(link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Shelach For the tribe of asher, sethur, son of michael                 (Bemidbar 13:13)   And these are their names: For the tribe of Reuven, Shammua the son of Zaccur – Said R. Yitzchak: This is something we have on tradition from our fathers, the spies were named in accordance with their actions, but we have detected only one, "Sethur the son of Michael. Sethur because he undermined the works of the Holy One, blessed be He; and Michael [was...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Shelach But mighty is the people that dwells in the land, And the towns are fortified and very big, And also the offspring of the giant we saw there. (Bemidbar 13:28)   "But" – the word 'effes' indicates a deficiency or cancellation of something preceding so here the intent of the scouts was to say of what benefit is the fact that the land flows with milk and honey, all this is nothing and...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Shelach "Amalek dwells in the Negev land And the Hittite and Jebusite and the Amorite dwell in the high country, And the Canaanite dwells by the sea and by the Jordan." And Caleb silenced the people around Moses and said, "We will surely go up and take hold of it, for we will surely prevail over it."   We will surely go up and take hold of it. When Moshe sent off the twelve tribal leaders to...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Shelach How much longer will this evil congregation who incite complaints against Me ? The complaints of the children of Israel which they incited them to make against Me, I have heard. (Bamidbar 14:27)   This evil congregation: This refers to the spies; from here that a congregation numbers ten. (Rashi Bamidbar 14:27, Judaica Press translation)   And you shall no longer be called by the name Jacob, but rather Israel will...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Shelach You shall see what land it is, and the people who dwell upon it; are they strong or weak? Are there few or many? (Bamidbar 13:18)   And the people who inhabit it – He told them to inspect the state's laws and customs, as that sage said, that when you enter a state you should check its laws, since troubles come upon a state only because of its laws… and when a state's...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Shelach YOU SHALL SEE WHAT LAND IT IS, AND THE PEOPLE WHO INHABIT IT; ARE THEY STRONG OR WEAK? ARE THERE FEW OR MANY? AND WHAT OF THE LAND THEY INHABIT? IS IT GOOD OR BAD? AND WHAT OF THE CITIES IN WHICH THEY RESIDE ARE THEY IN CAMPS OR IN FORTRESSES? WHAT IS THE SOIL LIKE IS IT FAT OR LEAN? ARE THERE ANY TREES IN IT OR NOT? YOU SHALL BE COURAGEOUS AND...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Shelach THEY SPREAD AN REPORT ABOUT THE LAND WHICH THEY HAD SCOUTED, TELLING THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, "THE LAND WE PASSED THROUGH TO EXPLORE IS A LAND THAT CONSUMES ITS INHABITANTS, AND ALL THE PEOPLE WE SAW IN IT ARE MEN OF STATURE. THERE WE SAW THE GIANTS, THE SONS OF ANAK, DESCENDED FROM THE GIANTS. IN OUR EYES, WE SEEMED LIKE GRASSHOPPERS, AND SO WE WERE IN THEIR EYES." (Bamidbar 13:32-33)   There...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Shelach THEY WENT UP AND SCOUTED THE LAND, FROM THE WILDERNESS OF ZIN TO REHOV, AT LEVO-HAMAT… AT THE END OF FORTY DAYS THEY RETURNED FROM SCOUTING THE LAND. (Bamidbar 13: 21, 25)   They went up and scouted the land – How did they do this? When they entered a town, its dignitaries would be struck down by plague, and the townspeople would be busy with their burial, so they could enter...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Shelach THE LAND THAT WE TRAVERSED AND SCOUTED IS AN EXCEEDINGLY GOOD LAND. (Bamidbar 14:7)     Onkelos, however, translates, "Is it rich or is it poor" – for there are countries whose inhabitants are wealthy because their produce is inexpensive, and they are successful in their dealings and in commerce with their neighbors; and there are countries which are dependent upon their neighbors, and their own inhabitants are incompetent – even though the land...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parashat Shelach THE WHOLE COMMUNITY BROKE OUT INTO LOUD CRIES, AND THE PEOPLE WEPT THAT NIGHT. ALL THE ISRAELITES RAILED AGAINST MOSES AND AARON. "IF ONLY WE HAD DIED IN THE LAND OF EGYPT,"THE WHOLE COMMUNITY SHOUTED AT THEM, "OR IF ONLY WE MIGHT DIE IN THS WILDERNESS! WHY IS THE LORD TAKING US TO THAT LAND TO FALL BY THE SWORD? OUR WIVES AND CHILDREN WILL BE CARRIED OFF! IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR US...