The Parasha Shelach Lecha: Understanding The Applicable Laws

Shelach Lecha tells the story of the twelve spies Moses sent to survey the land of Canaan. Ten of the twelve spies return with a fearful report: the land is good but the people are giants and their cities impregnable. Two spies, Joshua and Caleb, argue to the contrary, but their confidence is ignored and the people, fearful and demoralised, say, “Let us appoint a leader and go back to Egypt”. God, angry, threatens to destroy the people and start again with Moses. Moses intercedes and succeeds in averting this fate, but God insists that the people will be punished by having to spend forty years in the desert. Their children, not they, will enter the land.

The parashah then outlines a series of laws about sacrifices, challah, and forgiveness for sins committed inadvertently. This legal section is interrupted by a brief narrative about a Shabbat-breaker. The parashah ends with the law about tzitzit, the fringes on the corners of garments, a text recited daily as the third paragraph of the Shema.

The story of the spies sent by Moses to survey the land

Parasha Shelach Lecha tells the story of the spies sent by Moses to survey the land of Canaan, also known as the Promised Land. Moses sends twelve spies, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, to scout out the land for forty days.

The spies were tasked with assessing the geographic features of the land, the strength and numbers of the population, the agricultural potential, the civic organization, and the forestry conditions. Moses also instructed them to remain positive and bring back samples of local produce.

After forty days, the twelve spies returned with a report. Ten of the spies, including Joshua and Caleb, gave an ambivalent and fearful account, describing the land as good but the people as giants and their cities as impregnable. They said:

> "We went to the land where you sent us. It really is a land flowing with milk and honey. Here's some of its fruit. But the people who live there are strong, and the cities have walls and are very large. We even saw the descendants of Anak there."

The other two spies, Caleb and Joshua, disagreed with this assessment and argued that the Israelites could conquer the land with the help of God. Caleb said:

> "Let's go now and take possession of the land. We should be more than able to conquer it."

However, the Israelites were frightened by the majority report and lost faith in their ability to take the land. As a result, God punished the Israelites by making them wander in the desert for forty years, until almost an entire generation had died out. Only Joshua and Caleb, who brought back a positive report, were permitted to enter the Promised Land.

The punishment for the spies' negative report

The spies' negative report was a terrible sin, and God punished the People of Israel for it. The spies' sin was worse than the sin of the Golden Calf, and so God's punishment was harsh. The spies' sin was one of the most serious sins of the Israelites during their desert journey to the Land of Israel.

The spies' negative report was also a rebellion against God and against Moses's leadership. The spies transmitted their fears and maliciously influenced the people, causing them to rebel and even attempt a coup d'état. The spies' report was a slander of the land, and it robbed the people of faith, hope, and confidence.

The punishment was that the Israelites would wander the desert for 40 years, until the entire generation died. Only the new generation would be allowed to enter the Promised Land.

The punishment was also a test of Moses. God offered to make Moses a nation greater than Israel, but Moses asked God to forgive the Israelites. God forgave the Israelites, but announced that the entire generation, except Caleb and Joshua, would die in the wilderness.

The laws of the menachot (meal, wine and oil offerings)

The menachot are offerings of flour, oil, and wine. The Torah prescribes that when the Israelites would present a bull for a burnt offering to God, the person presenting the offering was also to bring flour mixed with oil and wine. The same law applied to a resident alien.

The Israelites were also to set aside a portion, a dough offering (challah), as a gift to God when making bread.

The mitzvah to consecrate a portion of the dough (challah) to God when making bread

The Torah portion Shelach Lecha tells the story of the twelve spies Moses sent to assess the promised land. The spies returned with a cluster of grapes, a pomegranate, and a fig, to report on a lush and bountiful land. However, ten of the spies warned that the inhabitants of the land were giants and warriors "more powerful than we". Only Caleb and Joshua insisted that the land could be conquered, as God had commanded.

The laws of the menachot (meal, wine, and oil offerings) are given, as well as the mitzvah to consecrate a portion of the dough (challah) to God when making bread. The Torah portion Shelach Lecha instructs that when making bread, a portion of the dough should be consecrated to God. This is known as challah, and it is a way to show gratitude and devotion to God.

Challah is a special type of bread in Jewish culture and religion that is often braided and has a glossy crust. It is typically eaten on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. The act of separating a portion of the dough and giving it to God is a way to show gratitude and acknowledge God's provision. This practice is also known as "separating challah" or "taking challah".

The process of separating challah involves taking a small piece of dough from the larger batch and saying a blessing. The piece of dough is then burned, symbolising the elevation of the offering to God. This ritual is typically performed by Jewish women, although men can also participate.

The mitzvah of taking challah is observed by both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, with some variations in the specific rituals and blessings recited. It is a way to sanctify the dough and bring spiritual awareness into the act of bread-making.

The law of fringes (tzitzit) on the four corners of garments

The Torah does not require women and children to wear tzitzit, but the Rabbis oblige every boy who knows how to dress himself to wear tzitzit so as to teach him to fulfil commandments. Women who wish to wrap themselves in tzitzit may do so without reciting a blessing, and no one should prevent them. There is no obligation to attach tzitzit to a garment that remains folded in place, without a person wearing it. The garment does not require tzitzit. Rather, the person wearing the garment has the obligation. Even though a person is not obligated to buy a tallit and wrap themselves in it so that he must attach tzitzit to it, it is not proper for a person to release himself from the commandment. He should always try to be wrapped in a garment that requires tzitzit so as to fulfil the commandment. In particular, it is very shameful for a Torah scholar to pray without being wrapped in a tallit. And one should always be careful regarding the commandment of tzitzit, because Numbers 15:39, which says "And you shall see them and remember all the commandments of God," implies that the commandment of tzitzit is considered equal to all the commandments and all the commandments are considered dependent on it.

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