SHELACH – NUMBERS XIII – XV

The main theme of our weekly reading concerns the expedition that Moshe sent to Canaan to examine the possibilities of conquering that land and to inform about its fauna and flora. This episode becomes an angular part of our historical past and has given rise to controversies and misunderstandings. To begin with, our Chahamim argue that the idea of “spying” on the Promised Land is born from within the people. God consents to this plan, but it is not He who promoted it. It is obvious that the sending of the patrol demonstrates a lack of confidence in the Divine promise to successfully take them to Erets zavat chalav udevash, the land where milk and honey flow.

The report of the “spies”, representing the twelve tribes, is positive with reference to the abundance of vegetation and fruits. But it is negative as far as the possibility of conquest is concerned: the cities are fortified and their inhabitants have gigantic dimensions. The literary image used by the spies is dramatic, expressing themselves according to the biblical text, Vanehi ve´eineinu kachagavim, vechen hayinu be´eineihem, which means, “and we were in our eyes like locusts (apparently compared to the huge size of the inhabitants of Canaan) and so we were before their eyes”. It should be noted that a minority report is also presented.

Calev and Yehoshu´a (the expedition consisted of twelve people, one per tribe) without denying the veracity of the description of the rest of the group, conclude their presentation stating that there was a real possibility of beating the Canaanites. (The Torah also uses the word Eda, a congregation, to refer to the ten spies who bring the negative report. In this way we give a numerical equivalent to the word Eda, which will then be used to define a Minyan, the quorum of tenpeoplerequired for a public religious service.

Since all the Meraglim, the word designating spies return with an objective and similar appreciation of the land and its inhabitants, the difference in their conclusions must be attributed to subjective reasons that reflect the disparity in their individual character. The group of the ten manifested by saying Vanehi ve´eineinu kachagavim, that they considered themselves mere insects in the presence of a potential enemy, and, therefore, lost the battkle beforehand. Undoubtedly, self-esteem is a determining factor on many occasions. 

Self-confidence is likely a function of faith in the Creator. The authentically religious person considers that God is always at his side and this conviction gives him a sense of security and determination that leads to victory. Calev and Yehoshu´a feel God’s presence and know that His promises in relation to the ancestral land will be fulfilled. The Chachamim see in the insecurity and cowardice of the Meraglim a demonstration of their uncertain faith and lack of confidence in the fulfillment of the Divine Promise.

It becomes necessary to change the course of the desert crossing due to the doubts of the leaders of the people who show insufficient preparation for the building of a nation. Without the necessary self-confidence, how can one occupy a land and conquer the peoples who live in fortified cities, and then face the enormous challenges of building a new society?

According to Erich Fromm we fear freedom and especially those born into Egyptian slavery, an environment that did not permit making personal decisions. For forty years, in total, our ancestors will roam the desert sands, until the death of all those who had come of age in Egypt and, therefore, had grown up in an atmosphere of submission and servitude incompatible with a world where freedom of choice prevails.

Towards the end of our text, we find the episode of the Mekoshesh etsim, a person cutting firewood on Shabbat. God orders the death of the man in question, answering Moshe’s query. Some think that this man was none other than Tselofchad, whose daughters later wish to receive their inheritance, because there were no male siblings.

The fulfillment and consequences of the Mitsvot are not confined to Erets Israel (except for those related to the land itself). Mitsvot have their own value and validity, regardless of geographical location. Even in the desert, which is a naturally hostile environment, the teachings of the Torah must be fulfilled.

With the ordinance of placing Tsitsit stripes on the corners of clothing, we conclude our weekly reading. The placement of the Tsitsit should serve as a reminder of our religious obligations, and according to some it is located immediately after the episode of the Meraglim to prevent that his kind of episode be repeated in the future.

According to our Chachamim, only garments that have four corners (to remember that God rules over the four cardinal points of the earth) require Tsitsit. Since the clothes we wear nowadays lack this feature, we make special ones with this characteristic: Talit ketanah, to comply with this Mitsvah. This is also why we wear a Talit (a kind of shawl with four corners where the Tsitsit are placed) during the recitation of prayers.

The Talit must be large enough to cover most of the body of a child who can already walk alone on the street. Talit and Tsitsit can be made from any fabric, although the Torah usually refers to wool or linen. In our reading we mention Techelet, which is a blue thread as part of the Tsitsit. To obtain this blue color it is necessary to use a mollusk called Chilazon. Since we cannot identify this mollusk today, we refrain from including the blue thread in the Tsitsit.

A century ago, the Rabbi of Radzin announced that he had identified the mollusk and proceeded to include Techelet in the Talit. To this day, the Radziner chasidim include Techelet intheir Tsitsit. According to some commentators, the blue color reminds us of the color of the sea, which in turn alludes to the color of the sky and, by inference, moves us to direct our gaze towards our Heavenly Father. According to the author of Keli Yakar, just as the “blue” ocean must remain within certain limits, since otherwise it can cause serious harm, so man must act within a certain framework to avoid possible tragic consequences.

Our Chachamim gave special importance to the wearing of Tsitsit because the Torah instructs Ure´item, that seeing and looking at the Tsitsit must remind us of all our religious obligations. (Because the Torah insists that we must look at the Tsitsit, our Chachamim conclude that this Mitsvah takes effect only when they can be seen naturally, that is, during daylight. Since this Mitsvah is limited to a time parameter, Shehazeman gerama, women are exempt from its fulfillment). 

Tsitsit becomes a symbol that represents the cluster of all the Mitsvot. In the Talmud there is a story about a person who was about to have an illicit sexual relationship, but who gave up on it when, undressed, observed his own Talit ketanah, with its Tsitsit under his shirt.

Four threads are used in the making of Tsitsit that bend (to form eight threads) and are held by five knots. The numerical value (Gematria) of the word Tsitsit is six hundred. If to this number of six hundred, we add the number of threads and knots, we reach the figure of six hundred and thirteen, which corresponds to the number of Mitsvot contained in the Torah. This establishes, once again, the relationship between the Mitsvah of Tsitsit and the rest of Mitsvot contained in the Torah.

MITSVAH: TORAH ORDINANCES IN THIS PARASHAH

CONTAINS 2 POSITIVE MITSVOT AND 1 PROHIBITION

1. Numbers 15:20 Separate Challah from the dough and give it to a Kohen
2. Numbers 15:38 Place tsitsit (fringes) on a garment that is worn
3. Numbers 15:39 Do not deviate into the thoughts of the heart or what the eyes see