Amit Magazine Summer 2006.qxd

26
DVAR TORAH
A New Reality
In the Torah portions we read at this
time of year, the Jewish people face
a new reality: God sentences them
to forty years in the wilderness, where all
but two of them will die before entering
the Promised Land. This pronouncement
is made in Parashat Shelach, in
which twelve spies are sent to evaluate
the Land of Canaan. After forty days of
scouting, ten members of the group
return with fine things to say about the
land but with dire predictions regarding
its inhabitants and their unusual
strength. The other two,
Joshua and Caleb, confirm
God’s assurance that the
land flows with milk and
honey and urge the people to
retain their faith in God who
will settle them in the
Promised Land. The community
responds to these
reports by suggesting that
they appoint a new leader
and return to Egypt, where,
after all, their physical needs
were provided for.
God reacts by decreeing that the ten
spies who bore the dire report will die
immediately. All of the Jews who came
out of Egypt will wander in the wilderness
for forty years, one year for each
day of the spies’ mission. Only Joshua
and Caleb, who retained their faith, will
survive the forty years and will enter the
Promised Land.
What Was The Sin?
Our sages discuss the nature of the
Unintended
Consequences
By Dr. Susan Hornstein
Jewish people’s sin and the punishment
that resulted. Many agree that it was
wrong to send spies into the land since
God had already promised that the land
would be good. Nachmanides disagrees,
pointing out that it is perfectly reasonable
for a nation to scout out a land they
intend to conquer in order to apply the
best military strategy for the situation.
Furthermore, he explains, the spies
would be able to raise the morale
of the people and
strengthen their faith, by bringing back
fruits – concrete examples of the truth
of God’s promises. What, then, was the
sin for which such a severe punishment
was meted out?
The sin is found in the response of
the community. The Jewish people,
enslaved for so long, were not able to
make the transition to freedom.
Freedom comes with uncertainty and
responsibility. When enslaved, they
always knew what was next – they
would be fed, and they would be work-
ing. It may not have been ideal, but it
was certain. As a free nation, they had
to place their trust in God, and they had
to follow laws they did not always
understand. When the Jewish people
showed, once and for all, that they were
not ready for this lifestyle, their actions
inherited natural consequences. The
people who were enslaved were not
capable of inhabiting the Promised
Land. Only the young people, born
after the captivity had ended, could
proceed to Canaan. Reared on freedom,
they were the future of the Jewish people
in their own land. The spies who
had borne the ill report died immediately,
so as not to poison the hearts and
minds of the young people. The only
exceptions to this consequence were
Joshua and Caleb, who had made the
transition from servants of Pharaoh to
servants of God, and would lead the
Jewish people in this new endeavor.
AMIT Summer 2006 www.amitchildren.org