Numbers Sh'lach L'cha

Sh’lach L’cha
Numbers 13:1 – 15:41

I. Summary

A. Sh’lach L’cha - (God spoke to Moses saying) “send out” (notables to scout land of Canaan)

B. Per God’s order, Moses sends 12 men (one from each tribe) to scout Canaan. After 40 days, the group returns and reports to Moses and Aaron. All the scouts speak pessimistically about prospects of successful occupation of Canaan except Joshua and Caleb. (Num 13:1-33)

C. As the Israelites become fearful and want to go back to Egypt, Joshua and Caleb ask the Israelites to have faith and proceed into Canaan. God’s response to the Israelite’s lack of faith (in God) is a threat to wipe out the Israelites and replace them with another and larger nation under Moses. (Num 14:1-12)

D. Moses tries to persuade God to forgive the people (saying God’s reputation will suffer). God relents slightly but still concludes that the Exodus generation is unfit to enter Canaan and punishes them with forty more years of wandering in the wilderness and denies access to Canaan for all over the age of twenty except for Joshua and Caleb. All the scouts except Joshua and Caleb die of plague. (Num 14:13 - 38)

E. The Israelites are overcome by grief and set out to occupy Canaan (without God’s blessing or protection and against recommendation of Moses). The Amalekites and the Canaanites defeat the Israelites (“dealt them a shattering blow”). (Num 14:39-45)

F. A number of laws are set out re: 1) meal offerings in connection with animal burnt offering and sacrifice, 2) how to treat strangers, 3) setting aside some challah for God, 4) inadvertent sin, 5) death penalty punishment for breaking the Sabbath and 6) tzitzit. (Num 15:1-41)

II. Commentary (Plaut, various websites, Jewish Study Bible, Hevreh discussions)

A. Did God, Moses or Israelites originate order for scouts to go out? - Num 13:1 says “God spoke to Moses saying “send notables to scout land of Canaan’” v. Deut 1:22 quotes Moses as saying “all of you came to me and said ‘let us send notables’”. Reconciliation (per Plaut quoting Hoffman) is that Moses viewed in Numbers as an historian whereas he is viewed later in Deuteronomy (when Moses is delivering final words to Israelites as Israelites, but not Moses, are poised to enter Promised Land) as a moralist.

B. Sin of ten pessimistic scouts - Sin of the ten pessimistic scouts was that they repudiated trust in God as well as the leadership of Moses and Aaron and the words of Caleb and Joshua all of whom had placed their confidence in God. Further, “they spread calumnies among the Israelites” (13:32) suggests the ten scouts misrepresented truth … but did they know the truth v. God knows all truth so God knew the pessimistic report was false (v. ten scouts simply giving honest opinion rather than lying). Is pessimistic report, by definition = speaking evil about the Canaan and therefore = sin of lashon hara?

C. God not keeping promises - In denying Exodus generation access to Promised Land (except for Caleb and Joshua) and telling them will die in the wilderness, God breaks promise to them that they will inherit the Land. Other instances of God’s broken promises: 1) God made a covenant with Noah in which God promised never to destroy all humanity again yet intends to do so in this parasha. 2) God promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that they would have numerous children who would inherit and prosper in the Land of Israel. Yet Abraham doesn’t inherit the Promised Land (but rather experiences famine that forces him to uproot himself at which time Abraham describes himself as a “resident alien”). Abraham also has great difficulty producing heirs (having a few children at an advanced age but hardly fulfilling God’s promise that they will be as “numerous as the stars”). While Jacob has many children, they are not as numerous as the stars nor do they prosper in the Promised Land.

D. God not forgiving - How does God decide what is worthy of forgiveness, what deserves punishment, what can be argued, and what is absolute? For the first time, the Israelites admitted they were wrong (“we were wrong” … Num 14:40) without first witnessing a miracle. Like Nachshon who first marched into the Sea of Reeds, Israelites finally allowed their faith to lead them, but this time there is no forgiveness from God who has clearly drawn a line.

E. Silence of Joshua - Of the twelve scouts, two men -- Joshua and Caleb -- rejected the pessimistic point of view of other ten scouts. Joshua was Moses' right-hand man and was the one who eventually took the reigns of leadership. However, Joshua remained silent when the other spies gave their report. It was Caleb alone who spoke up. Why was Joshua silent? Joshua was effectively placed in an impossible position. Had he spoken out and expressed any desire to enter the Land, he would have been accused of seeking power. Had he expressed faith in the face of the others' message of despair, he would have been called treacherous, faithless and megalomaniacal. Joshua had no choice but to remain silent.

F. Necessity of God’s support for successful occupation of Canaan – Israelites are defeated when they attempt to invade Canaan without God’s support. Suggests victory is impossible without God’s blessing and Presence.

G. Impressionability - Ten pessimistic scouts incite Israelites to abandon (though temporarily) goal of settling into Promised Land. This seems to reinforce impressionability of Israelites (in last parasha, riffraff incite “complaining” and in next parasha, Korach incites rebellion). Is impressionability simply a step on the way to Israelites developing their own minds as an independent people or is it not developmental but rather a human quality we still exhibit today under certain circumstances?

H. Conditionality of Israelite occupation of Canaan - Only a righteous Israel is entitled to occupy Canaan. God is responsible for Israelites being in the land but Israelites are responsible for remaining there. Imposes the obligation of moral living on Israelites.

I. Implication that shameful actions of Israelites bring shame on God - God’s reputation is inextricably linked with the reputation of Israelites. Moses convinces God not to destroy all Israelites by noting to God that if the entire people are destroyed, God’s reputation will suffer irrevocable damage. Further, if God broke promises (not to destroy all Israelites as promised to Noah and to deliver Israelites to Promised Land as promised to Abraham and Moses), even if as a result of Israelite misbehavior, what good would any subsequent covenant be? This is a troubling proposition. Fortunately, the Torah does not seem to present the idea that God’s reputation rests on each of us individually. Rather, it presents the concept of collective community responsibility. This implies that if the Jewish people bring shame upon itself, we also bring shame upon God. Reinforces obligation of moral living on Israelites (see previous comment).

J. Questionable morality of military takeover - Promised Land to be conquered at behest of God. Neither the morality of forcible displacement of Canaanites nor the morality of war ever addressed. Accept as appropriate in context of times?

K. God’s intent v. testimony of scouts – Israelite reaction to ten scouts not extreme (especially since only two were optimistic). If God wanted Israelites to ignore reports from 10 of 12 scouts and have faith that God would lead them into Canaan successfully (despite much evidence to the contrary), what was the purpose of having the scouts go in the first place (especially if God knew in advance that ten scouts would be pessimistic)?

L. God’s punishment of Israelites – Were pessimistic spies unfairly judged for expressing an honest opinion? Is God merciful because God did not destroy entire Israelite population? Is God’s disallowance of Exodus generation from entering Canaan an over-reaction?

M. Juxtaposition of the sections on laws in the middle of the narrative about Wilderness rebellions – The ten (pessimistic) scouts and their generation were punished by God for their sin of not having faith that God would deliver them into Canaan. Nonetheless, God stands by Israelites (though punishing Exodus generation) as evidenced by law section (Num 15.1-41) which 1) reiterates God’s promise that children of wilderness generation will indeed inherit Canaan (“when you enter Canaan … Num 15:2) and 2) reinforces Israelite relationship with God.

N. Laws of challah and tzitzit reinforce community - The laws of challah and tzitzit both look toward the future. In a culture that makes a distinction between journey bread (matzah) and the bread of settled people (challah), the challah laws offset the difficulty of conquering the land with the benefit of creating and maintaining a culture. The tallit, used in commemorating many life events, is a powerful symbol of the continuity of a settled, God-centered community.

O. Tzitzit - The one article of clothing all Jews are commanded to wear and one of the very few mitzvot in the Torah for which a reason is given. Seeing the tzitzit on one's clothing serves as a physical reminder of our covenant with God (”look at it (fringe) and recall all the commandments of God and observe them”). (Numbers 15:39)

III. Lessons for today

A. Lessons of the spies - Where you look determines what you find. Truth has a subjective and interpretive element. Don’t jump to conclusions based on preliminary evidence, i.e. look at and fully evaluate all sides of an issue. Give honest opinions. Harbor no grudges against those who think differently.

B. Importance of self-image - When a people view itself as a grasshopper before a giant, it cannot take itself seriously; nor can it fathom that a foe or even a potential friend or ally could take it seriously either. The worst part of Israelite slavery in Egypt was that they came to think of themselves as slaves, seeing themselves in the image cast by their oppressors rather than the Chosen people of God.


(Revised 6/20/09)