In memory of Harav Yisrael ben Harav Uriah

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1 17 June Sivan 5777 Shabbat ends London 10.27pm Jerusalem 8.29pm Volume 29 No. 38 Shelach Lecha Shabbat Mevarechim. Rosh Chodesh Tammuz is next Shabbat and Sunday Artscroll p.798 Hertz p.623 Soncino p.860 In memory of Harav Yisrael ben Harav Uriah They arrived at the Valley of Eshkol and cut from there a vine with one cluster of grapes, and bore it on a double pole, and of the pomegranates and of the figs (Bemidbar 13:23). 1

2 Sidrah Summary: Shelach Lecha 1st Aliya (Kohen) Bemidbar 13:1-20 God tells Moshe to send spies into Cana an (later the Land of Israel), one from each tribe. The names of the spies are listed. One of them is Hoshea, whose name Moshe changes to Yehoshua (Joshua). Moshe instructs the spies to enter the Land from the south, look at its nature and check the strength of its inhabitants. Point to Consider: why did Moshe change Yehoshua s name? (See Rashi to 13:17). 2nd Aliya (Levi) 13:21-14:7 The spies enter the Land. They travel to the valley of Eshkol, where they cut a grape vine which they carry on poles, as well as figs and pomegranates. After 40 days in the Land, the spies return to share their report and show the people the fruit. Their report begins positively, but then warns of the powerful nations living in the Land and the strength of their fortified cities. Calev, one of the spies, tries to reassure the people that they will nevertheless conquer the Land. The other spies, except Yehoshua, contradict him claiming that it is a land "that devours its inhabitants and that all the people are giants". The people cry out in rebellion and weep all night to return to Egypt. Moshe and Aharon despair, whilst Calev and Yehoshua, who say that the Land is actually very, very good, rend their clothes. 3rd Aliya (Shlishi) 14:8-25 Calev and Yehoshua declare that God will ensure the Israelites conquest of the Land, as long as they do not rebel against Him, but the people threaten to stone them to death. God laments the nation s lack of faith and threatens to destroy them in a plague. Moshe pleads for forgiveness, stressing that other nations may claim that it was beyond God s power to bring Israel into the Land. God relents, but with a qualification all those who angered Him will not enter the Land (see next aliya). 4th Aliya (Revi i) 14:26-15:7 God decrees that men currently over the age of 20 will die in the desert over the next 40 years. The spies die in a plague, except Yehoshua and Calev. Moshe tells the nation about the 40 year decree and they mourn. Despite Moshe s discouragement, a section of the people attempt to enter the Land but are brutally thwarted by the Amalekites and Cana anites. God tells Moshe to instruct the nation that when they bring animal offerings, these should be accompanied by a bread meal offering (mincha) and a wine libation (nesech). Question: why did the punishment last for 40 years (14:34)? Answer on bottom of page 6. 5th Aliya (Chamishi) 15:8-16 The mitzvah to bring a meal offering and a wine libation extends to all offerings and to all members of the nation. 6th Aliya (Shishi) 15:17-26 When making bread from grain grown in the Land of Israel, one has to take a tithe from the dough (challah). The Torah specifies the offerings that need to be brought if the whole nation accidentally worships idols (Rashi). 7th Aliya (Shevi i) 15:27-31 The offering brought if an individual accidentally worships idols is detailed. The punishments for intentional idolatry and blasphemy are detailed. A man is found desecrating Shabbat in the desert. God instructs Moshe to put him to death. God tells Moshe to teach the nation about the mitzvah of tzitzit (this passage is the third paragraph of the Shema see green siddur, p.70). Haftarah From the Book of Yehoshua, the haftarah relates that just before the Israelites enter the Land, Yehoshua sends two spies. They are pursued to Jericho but are hidden away by a lady called Rachav. She asks them to spare her and her family after entering the Land. They concur. The spies bring a favourable report back to Yehoshua. United Synagogue Daf Hashavua Produced by US Living & Learning together with the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue Editor: Rabbi Chaim Gross Editor-in-Chief: Rabbi Baruch Davis Editorial Team: Ilana Epstein, Michael Laitner, Sharon Radley Available also via US website United Synagogue To sponsor Daf Hashavua please contact Loraine Young on , or lyoung@theus.org.uk If you have any comments or questions regarding Daf Hashavua please rabbigross@theus.org.uk 2

3 Synthesising Two Worlds by Rabbi Zvi Cohen, Kingsbury United Synagogue The image of the spies returning from their reconnaissance of the Land of Israel, bearing fruit to back up their bad report is well known. It is the motif of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and also appears on bottles of Palwin wine. It is clear from the verses that the spies came back with a negative report, with devastating results. However, their motive needs some explanation. How could such great individuals, who had seen unbelievable miracles with their own eyes when leaving Egypt and at Mount Sinai, get it so wrong? Two of the spies stood up to the test and returned with a positive report. Both were aided in different ways. Yehoshua (Joshua) had his name changed by Moshe from Hoshea to Yehoshua, meaning God should save you from the spies plans (Bemidbar 13:16 with Rashi). Calev, on the other hand, went by himself to Hebron, to the burial place of the Patriarchs, to pray that he should not be ensnared by the spies plan (13:22 with Rashi). Perhaps these facts can shed some light on the nature of the spies mistake. Additionally, the Midrash describes the nation s experience in the desert with the following parable: While a hen has chicks, she shelters them under her wings and digs in the ground to provide them with food. As they grow, if they come too close to her, she pecks them on the head as if to say, go fend for yourselves. So too in the desert, every need was provided for. There was water from a rock, manna that fell daily from heaven and clouds of glory which protected and led the nation. However, when they entered the Land, it would be time to fend for themselves as these miracles would cease. The Zohar (the central work of Jewish Mysticism, written, according to one historical view, in the 2nd century CE) states that the spies were concerned that they would lose their leadership positions when they entered the Land. Different situations require different leaders. The spies had been leaders in a totally spiritual existence, where every corporeal need was provided for; they only needed to focus on the Divine. Living in the Land would necessitate planting, reaping and gathering. How would they retain their emphasis on serving God if they were so involved in the physical? Therefore they came up with a plan to maintain their positions and thereby cling on to their connection with God. However, a Jew is meant to live in this physical world while remaining spiritually attached to God. This explains Moshe s prayer for Yehoshua. The world to come was created with the letter yud and this world with the letter hey (Talmud Menachot 29b). The correct path is to synthesise these two worlds; to engage with this world in order to serve God. Moshe added the letter yud Yehoshua s realisation that one can straddle both worlds could save him from the spies plan. This also explains why Calev went to Hebron. It is a place of connection between this world and the next, the burial place of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. These couples excelled in fusing the two worlds. They were prime examples of how we should have our feet firmly on the ground, with our heads directed heavenward. In memory of Harav Binyamin ben Harav Shalom 3

4 Bein Adam Lechaveiro Part 1: Defining our Terms by Rabbi Daniel Fine, Community Rabbi, Stanmore & Canons Park United Synagogue The story is told of a young lady named Sarah who had recently discovered religion ; after a philosophical journey, she was inspired and committed to her newfound Jewish observance. However, whilst Sarah had moved in one direction, her brother Brian had moved in a different direction. Living in India, Brian had become attached to a meditative group and was heavily involved in an intense silent meditation project. Despite their differences, Sarah and Brian remained on cordial terms; Brian promised that one day he would visit Sarah in Jerusalem, although both of them suspected that such a day would not come too quickly. Yet one day Sarah was surprised; Brian informed her that he was coming to visit her in Jerusalem for a few days. Immediately Sarah got to work planning; first they would go to an educational seminar proving Judaism, then they would visit some holy sites Brian would surely become an observant Jew within a few days! In reality, all did not go to (her) plan; Brian was not moved by the seminar, and by day two he told Sarah that he just wanted to spend time with Sarah, not attend classes! Not giving up so easily, Sarah convinced Brian to attend one more class, given by a most charismatic teacher. If anyone could win Brian over, this teacher could, she thought. Yet to her shock and horror, at the last minute Sarah was informed that the teacher had been called away to an urgent meeting and that a different teacher was to substitute. The new topic? The laws of returning lost articles. with his guru in India, Brian had noticed a wallet on the floor. The guru immediately rushed to pick it up and claim it as his own. I found it, it's clearly meant to be mine, the guru declared. This incident had actually prompted Brian to consider visiting Jerusalem; the class began his slow journey back to his roots. Unlike some other systems, the Torah obligates us both in mitzvot which regulate our relationship with God (bein adam lemakom) and mitzvot which address our interpersonal relationships (bein adam lechaveiro). The distinction between the two categories is not that the former is performed privately and the latter involves others; eating non-kosher food in a public place remains a bein adam lemakom issue. Rather, the classification is towards whom is the mitzvah pointing? Mitzvot such as giving charity, judging others favourably, performing acts of kindness and returning lost objects are towards other people, whilst eating kosher food and prayer are towards God even if they are done publicly and with others. The area of bein adam lechaveiro is no less important for Brian it was life-changing. Next week we shall deepen our understanding of this classification by asking why the Torah involves itself with interpersonal relationships and how this is more than just conventional etiquette? Despite Sarah s immediate admission of defeat, they nevertheless attended the class. To Sarah's surprise, Brian came out beaming with joy. That was amazing, he said, what a profound system! It transpired that on one of his walks In memory of Harav Avraham Yitzchak Yaakov ben Harav Nata Gershon 4

5 Parallel Thinking Part 25: The Formation of Man by Rabbi Dr Moshe Freedman, New West End United Synagogue One of the most difficult conflicts to solve between Jewish wisdom and modern scientific thought relates to development of mankind. The Torah describes Adam as having been created on the sixth day of Creation. This was God s final act of creation before Shabbat. On the seventh day God stopped creating and rested (Bereishit 2:2). Yet the creation of man remains somewhat of a mystery. Written in the 2nd century CE, the Midrash Seder Olam Rabbah calculates the dates of Biblical events from the creation of Adam through to the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great. This is the source from which we derive that the current Hebrew calendar year is This means that 5,777 years have elapsed since the creation of Adam. This presents a problem. According to modern anthropology, humans are from the species of Homo sapiens. The earliest remains of Homo sapiens are the Omo remains found in East Africa and date back to around 195,000 years ago. By the time the Midrash states that the creation of Adam took place, Homo sapiens had long become the only established branch of humans alive. Anthropologists describe this period as the middle of the Neolithic period, before metal tools were invented, but long after humans had settled into farming communities with domesticated animals. Human tools, cave art and musical instruments have been discovered dating back tens of thousands of years. It would take a farfetched reinterpretation of the Midrash to match the dates of Biblical events and the ages of Biblical characters to the scientific origin of mankind. If so, who was Adam? What does the Torah mean when it describes his creation? In the creation of Adam, God said: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness (Bereishit 1:26). The use of the plural us is confusing. Surely God is the only Creator? The Ramban (Nachmanides, d. 1270) explains that man was created by God together with the earth, meaning the physical world. Man is partly physical body, just like the animals, but is also partly Divine soul. Rabbi Ovadiah Seforno (d. 1550) adds that Adam describes a type of animal which had already been established and was now being endowed with an extra spiritual element. This is a remarkable statement. 300 years before Charles Darwin, one of our commentators noted that Adam was not a new physical creation but the spiritual elevation of an animal-like being. In The Emergence of Ethical Man, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (d. 1993) explained that Adam s creation represented the development of all of mankind s ability to make moral decisions. This did not happen in one moment, but developed with time. In light of this, the answer to our original question is that Bereishit is a theological text, not a historical or anthropological account of man s beginnings. As the former Chief Rabbi Dr. Joseph Hertz (d. 1946) wrote: It is not so much the descent, but the ascent of man, which is decisive. Famous prehistoric rock paintings of Tassili N Ajjer, Algeria In memory of Harav Yisrael ben Eliyahu 5

6 Insights into Jewish History Part 73: Confronting the Greeks by Rebbetzen Ilana Epstein, Cockfosters & N Southgate United Synagogue; Head of Project Development, US Living & Learning Chanukah is in some ways an elusive holiday. Long after overt miracles had ceased to be a day-to-day occurrence, along came not one but two miracles of such proportions that today, over two thousand years later, eight days of Chanukah are celebrated by Jews the world over; it has become a much-loved holiday. The best-known miracles were the military victory over the Greeks and the small container of pure oil burning in the Menorah for eight days. Why elusive? The sources for the Chanukah story are actually minimal. The Book of Maccabees and later Josephus (the Roman Jewish first-century historian) relate the history of Judea, of a foreign government s repression of religious freedom within its borders and the subsequent military victory. The miracle of the lights is stated in the Talmud (Shabbat 21b). Do these two seemingly disparate miracles have a common theme? Let us start this week with some background to the military victory. Only a year after a Kohen named Matityahu started a rebel movement to fight against the Syrian Greek conquerors and regain national religious freedom for the Jews, he was at death s door. He handed over the baton of leadership to his five sons, instilling in them the passion to fight for their people to liberate the Land. Matityahu conferred military leadership to his son Yehuda, who was known as Maccabee (meaning hammer ). Greeks. One of the brothers was called Elazar, whose heroics constitute somewhat of a legend that is often heard of but is rarely placed correctly in the chronology of Jewish history. In the year 164 BCE, the Jews though inexperienced in this particular tactic chose frontal attack as a way to outsmart the Syrian Greek army, who were prepared for the usual guerrilla warfare of the previous three years. Reports say that Yehuda s army was unnerved by the 30 war elephants who were brought into battle. Elazar, in an attempt to show the troops that the elephants were vulnerable, charged into the heat of the battle, identifying the most heavily armoured elephant that carried the royal seal on its flanks. Elazar ran under the beast and stabbed upwards into its soft belly, thus killing the animal, but the elephant came down on him, crushing him to death. Though ultimately this battle was not won, the ensuing battle to regain Jerusalem was spurred on in part by Elazar s bravery. Next time, we will read of the battle for Jerusalem, both physical and spiritual. It is interesting to note that the Book of Maccabees is not part of the Tanach (Hebrew Bible). Although it is of great historical value, it holds less religious significance then the mentions of Chanukah in the Talmud. With the death of Matityahu, Yehuda and his brothers ramped up their offensive against the Answer: Each year corresponded to one day of the spies' 40 day mission. In memory of Harav Yitzchak Yoel ben Shlomo Halevi 6

7 US Com mmunity Car re es Confe erence Sa ve the Dat te Care for US brings together US Chesed and top social care organisations in an exciting programme for new and existing volunteers Sunday, 2nd July :30 am - 1 pm, followe ed by lunch Ya avneh College, Herts, WD6 1HL To view the programme and to book your place visit or call For more information, please contact the US Chesed department at obarnett@theus.org.uk or at R egistered Charity No

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