Shelach שְׁלַy to ח-לְךָ - Send For Yourself
Torah Portion: Numbers 13:1-15:41
Numbers 13:1–20
13:1 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel. Of every tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man, every one a prince among them.”
3 Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Hashem. All of them were men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4 These were their names:
Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh.
7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.
8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.
9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.
10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.
11 Of the tribe of Joseph, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.
13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur, the son of Michael.
14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.
15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. Moses called Hoshea, the son of Nun, Joshua. 17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way by the South, and go up into the hill country. 18 See the land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; 19 and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; 20 and what the land is, whether it is fertile or poor, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be courageous, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.
Today's Meditation:
This was a simple request. Go and check out the land. This is the land the people of Hashem had waited for centuries to acquire. Now was the time. But it had to be looked at first, so they knew what to expect. Except there is a turn of events. Something totally unexpected happens. The tribal heads go, and they get scared. The land, the people living there, and its protection are too much. It must have seemed impossible, because 10 of the leaders came back with a bad report. This event will change everything for them, but they don’t know it yet. A simple command: go and spy out the land. Only it becomes very, very complicated. We will shortly see.
Today’s Challenge:
Have you made a simple request of yourself into something complicated? Has someone asked you to do something, and you make it into something more? Maybe, just maybe, we can learn from today’s reading. Let’s try to keep things simple. Let’s follow the request and not make it more than it is. For instance, if you are looking for a new home. And your spouse wants something small and easy to take care of. But you start looking at big luxurious homes. You really haven’t listened to his/her desires. And now you have made it complicated. Suppose your boss tells you to do a report. Do it the way he/she asked you. Try to do the good things in your life in a simple, easy way. The world is complex enough as it is.
