THE PLAN
With Divine consent, Moses sends spies on a reconnaissance mission into the land of Canaan in preparation for the Israelites’ invasion and conquest of the land. One member of each tribe, with the exception of the tribe of Levi, was chosen for this task. Moses instructed the explorers to bring a military report on the nature of the inhabitants of Canaan, and their strengths and weaknesses in order to define a military strategy. He also ordered them to bring samples of the products of the land.
THE REPORT
The explorers are in the promised land for 40 days and at the end, they return to the camp of Israel with some fruits of Canaan. And also with the intelligence report. “The land flows with milk and honey,” they said, but then they exaggerate the strength of the population, they said that the inhabitants of the land were gigantic and savage. They also said that “the cities were fortified up to the sky and that it was impossible to conquer them.” Only two of the explorers, Caleb and Yehoshua, dissented and said that the land was magnificent and there was no reason to worry about its inhabitants since God was going to bring victory to the Israelites. The Jewish people were convinced by the pessimistic spies and spent the night crying and expressing their desire to return to Egypt rather than be killed in battle by the Canaanites. To make matters worse, the mob wanted to kill Yehoshua and Caleb. God finally intervenes by making his Glory appear on the Tabernacle.
THE CONSEQUENCES
God informs Moshe of His decision to immediately eliminate the Israelites due to their lack of faith in God. Moses successfully invokes God’s mercy and points out that this punishment would result in a profanation of God’s name. God agreed not to immediately eliminate the Israelites, but determined that that generation would not enter the Land of Israel, and instructed them to change course and return to the desert. The Israelites will have to wander in the desert for forty years. During that time, everyone over the age of twenty, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, would perish. And the next generation would enter the Promised Land. When the Jews are informed about the Divine decision they are sad and depressed and a group of people decides to go on their own to conquer the Land of Israel, against God’s new instructions. These people were killed in battle by the Amalekites and the Canaanites.
LAWS OF SACRIFICES AND OTHER MITZVOT
Jews are told that upon entering Israel, a person who undertakes to bring a sacrifice must also bring a libation of wine and an offering of flour mixed with olive oil. The text also clarifies the quantities of wine, flour, and oil that must be brought with various species of livestock. The Mitzva of Challah is contained in this section: when one kneads dough, one should take a portion and give it to the priest (Cohen). If the Sanhedrin (rabbinical supreme court) wrongly permits an act of idolatry, and the community acts with this permission, the Sanhedrin must bring a special offering for that sin, detailed in this section. We learn the rules regarding an individual who is guilty of an idolatrous practice, either inadvertently or intentionally. A man is found profaning Shabbat and is executed. The last part of this week’s Parashah deals with the commandment to wear tzitzit (fringes) on four-cornered garments. By looking at the fringes we remember all the commandments and refrain from following the temptations of our hearts.
