Your Identity? You and Your Work
Discover how to not only balance work and life, but to transform your work into an expression of your soul, like a canvas that reflects an artist’s vision.
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