Parashat Shelach
June 3, 2021
Ariel Simon, High School Tanakh and Jewish History Teacher
At the start of parashat Shelach, twelve Israelites are sent by Moshe to investigate the Land of Israel and return with a report describing the land and providing prognoses for gaining control of it. Upon returning from their forty-day audit, ten of the investigators recommend against trying to conquer Eretz Yisrael. They stated: “we came to the land you sent us to; it does indeed flow with milk and honey…BUT the people who inhabit the country are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large….We cannot attack that people, for they are stronger than us.” Ultimately, this negative prognosis causes a chain reaction concluding with Hashem punishing the nation by sentencing them to living out their lives wandering in the desert. The opportunity to conquer the land is given to their children.
But was this an inaccurate assessment of the Land and its inhabitants? The descriptions of the Land of Israel a few hundred years after the events of this week’s parashah, found in Judges and Samuel, support this negative prognosis. These books clearly state that even after the Israelites under Joshua, “conquer” the land, they are still fighting with the local populations for years to come. It is not until the reigns of King David and King Solomon that they establish sovereignty and security in the Land of Israel.
Yet Calev, one of the two outliers on the investigation, continues to advocate for an immediate attack. “Let us by all means go up! We will gain control of it, we will definitely conquer the land.” It is hard to imagine that after seeing all the fortifications in person, Calev was naïve to the difficult position he was advocating. So what did he understand that his fellow investigators did not? He knew that the survival of the nation was at stake. Returning to Egypt was simply not an option and no other kingdom would provide refuge. The other investigators, who advocated against the conquest, did not offer a solution to the problem. Presumably they wanted to stay in the desert, and continue living off of Hashem’s manna and Miriam’s well. But Calev understood that those were only temporary stopgap measures. Long term stability would require a period of sacrifice and struggle.
Yet Calev, one of the two outliers on the investigation, continues to advocate for an immediate attack. “Let us by all means go up! We will gain control of it, we will definitely conquer the land.” It is hard to imagine that after seeing all the fortifications in person, Calev was naïve to the difficult position he was advocating. So what did he understand that his fellow investigators did not? He knew that the survival of the nation was at stake. Returning to Egypt was simply not an option and no other kingdom would provide refuge. The other investigators, who advocated against the conquest, did not offer a solution to the problem. Presumably they wanted to stay in the desert, and continue living off of Hashem’s manna and Miriam’s well. But Calev understood that those were only temporary stopgap measures. Long term stability would require a period of sacrifice and struggle.
As you know, the past few weeks have been tumultuous in Israel. While the pressures of Corona are fading, the war in Gaza and civil unrest reminded us of the major problems lying right under the surface of Israeli society. My colleague Rav Zilbiger suggests that these altercations should be understood not as independent incidents, but as a continuation of Israel’s protracted War of Independence, which started in 1948, but has not yet concluded. Just as the Israelites did not immediately gain security in Eretz Yisrael despite Joshua’s campaigns, so to is Israel still fighting for political stability.
Yet sometimes, in the midst of this protracted war, sparks of hope emerge. Yesterday marked a historic day in Israel: eight political parties banded together to form the most politically diverse ruling coalition in the country’s history. Parties from the left, center, and right (including for the first time, an Arab party) agreed to compromise aspects of their political agendas in order to establish a government and bring a measure of political stability to the country. And earlier in the week, in another hopeful display of unity, the mostly right of center Knesset voted overwhelmingly in favor of naming Isaac Herzog, former chairmen of the left leaning Labor party, as the next President of Israel.
To quote the tefilah composed by Isaac’s grandfather the former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel “Bless the State of Israel, the first flowering of our redemption”
Shabbat Shalom!