Shabbat Shalom
This week’s Torah portion, Parshat Shelach, tells the dramatic story of the twelve spies sent to scout the Land of Israel—a mission that would forever change the course of Jewish history.
Why did ten of the spies return with fear and doubt, while only Joshua and Caleb saw the land through eyes of faith? What was the true sin of the spies, and how does their failure still echo in our lives today?
More than a tale of fear versus courage, this portion challenges us to see the Land of Israel not just as territory, but as a divine promise—holy, chosen, and fundamentally different from any other place on earth.
Join us as we uncover the spiritual message behind the spies’ mistake, the holiness of the land, and what it means to trust in God’s vision, not just our own.
Watch now and discover the enduring lessons of Parshat Shelach!
Interesting ‘take’ on this one. The way I see this is that in contrast to the spies refusing to ‘honour’ the land through their apparent ignorance of its importance in the eyes of G-d, it would seem now that Jews still want to come back to the land in spite of war, and all the dangers and privations of war, simply because this land is special. Put simply, this is a ‘religious’ war between two religions: Judaism and Christian, and Islam. Most Christians in the west are worse than the spies indicated here: they simply do not ‘get’ it. Those of us who do ‘get’ it feel like Joshua and Caleb, who were close to being stoned at one point!
I am just one man who tries to understand…
Every now and then I am blessed by something more to think about.
How am I walking/ talking/thinking.
My humble thanks.
Shalom.
Eli