A Promised Land
D’var Torah for Parashat Shelach Lecha
By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman
June 17, 2025
Shelach, ("Send forth," Numbers 13:1--15:42), this week's Torah portion, presents us with one of those enigmatic and even paradoxical passages that leave us scratching our heads and looking for all sorts of meanings. The portion begins with God telling Moses to send spies to reconnoiter the Promised Land. The full title of the portion is actually Shelach l'cha, wording that—not coincidentally—parallels God's call to Abraham ("Lech l'cha," Gen. 12:1) to set out for a land "which I will show you," a promised land.
Commentators have long argued about the meaning and purpose of the word, "l'cha," variously translated as "for yourself," "unto yourself," “for your sake," and even "if you wish to." In both cases, this adverb modifies the commands "go" and "send," and seems to leave the choice to obey up to Abraham in the Genesis story, and to Moses in this week's portion. Yet even though both Abraham and Moses choose to obey, the results are very different. Abraham's act is seen as one of faith, and he is rewarded with a blessing; in Shelach l'cha, on the other hand, the Israelites are punished, despite the fact that they were only doing what Moses (in God's name) was telling them to do.
There are, of course, differences in the two stories that explain the different results. Abraham's faith is complete; the Israelites, on the other hand, allow fear to enter their hearts, and they turn against God and Moses.
And yet questions remain. If God is all-knowing, why does God make the commandment to send spies optional? It should be obvious to God that, at this point in their development, the Israelites' strength, both in body and spirit, is still weak. Shouldn't God turn this into a positive learning opportunity rather than set them up for certain failure? (Incidentally, in rabbinic commentaries, this failure is said to be one of several major disasters that befell the Jewish People on the same day, a day foreordained for catastrophe, Tisha b'Av—the ninth day of the month of Av).
This pattern, however, is typical for the way the Torah tells its stories and teaches their accompanying lessons. First we see the ideal--in this case, Abraham's faith. Then we hear of the failure: Israel's disbelief of God's promise. Both incur the rightful consequences. Only after that does the Torah teach us how to do things the right way. As a result of their rebellion, the Israelite People will be wanderers in the wilderness of forty years, until the generation of the Exodus dies out. Only those born in the desert, those who had never known slavery, will be allowed to enter the Promised Land.
So what does this story want us to learn? The moral is clear: Faith helps overcome fear. Yet we are left with a more difficult question: How do we reach the goal of faith—a goal that Abraham seems to embody without effort, and yet one which we—Abraham's followers—have such a hard time with?
The Book of Numbers in Hebrew is called Bamidbar, "in the wilderness." The wilderness, for all its harsh bareness, is not devoid of life or direction. One has to learn how to navigate it. This Wilderness is where the People will learn to rely not only on God's blessings, but also—and just as importantly—on their own strength. God may give us direction, provide us with food and water and even show us the path to holiness. But we have to learn how to apply these blessings to our lives. Even as we learn the laws of holiness, we also have to learn how to build the sukkah, the proverbial shelter from the elements of nature; we have to learn to defend ourselves from enemies; we have to find the strength within ourselves to overcome illusion and superstition. The spies that Moses sends out to scout the Promised Land, all leaders of their tribes, men of social and physical stature, bring back a mixed report—the land is indeed fruitful, flowing with milk and honey. Yet it is also a land "that devours its inhabitants" (Num. 13:32, NKJV). They allow their imagination to run wild. They perceive giants, mythical beings (the Nefilim), people and cities so strong and fortified that they cannot possibly be overcome. Even the fruit they bring back as evidence for the land's fertility is huge, overblown, more fiction than truth.
In life, we have to learn to separate fact from fiction. Walt Disney notwithstanding, it is not a truth that "When you wish upon a star... anything your heart desires will come to you." Reality has its own demands, and we have to learn to adapt. Miracles are great—but not consistent, and simply wishing for something will not necessarily make it come true. That's where faith comes in. Faith is a bridge that we have to learn to use and hold on to. Faith offers no guarantees, but it can strengthen us. It can give us goals and directions. It enables us to see life not only as it is, but also as it can be.
In the end, the difference between Abraham and the spies is that the latter lacked faith. And that is the lesson of this portion: Faith enables us to rise from the dust; it is the power that enables us to reach the Divine and be part of the constant miracle of existence, life, and perseverance.
© 2025 by Boaz D. Heilman
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