Shabbat- Shlach- LAND THAT FLOWS WITH MILK & HONEY

This week we asks whether faith in God means anything at all if you cannot muster faith in the person God made you. Moses knew that the Almighty’s promise to give the land included a guarantee to conquer it. However, one of the principles of life, which we learn from this portion, is: the Almighty allows each of us the free will to go in the direction we choose. Even though one man and the Almighty is a majority, Moses sent out the princes of the tribes (men of the highest caliber) to spy out the land.

Their mistake was projecting their own feelings of insecurity onto others. We often feel frightened or vulnerable, and we can’t always control those negative emotions. However, it is important to separate the way we feel from the way we think. Our emotions don’t necessarily reflect reality. The ten pessimistic spies and the panicked people knew that they felt scared, but they had no way to know what the Canaanites felt about them. They made a reckless assumption, and we all know what happens when we assume….

Imposter syndrome- The spies do not doubt God’s power. They doubt themselves as the people God has chosen to carry out the mission, and that self-doubt is so total that it swallows the miracles they had witnessed and the promises they had received.

May we all remain calm in stressful times, and allow our heads to rule over our hearts!

July 1 Addition- The Daughters of Zelophehad. Alhough we know this story of the 10 scouts that did not support going into the land and the 2, Joshua and Caleb that did, here is a thought, what if the women were sent out instead? They loved the land (the spies did not). They would have had confidence and would have voted for going into the land. Of course, then the entire generation WOULD have entered the land ...and maybe even Moses!

BUT our story is our story and that is life. “What we love we inherit, and what we don’t love we lose!!!” Our identify as Jews should not be taken for granted. Our ancestors gave us a gift and even we don’t know how valuable it is… we should not give it up.Read more