The Twelve Spies

Parashah Shelach Lecha “Send forth"

Torah: Bamidbar (Numbers) 13:1 – 15:41
Haftarah: Yehoshua (Joshua) 2:1-24

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The Twelve Spies

This Parashah is about the consequences of disobedience and about God’s mercy. Just as in our lives one action can have consequences reverberating through many years, so, too, the incident which begins this Parashah will have an impact in the next forty years in the lives of Israelis. “And Yehovah spoke to Moshe, saying, Shelach-lecha anashim - ‘Send forth men for yourself, and let them investigate the land of Canaan, which I give to the people of Israel; one men of every tribe of their fathers shall you send, every one a leader among them.’ And Moshe sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the word of Yehovah; all those men were chiefs of the sons of Israel.” Bamidbar (Numbers) 13:1-3

At a first reading it may seem that Yehovah tells them to go and investigate the land, but a closer analysis of the words “for yourself” indicate that Yehovah is allowing this mission at the request of the people. Indeed, we read in Devarim the words of Moshe explaining this incident: “Behold, Yehovah your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as Yehovah the God of your fathers has said to you; ‘fear not, nor be discouraged.’ And you approached me, every one of you, and said, ‘Let us send men ahead of us, and they shall search us out the land for us and bring us word again by which way we must go up, and to what cities we shall come against.’ And the saying pleased me well; and I took twelve men of you, one from each tribe.” Devarim 1:21

God knows the outcome of our actions, but most of the time He does not intervene because He gives us free will to choose to follow His commandments or not. God told Israelis that He gave them the Land, He set it up before them, the only thing they needed to do was to have faith, go up, and possess it. Instead, they sent twelve spies, ten of which brought a report viewed through their humanity and limited understanding (except for Yehoshua and Caleb), disregarding God’s instruction which made people rebel against God. After all that Yehovah showed them through the miracles of exodus, they still did not believe in Him. Yehovah was not pleased and decreed that that generation will not enter into the Land but wander into the wilderness for forty years until every one of them will die. God punished the ten spies with instant death but showed mercy to the people allowing them forty years to die of natural causes.

This unbelief and disobedience from the leaders of the people was prevalent years later in the time of Yeshua and we are also seeing it today. Yeshua, talking with the leaders of His time, used a story to exemplify this kind of disobedience: “’What do you think? A man had two sons. And having approached the first, the man said, “My son, go today and work in the vineyard.” But the first son said in reply, “I will not.” But later, having changed his mind, he went. And having approached the other son, the man spoke similarly. But the second son, in reply, said, “I will go, sir.” Yet he did not go. Which of the two did the will of the father?’ They say, ‘The first.’ Yeshua says to them, ‘Omein, I say to you, that the tax-collectors and the sinners are going in ahead of you into the Malchut Yehovah (Kingdom of God).” Matthew 21:28-31

The leaders of the people who study the Torah and confess to know God’s commandments are not doing what they learned and also lead others astray, but the sinners, who initially disregard the commandments, repent and receive forgiveness ahead of the leaders.

But God in His mercy provides opportunities for everyone to repent no matter if educated or ignorant, for we further read in the Parashah: “’You shall have one Torah for him who sins through ignorance, both for him who is born among the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them. But the soul who does anything presumptuously, whether he is born in the land, or a stranger, that person blasphemes Yehovah; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of Yehovah, and has broken His commandment, that soul shall surely be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.’ While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man who gathered sticks upon the Shabbat day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moshe and Aharon, and to all the congregation. And they put him in custody, because it was not told what should be done to him. And Yehovah said to Moshe, ‘The man shall be surely put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.’ And all the congregation brought him outside the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as Yehovah commanded Moshe. And Yehovah spoke to Moshe, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel, and bid them that they make them tzitzith in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the tzitzith of the borders a thread of blue; and it shall be to you for a tzitzith, that you may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of Yehovah, and do them; and that you seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, which incline you to go astray; That you may remember, and do all My commandments, and be holy to your God. I am Yehovah your God.’” Bamidbar (Numbers) 15:29-41

God intended from the beginning for the Torah teaching to be for both Jews and Gentiles. God does not make a difference between people, thus His blessings and punishments are just. After making a distinction between a sin from ignorance and one made presumptuously, which is equated with blasphemy because is a direct attack on God, despising His commandments thus His authority, the Torah gives a concrete example of an intentional sin through the Shabbat desecration. Torah juxtaposes the sins of idolatry and Shabbat desecration because they represent the same concept. Just as the idolater denies the sovereignty of God and blasphemes, so, too, one who shows contempt for Shabbat, which testifies of God's creation of the universe, declares his lack of faith in the Creator. But then God extends His grace, He gives a practical commandment in order to help people remember His teachings and not sin, the wearing of tzitzith.

The commandment of tzitzith is a vehicle that enables us to remember not only to observe the Shabbat, but all the Torah's teachings. The heart and the eyes are like the body's spies, brokering for it the sins. The heart covets and the eyes seek out, and the body sins. This Parashah begins with the spies being sent out to search the Land, but they went looking not for the things of God but for dangers that would justify their own earthly preoccupations, and they sinned. The Parashah ends with the warning not to be taken in by the lures that appeal to heart and eyes; instead, one must be ruled by his faith, by looking and being preoccupied with the things of faith. Even though we are taken out of the world of sin, out of Egypt as it were, our sinful nature needs a constant practical reminder to live a holy life, and God gave us one such reminder by wearing the tzitzith.

The Tallith: The commandment of tzitzith is performed today by means of the tallith - the prayer shawl, and the tallith katan - the small tallith. The term tallith is derived from the Hebrew verb which means to cover. Its construction is of a rectangular shape with tzitzith, or fringes, on all four corners. The tallith katan has an opening in the center large enough to admit the head and it is worn by the pious Jews during the entire day.

The tzitzith is made of eight threads with five knots. After the dispersion, the method of dying the threads sky-blue became a forgotten art, and the use of the blue thread was discontinued.

The tallith is used during early morning devotions (Shacharith prayers), for Shabbat, and Holy day worship: it is not used in the afternoon services except on the ninth of Av, and on Yom Kippur Eve. The tallith varies in size and style. It must be made either of wool, linen, or silk, but under no circumstances may the materials be mixed. The stripes in the tallith may be blue, black, or purple. To make them things of beauty, many Prayer Shawls are embroidered or ornamented; the prayer for putting on the tallith is often woven into the fabric of the neck-band, called the Attarah:

Baruch Atah Adonay Eloheinu Melech Ha-olam asher kidshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu lehitatef ba’tzitzit. Blessed are You, 0 Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your commandments, and has commanded us to enwrap ourselves in the fringed garment.

In putting on the tallith the worshiper takes hold of both ends of the neck-band, kisses each side, covers his head within its folds while reciting the blessing, and then wraps the garment around his shoulders like a scarf. The tallith may not be worn upside down or inside out, thus the Attarah must always be on top and outside.

Women are exempt from wearing the tallith. Boys who reach the age of Bar Mitzvah are usually presented with a tallith. It is customary to present the bridegroom with a tallith on his wedding day. It is also the custom to inter the deceased wrapped in his tallith from which the Attarah is removed and one thread of one tzitzah severed.

Shabbat Shalom!

Parashah Beha'alotecha “When you Kindle"

Torah: Bamidbar (Numbers) 8:1 – 12:16
Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7

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Kindled Obedience

This Parashah introduces beautiful concepts in the traditional Judaism: the kindling of the Menorah, the laying of hands as a form of consecration, the Second Passover as God's given second chance of repentance, and the blowing of the Shofarim on the day of one’s gladness including Rosh Chodesh and Shabbat. These can also be used as expressions of faith in the Messianic Judaism as we worship a God who is the same from eternity past, to present, and to eternity future. But the main theme of this Parashah is obedience to God, obedience in the spiritual issues as well as obedience in the physical issues.

After a long recitation of the offerings brought by the tribal leaders for the Tabernacle in the previous Parashah, the first aliyah of this week's Parashah starts with an interesting instruction:

Vaidaber Yehovah el Moshe lemor: Daber el Aharon ve’amarta elai beha’alotecha et hanerot,

"And Yehovah spoke to Moshe, saying, 'Speak to Aharon, and say to him, "When you kindle the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the Menorah."' And Aharon did so; he kindled its lamps to give light in front of the Menorah, as Yehovah commanded Moshe." Bamidbar (Numbers) 8:1-3

Why is this instruction regarding the kindling of the Menorah, placed immediately after the passage about the offerings brought by the leaders of each tribe? To signify that each person has his, or her, unique role in worshiping God. Each member of the body of believers is an important instrument for the Kingdom. Because Aharon did not bring an offering as the other leaders, he was given other tasks to perform.

The rabbis teach that the kindling of the Menorah in this passage alludes to another Menorah, that of Hanukkah. God was even alluding to Aharon that his role was greater than that of the other leaders, because there would be a time when the Temple service would stop and the Torah would be on the verge of being forgotten. Only the faith and heroism of the Hasmoneans, a family of Aharon's priestly descendants, would succeed in driving out the enemy, purifying the Temple, and once more kindling the Menorah. The offerings of the tribal leaders were great and impressive, but they were temporary. Aaron's contribution would be eternal.

To us, the Messianic believers, the kindling of the Menorah has a deeper meaning. The Menorah is the symbol of the Ekklesia, as Yochanan reveals in the book of Revelation:

"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me, and, having turned, I saw seven golden Menorot and in the midst of the Menorot stood One like the Ben haAdam... And He had in the right hand seven stars and out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth and His face was like the sun shining in its power. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead, and he placed His right hand upon me saying, 'Do not fear; I am the First and the Last and the Living One, and I was dead, and—hinei!—I am alive forevermore and I have the keys of Death and of She'ol. Therefore, write down the things you saw and the things which are and the things which are about to happen after these things. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand and the seven golden Menorot: the seven stars are the malachim (angels) of the Kehillot (Congregations) and the seven Menorot are the seven Kehillot.'" Revelation 1:12-20

Therefore, if the Menorah represents a congregation, the lights of the Menorah represent individual believers. The kindling of these lights symbolizes the fact that each believer can make a difference in the lives of others by letting his or her light shine brightly after being lit by our High Priest, the Author of light, Yeshua. Maintaining the place of worship is important but it must be followed by discipleship, not only by kindling the light that we have received and displaying it for all to see, but also share this light with others so they in turn become lights. May each of us be indeed a bright light in this increasingly darkening world and stimulate each other to study and worship with prayer, fellowship and mitzvot. Our contribution in kindling the Gospel’s light will be eternal as was Aharon’s.

With the completion of the Tabernacle, the Presence of the Lord was physically felt among the Israelis and here we have a beautiful example of obedience as everyone kept the commandments of God, albeit temporarily:

"And on the day that the Tabernacle was erected the cloud covered the Tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony; and at the evening there was upon the Tabernacle like the appearance of fire, until the morning. So it was always; the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from the Tabernacle, then after that the people of Israel journeyed; and in the place where the cloud abode, there the people of Israel pitched their tents. At the commandment of Yehovah the people of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of Yehovah they camped; as long as the cloud abode upon the Tabernacle they rested in their tents. And when the cloud remained long upon the Tabernacle many days, then the people of Israel kept the charge of Yehovah and did not journey. And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the Tabernacle; according to the commandment of Yehovah they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of Yehovah they journeyed. Or whether it was two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud stayed upon the Tabernacle, remaining on it, the people of Israel abode in their tents, and did not journey; but when it was taken up, they journeyed. At the commandment of Yehovah they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of Yehovah they journeyed; they kept the charge of Yehovah, at the commandment of Yehovah by the hand of Moshe." Bamidbar (Numbers) 9:15-23

Unfortunately, this harmonious period – a glimpse of heaven – is interrupted by disobedience. When we remove our gaze from the heavenly and focus on the earthly matters the Adversary always finds a way to interrupt our relationship with our Heavenly Father. There are two incidents in this Parashah which from the human perspective could have an explanation, but they were attacks on the spiritual realm, and, since we are spiritual new creations, they serve as practical examples of our walk in obedience to our Lord Yeshua and God’s plan for salvation.

The first incident came right after the dedication of the Tabernacle. “The mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children of Yisra'el also wept again, and said, ‘Who shall give us flesh to eat? ...but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all save this manna to look on.’“ Bamidbar (Numbers) 11:4-6

After this spiritual high point, people complained about not having meat to eat. It was true then and it is true now, after an uplifting spiritual event such as we have experienced at Shavuot, our humanity is the most vulnerable to fall prey to the Adversary. God supplied to them manna from heaven, ”the bread of angels,” (Tehilim 78:25) a perfect food with all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, and calories needed to sustain life perfectly, but people's taste buds were not satisfied, the flesh wanted something else.

To parallel this with our Messianic life, God gave us the Manna from heaven, Yeshua haMoshiach - the Bread of Life, and He also gave us the Ruach haKodesh with an uplifting infilling event at Shavuot, but some of us are not satisfied – it is our flesh, it is our human nature that surfaces its ugly character. We want something else; we want to add to the pure message of salvation our own good works, or even foreign doctrine. But we are warned. In the second letter to the Corinthians the apostle Shaul writes:

“But I am afraid that, as the Serpent deceived Havah by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity {of devotion} to Moshiach. For if one comes and preaches another Yeshua, whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different Gospel which you have not accepted, you bear him well enough." 2 Corinthians 11:3-4

God was not pleased with the people of Israel's request for meat and He will not be pleased with us if we stray away from the purity of the Gospel. The many denominations that preach another Yeshua are a testimony that the Adversary is at work, and we must be on guard. The apostle not only warned us but also gave us the remedy in the letter to the Ephesians: "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:11

And that "full armor" is studying the Scriptures - both Tanakh and Brit Chadashah - not Talmud, nor Kabbalah, or the book of Mormons, or the writings of Ellen White - but prayer, fellowship, and mitzvoth centered around the teachings of Yeshua.

The next incident involves Moshe’s brother and sister. After God gave to the seventy zakenim, elders, who were chosen by Moshe to be spiritual leaders of the congregation of Israel and his helpers in leading the people, an additional spirit of discernment and prophecy, and they did so, there came the work of the flesh – why can't we all prophesy, didn’t God speak to us also? Continuing in the book of Bamidbar, Numbers:

"And Miriam and Aharon spoke against Moshe because of the Kushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Kushite woman. And they said, 'Has Yehovah indeed spoken only by Moshe? Has He not spoken also by us?' And Yehovah heard it." Numbers 12:1-2

Moshe wife's origin had nothing to do with their grumbling; it was just an excuse for their envy for not receiving the same authority as the other elders. The sin of slandering Moshe their leader, though, was immediately punished with Miriam having been afflicted with a disease called "tzaraat," and she was confined outside the camp for seven days. Speaking against God’s anointed became a sign of rebellion against God and in the course of Israel’s history many prophets were rejected and even killed. Also, with time, the position of the seventy elders, the future Sanhedrin, became authoritarian and corrupt and, as Miriam, these leaders wanted to be the only ones to have authority over the religious matter.

By the time Yeshua came on the scene they could not even recognize God’s anointed, even though they were in charge with reading and preserving the Written Word and should have known better about their Messiah. Yeshua encountered opposition and lack of faith from these leaders just as the prophets of old were. It was the Sanhedrin who convicted Yeshua and gave Him up to the Romans to be crucified because they were more interested in maintaining their powerful status rather than in the truth.

But God’s plan of salvation was working all along, and the irony of this is that because these religious leaders rejected Yeshua, the good news of salvation spread to the entire world for we read in the book of Romans: “But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles.” But the apostle doesn’t stop there, he continues with an amazing prophecy: ”Now, if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!... For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” Romans 11:11-15

The leaders may fail us, but the question for us is, are we walking with or against the plan of God? Even though the leaders were disobedient and failed to recognize the Messiah, God’s plan will be accomplished somehow through you and me because the comforting prophecy given by the apostle is that: ”all Israel will be saved.” May we be found working for God and may Yeshua back come speedily in our time and see this prophecy fulfilled.

Shabbat Shalom!