Send Thou

Send Thou - Shelakh Lekha -
13 June 2009 / 13 Sivan 5769- Jewish Calendar
Readings: Numbers 13:1 – 15:41; Joshua 2:1-24; Hebrews 3:7-19
“Send thou – Shelakh lekha” carries an echo of the command, “Go thou – Lekh lekha,” which God gave directly to Abraham when He sent him forth from his native land to “a land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1) and which He swore to give to him and his promised descendants forever (Genesis 17:8). The difference at the outset of the two scenarios is that Abraham did not know the location of this land and he needed to set out in pure trust and faith in the One Who sent him, whereas Moses and the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, knew exactly where they were heading.
Abraham arrived and dwelt in the Land of promise. The narrative of B’midbar (Numbers) presents us with the sad reality that Moses and the adult generation of those who left Egypt, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, do not. They become known as dor hamidbar – the wilderness generation. They never leave the wilderness and it becomes the place of their wanderings and burial.
The Israelites carry the responsibility of being an am segullah (a precious, treasured people) chosen by God for His purposes. Instead of bearing with the frustrations and challenges of the wilderness and being refined and prepared by them, they succumb to resentment and negativity. As a result, fear replaces faith and doubt replaces trust in God’s Word and leading. Rather than looking forward in faith and anticipation of the new thing God is doing, the majority long for the old ways of Egypt – the place of their slavery.
The Sin of the Ten Spies
The incident of the Spies is a major turning point in the lives of the wilderness generation. The description at the start of the parasha makes it clear that the group was comprised of choice candidates: “…a man from every tribe… every one a prince among them” (13:2). The twelve names are then listed, underscoring their importance. Among them we notice Caleb, representative of the tribe of Judah, and Hoshea of the tribe of Ephraim. Significantly, we are told that Moses changed the name of the one who had been his assistant from the start and who would eventually replace him as leader. A letter from the Divine Name was added and (He Who saved) Hoshea became Yehoshua (He will save), a form of the Hebrew word Yeshuah, which means Salvation. Joshua [in English] and Caleb prove to be the only two of the group who retain their faith and trust in the Word of God and they ultimately lead the new generation of Israelites into the Promised Land.
Moses sent the twelve men into Canaan to explore it from a strategic point of view. They were to gain information on the cities and fortifications and to learn of the nature of the inhabitants. They were also instructed to bring back samples of the “fruit of the land” (13:20). After forty days they returned from their mission and instead of presenting objective facts the majority of ten gave their own opinions and bemoaned the impossibility of victory. This bad report utterly demoralized the people. They were struck with fear and their faith in the power of God was undermined, even though they had personally experienced His mighty acts of deliverance and provision on their behalf.
Caleb attempted to calm the people and proclaimed: “We should go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (13:30). He knew God was with them and He was able. No further preparation on their part would make any difference. But the people were deaf to this truth and heard the word of the ten spies who looked to man and their own strength and reported: “…we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so were we in their sight” (13:33). Although they were the redeemed, chosen “princes” of God, now they saw themselves as insects! The sin of the spies was not merely cowardice, complaining, self-pity and rebellion; it was the repudiation of God Himself and the rejection of the faith and trust in Him affirmed by Moses and Aaron, and Joshua and Caleb.
The Song of the Grapes
One of the impressive images of the Bible is that of two men carrying a giant cluster of grapes. It is the logo of the Ministry of Tourism in the modern State of Israel signifying the bounty and beauty of this “good and promised land”. We are told in the Hebrew text that the time of year that the spies went into Canaan was bikurei anavim, the time of the “first-fruits of the grapes” (13:20). This would be mid-summer, around July and August. In response to Moshe’s request to bring back fruits of the land, they cut down “a branch with one cluster of grapes” (z’morah ve’eshkol), as well as gathering pomegranates and figs. The branch from which the cluster grew is called z’morah in Hebrew, the root of which is zemer – a song. The hint here is that the “fruit of the Land” is more than mere produce. It also carries the “song” of the Land – its heart and essence, as it were. It is evidence of God’s blessing upon and Presence in the place He has chosen and promised as an inheritance to His people.
Perhaps Joshua and Caleb were the two who volunteered to carry the grapes; no doubt a heavy burden in the heat of summer. Yet in their care of and proximity to the fruit they heard the song of the Land and their eyes of faith remained focused upon the anavim (grapes), and not upon the anakim (giants) of the enemy. We are faced with the same challenge today. One needs spiritual eyes and ears of faith in the God of Israel to hear the Song of the Land.