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Perashat Shelah

Home > Rabbi's Weekly Message > Perashat Shelah

Perashat Shelah

Friday, June 12, 2015 Author: Rabbi Daniel Greenwald

The central topic of this week’s perasha is the episode of the scouts sent by Moshe Rabbenu to evaluate the Land of Canaan prior to its conquest by B’nei Yisrael.  Following this episode, the Torah enumerates two missvot, that of the Nesakhim; the libations that accompanied the sacrifices in the Temple, and Hafrashat Hallah; setting aside a portion of one’s bread as a gift for the Kohanim.  Our Hakhamim asked what is the connection between these seemingly unrelated missvot?  Several of the commentators, among them Rashi and Ramban, point out that these missvot were given to the people of Israel in order to console them in the wake of the edict issued following the sin of the scouts and to reaffirm that Boreh Olam would eventually bring them to the Land of Israel.  The Torah therefore, uses the expression, “when you shall enter the land,” with regard to these missvot in order to teach us that they did not apply in the wilderness, but their obligation began only once they entered the land.  

The question remains, however, why these particular missvot? Rabbi E.B. Shulman suggests that these two missvot relate to the nature of our ideal relationship with G-d. We are taught that the Nesakhim, the libations, are to be accompanied with Shira, with song.  The issue of this missva at this time, therefore, contains a promise that our relationship with G-d in the future will be one of joy, as characterized by the song of the libations.  

The symbolism of the missva of Hallah is a bit deeper. In order to understand that, we first need to understand the motive of the scouts in delivering their negative report about the Land of Canaan.  One answer offered by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad, is that the scouts wanted to stay in the desert.  For them, the desert was a place of spiritual utopia; they basked under the ‘Clouds of Glory’, enjoyed the manna from heaven and water from the well of Miriam and had clothes which never wore out or which they never outgrew.  In short, all their physical needs were taken care of and they could use their time to study Torah in this utopian realm.  However, the true purpose of Torah is not to be isolated in Utopia, but to be studied and observed in this world; to infuse everyday society with spirituality and make it a fit resting place for the Shekhina, for the Divine presence.  The missva of Hallah, which went into effect immediately upon the entrance into the Land, required a certain quantity of dough in order to observe it.  The amount required was one omer – which was identical to the amount of manna that fell for each person daily in the desert.  Apparently, the true symbolism behind the missva of Hallah is to express our gratitude to Boreh Olam, that we no longer needed the manna, the bread from heaven, and  could now, through the missva of Hallah, take the bread of the earth and transform it, as it were, into bread from heaven.  Thus, the missva of Hallah is coming to teach us the lesson that the scouts failed to learn, namely that the Torah belongs in this world and our job is to sanctify society with spirituality through its study and observance.  This missva guarantees us that we,  and our children, will internalize this lesson for all time.  

When we consider our own individual lives, we realize that none of us lives in utopia.  We all face hardships and difficulties.  It is always tempting to say that if we enjoyed a utopian existence, if we had more time, money and peace of mind – that we would learn more Torah and do more missvot.  However, the lesson that we need to take from the failure of the scouts, is that Torah is meant to be learned and lived even in difficult situations.  In this manner our lives will be transformed into something meaningful and we will be able to enjoy lives – as well as a relationship with Boreh Olam – that are infused with joy and song.

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