Spies Like Us- Shelach 2011

Insights and Inspiration
from the 
Holy Land
from 
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

June 17^th 2011 -Volume I, Issue 32–15^th  of Sivan 5771
Parshat Shelach

Spies like us

        It was 4:00 AM. For most people around the world it was a time that some would refer to as un-godly, but as my children and I walked the ancient streets of Jerusalem, this past Shavuout morning, to the place where our Holy Temple once stood in all of its glory, I can assure you that there was absolutely no greater sense of Godliness that we have ever experienced. From each little alleyway more and more people began to pour out. By the time we had reached Mamilla mall right outside Jaffa gate there must have been thousands that were joining our early morning pilgrimage. A young man walking hurriedly passed us up singing loudly (in Hebrew)

 “Three times a year you should come to appear before Hashem in the place he has chosen for you”.

I pointed out to my children that God willing soon when Mashiach comes these streets will be even more packed. Yet they will have additional travelers as well. For Jews will be bringing their animals- cows sheep, goats- and other offerings, as well as their first fruits to the Temple. I told them to look up to the Temple mount and imagine the great barbeques that would be going on at the Altar with the Kohanim and Levites all running to do the service. One felt a longing for those days once again like never before.

I then asked them to imagine another scene in more recent Jewish history. For over a thousand years Jews had been forbidden to approach the Kosel – the closest place to the Mikdash. And then just less than 50 years ago about a week or so before Shavuot the Jews thought it would be all over. We were being threatened once again from all sides. Egypt Syria and all our other neighbors were already planning on how to divide the country. And yet 6 days later it was over. We had won the most miraculous war.

“Har Ha’Bayit Bi’Yadeineu- The Temple Mount is in our hands!”

Can you imagine the euphoria? Can you even begin to fathom what that first Shavuot must have been like? How they must have danced to the Wall and kissed its holy stones. What the priestly blessing must have felt like. The tears of joy and gratitude that surely poured out during the recitation of Hallel that Shavuot morning, fortunate are the eyes that must have witnessed that day.

We arrived to the Kotel and prayed as the sun rose over the holiest of places and I was moved to tears. The perfect silence at the moment of sunrise as the thousands of worshippers recited their silent Shemona Esrei was awesome. This was a small taste of the great day to come. This is what it meant to be in the presence of the Divine.

After experiencing all of this, one comes to this week’s Torah portion with an even greater appreciation of the significance of the sin of the spies sent in to tour the land of Israel for the Jewish people. Here they were the greatest of the heads of the Jewish people. Leaders, who Rashi comments were all “Kosher” at the time of the initiation of their mission; yet, failing dismally in the greatest of tasks. How could they have not been overwhelmed and moved by the greatness of their trip to Israel? They were the first Jews since we became a nation at Sinai to step foot in the land of their forefathers just a few centuries before. This was the place Hashem had promised them. The place they had longed for during all their years of slavery in Egypt of which Avraham had been told about so long ago. How could they speak evil about it? How could they turn the heart of the nation so quickly? How could we lose it so fast?

The answer, and perhaps the lesson for us today comes down to understanding the connection that the Jewish people have with the land of Israel. The spies who were great leaders certainly appreciated the significance and holiness of the land of Israel. If we can still feel it today than the nation that witnessed Hashem’s presence on Sinai and all of the miracles of Egypt certainly understood the Kedusha of Eretz Yisrael. The problem they had was that they didn’t appreciate the greatness of themselves and of the Jewish people whom they were representing on this mission. The Medrash tells us that all the sites that they related to the Jewish people were in fact true and were perhaps even terrifying scened. The nations that occupied Israel were in fact giants and warriors. They saw funerals abound in the land Israel which led them to believe that the “land devours its inhabitants”. They were right. It was truly an unconquerable land by any natural means. It would require miracles. And frankly they didn’t feel that either they or the Jewish people had the spiritual leverage anymore to receive any supernatural conquest of the Holy Land.

The Klei Yakar points out that Calev who tries to calm these fears tells the Jewish people

“Don’t fear the nations of the land- Ki Lachmeinu Hem- for they are like our bread- The Tzel- protection of Hashem is removed from them- But Hashem is with us.”

The Klei Yakar notes that the word Lachmeinu can also be read Lochameinu- they are battling against us- but they do not have the protection of Hashem- we even though we have sins, still have the merit, protection and most importantly promise that Hashem will always be there for us.

It has been 3000 years since that fateful Tishah B’Av when our ancestors first failed to enter the land of Israel. Since that time we have lost two Temples and have gone through eras by which we failed to build an eternal home in our Promised Land. I don’t believe we are any greater than our ancestors who lived during the times of great kings and prophets of Israel during the first temple. Nor do we hold a candle to the holiness of the Jews who lived during the times Ezra, The Chasmonaim or the Sanhedrin and sages who lived during the 2^nd Temple. Yet once again we have been blessed with a return after millennia to Eretz Yisrael. The challenge for us is to not only believe that we have a biblical right and a historical claim to the land. But rather to appreciate that Hashem is with us still. If we sin and we make mistakes Hashem still has his special Tzel that is just waiting for us to recognize that we can still be holy. That the land is one in which we are meant to grow closer to him- not merely to inhabit it.

In the times of the Temple when they brought those Shavuot sacrifices they felt that specialness. In 1967 after all of the miracles the Jews experienced and witnessed there was no doubt of the boundless love Hashem had for us in returning to us our most holy of places. Today as well it behooves each of us to feel that we can still merit the miracles to bring this exile to its conclusion. It is unfortunately so easy for us to find reasons (particularly in others- but even in ourselves) why we have not and perhaps even should not be redeemed. It is perhaps even good and productive to introspect and find the things we need to improve upon. But we should never shortchange the love Hashem has for us and His infinite capacity to redeem us. His Tzel- His holy presence is still upon us. We just need to start shining it some more.

Have a Shabbos that will shine bright,Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

This weeks Insights and Inspiration is dedicated in loving memory of my grandfather Eliyahu ben yehoshua Bergman who’s Yahrtzeit is today. My saba was a special person who always shined bright and who’s love and smile will be with me forever. May his soul be bound in eternal life.

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RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL PLACES IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK-

PEKI’IN- RIGHT UP THE MOUNTAIN FROM KARMIEL IN THE UPPER GALILE IS A SMALL DRUZI VILLAGE CALLED PEKI’IN. THE VILLAGE THOUGH HAS MUCH GREATER HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE AS IT WAS THE CITY THAT IN THE 1930’S WAS CONSIDERED TO BE THE OLDEST JEWISH CITY THAT HAD CONSISTENT JEWISH PEOPLE LIVING THERE IN AN UNBROKEN CHAIN FROM THE TIMES OF THE TEMPLE  (JERUSALEM AND MANY OF THE LARGER CITIES WERE PROHIBITED FROM JEWISH LIVING AT DIFFERENT JUNCTURES). THIS STUDY HEADED BY THE SECOND PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL, YITZCHAK BEN TZVI, EVEN FEATURES THE CITY’S PICTURE ON A 100 SHEKEL BILL. IN PEKI’IN ONE CAN ALSO FIND THE CAVE WHER THE FAMOUS MISHNAIC SAGE RABBI SHIMON BAR YOCAHI AND HIS SON HID FOR 12 YEARS FROM THE ROMANS (COMPLETE WITH THE CAROB TREE OUTSIDE THE CAVE BY WHICH HE SUBSISTED FROM) AND AN ANCIENT SYNAGOUGE AS WELL WITH REMNANTS FROM THE 3^RD CENTURY IN IT.

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