n° 783
Shabbat Shalom Ne wsletter Shabbat Shelach-Lecha
June 9, 2018 26 Sivan, 5778
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Numbers 13:1-15:41
News
Shavuot in Ukraine
Let’s Pray together We pray every week for the Jewish Friendship Ministry. I suggest
We are always glad to receive news from Alexandra (Sasha) Obrevko, who is our newsletter's translator in Russian, and the editor of the Russian web-magazine "Kol Shofar" (The voice of the Shofar). With Vitaly, her husband and pastor Victor Viatokha, they are leading the Jewish Adventist congregation in Kiev, Ukraine. ON the month of May, the Jewish people has celebrated the feast of the Weeks, Shavuot. The Jewish Adventist congregation in Kiev is always using the feasts to invite Jews and to rejoice with them before the Lord.
our partners to continue to pray from June 10 - 16 for Elena Kopylova, and Sergey Komarnitsky who are leading the Jewish
This year was not an exception, Sasha sent us news about their celebration, and said: "Here are some pictures from our Shavuot. It was a great feast: reading the 10 Commandments in Hebrew, sermons and meal.
Adventist friendship Ministries in Russia. Let’s pray for their We were happy to welcome friends from different congregations and cities in Ukraine.
ministries.
New Ministry in La Sierra
Dr. Roger Lang who is living in South California, close to La Sierra University, is always motivated for Jewish ministries, and people who are living around his family are aware about this burden in his heart. Recently he met some people from the University and had an interesting exeperience with them, here is what he wrote to us last week: "Two theology students attending La Sierra University, Ainsley Mathew and Daniella Matthew, are being mentored by Pastor Roger Lang for Jewish Ministry. Ainsley and Daniella have met with Chaplains and Pastors at La Sierra University to form an official Jewish Adventist group that worships weekly before the main university chapel service as a Kabbalat Shabbat service. Though the group is very new, it has been received with great joy and success amongst students. Ainsley reports that Jewish students who are non-Adventist are attending the group and finding comfort in the Jewish traditions amongst the Adventist school. Pastor Roger looks forward to seeing Daniella and Ainsley grow this Jewish Adventist group and continue Jewish ministry after they graduate from the Divinity School at La Sierra." Let's pray for this new ministry, the Lord knows where are His children, many of them are living in South California.
English Edition: Richard-Amram Elofer
A weekly Journal of information and training published by the
Russian Edition: Alexandra Obrevko
World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center
French Edition: Sabine Baris Portuguese Edition: Carlos Muniz Dutch Edition: Hubert Paulleta
Richard-Amram Elofer Editor
General Conference —Office of Adventist Mission https://wjafc.globalmissioncenters.org/
Sabine Baris French Translation
English: richard@elofer.com Russian: sashok_l@mail.ru
Under the umbrella of the
Hubert Paulleta Deutch Translation
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Carlos Muniz Portuguese Translation
Joseph and the Spies’ Slander
Par asha for this Week Shelach-Lecha
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Parasha Overview: Numbers 13:1-15:41
At the insistence of Bnei Yisrael, and with G-d’s permission, Moshe sends 12 scouts, one from each tribe, to investigate Canaan. Anticipating trouble, Moshe changes Hoshea’s name to Yehoshua, expressing a prayer that G-d not let him fail in his mission. They return 40 days later, carrying unusually large fruit. When 10 of the 12 state that the people in Canaan are as formidable as the fruit, the men are discouraged. Calev and Yehoshua, the only two scouts still in favor of the invasion, try to bolster the people’s spirit. The nation, however, decides that the Land is not worth the potentially fatal risks, and instead demands a return to Egypt. Moshe’s fervent prayers save the nation from Heavenly annihilation. However, G-d declares that they must remain in the desert for 40 years until the men who wept at the scouts’ false report pass away.
A remorseful group rashly begins an invasion of the Land based on G-d’s original command. Moshe warns them not to proceed, but they ignore this and are massacred by the Amalekites and Canaanites. G-d instructs Moshe concerning the offerings to be made when Bnei Yisrael will finally enter the Land. The people are commanded to remove the challa, a gift for the kohanim, from their dough. The laws for an offering after an inadvertent sin, for an individual or a group, are explained. However, should someone blaspheme against G-d and be unrepentant, he will be cut off spiritually from his people. One man is found gathering wood on public property in violation of the laws of Shabbat and he is executed. The laws of tzitzit are taught. We recite the section about the tzitzit twice a day to remind ourselves of the Exodus.
W
hen the Torah lists the spies, it says: “from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun … from the tribe of Joseph (that is, from the tribe of Manasseh), Gaddi the son of Susi;” (Numbers 13:8–11), Why saying that Hoshea is from Ephraim and Gaddi from the tribe of Joseph, when both of them, Ephraim and Manasse are from the tribe of Joseph. There is an interesting comment made by Rabbi Ari Kahn who established a connection between the men who explored the country of Canaan and the brother of Joseph in Egypt. When Joseph recognized them in Egypt, he said, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land.” (Genesis 42:9). At first glance there is absolutely no connection between these two biblical texts, in fact, they seem to be opposites. The “sin of the spies” deals with spies who are called men, and Yosef’s accusation of the brothers deals with men who are called spies! And in both stories we have 10 and 2 men. In the story of Joseph, the brother who came to get food were the 10 brothers (not Benjamin and Joseph) in the story of the spies, there were 10 men who spied and were against the conquest and 2 men (Calev and Joshua) who were faithful. Rabbi Ari Kahn affirms that the word used in the text to describe the sin of the spies is “dibbah, which implies slander” most of the time translated as “evil report” it is the exact same word used to describe the report Joseph gave to his father about his brothers when he was young “Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father.” (Genesis 37:2) Rabbi kahn adds, “if we compare the consequences of Yosef’s mission with that of the spies—each having caused years of wandering and exile—these two seemingly disparate episodes come into closer focus.” a connection that is alluded to by an anomaly in the verses describing the spies. When the names of the men sent by Moshe are enumerated, only one of the representatives of the tribes of Joseph is attributed in the normal way. When the leader from Ephraim is named, no identification with Joseph is offered; when the representative of Menashe is named he is described as being
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T
he title of our parasha is very similar to the title of the parasha Lekh-Lekha, (Gen 12: 1 17:27) in which G-d sent Abraham from his homeland to Canaan. The parasha starts saying: “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Send [for yourself] men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel.” (Numbers 13:1–2). The sages of Israel understand the words Shelakh-Lekha “send for yourself” to mean that the Almighty had originally disapproved the plan to send spies. They were not sent for the sake of Israel.
from the tribe of Joseph. Rashi explains that only the descendant of Joseph who spoke slander—like Joseph himself— is introduced as descendant of Joseph, but of course not Joshua who is presented as the son of Ephraim Numbers 13:8 and who was faithful to G-d.
Spies’ Report and The Zohar
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he Zohar says that the problem of the Meraglim [spies] was that they fell victim to the disease of “negius” [conflict of interest]. They were afraid that when they entered the Land of Israel, they would lose their respective positions of prominence. When people have a personal agenda, they fall prey to the phenomenon “Bribes will blind those who have sight and pervert the words of the righteous”. [Ex 23:8] Rav Frand says that the greatest and wisest amongst the judiciary can become influenced by personal attachment to the outcome of their own judgment. Thus the Meraglim were afraid of the “new world order” that awaited them once they entered Israel, which would strip them of their leadership roles. Hence, their vision was skewed to the extent that what could have been interpreted in a completely positive fashion was given a negative and ominous “spin.”
Yehoshua and Calev
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n the beginning of Parashat Shelach Lecha, Moshe changed the name of Hoshea Bin Nun to Yehoshua (Num 13:16), saying —according to the Midrash— “May G-d save you from the counsel of the other spies” (Sotah 34b). “YehoShua” — which means “G-d should help you”. Apparently, Moshe had a premonition that Yehoshua would need to stand up to the other Meraglim [spies] and therefore granted him this blessing. Rav Issochar Frand says that many ask why Moshe was only worried about Yehoshua. Why did Moshe not also feel it necessary to bless Kalev with extra fortitude to stand up to the bad counsel of the majority report of the other Meraglim? Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky gives the following very interesting answer: Kalev was married to Miriam, who was a righteous woman. Knowing that he had a righteous wife, Moshe was confident that Kalev would be safe from bad influences. Yehoshua, as far as we know, was not married at that time. He subsequently married Rachav haZonah (the prostitute). At this time, to the best of our knowledge, Yehoshua was still single. Since Yehoshua did not have a wife to back him up, it was he, rather than Ka-
Follow the Light
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lev, who needed the blessing “May G-d save you from the counsel of the spies.”
A land which eat…
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hen the spies came back to the camp of the Israelites, they pronounced a very strange sentence. They described the land saying “It is a land which eats up its inhabitants” (Numbers 13:32). Why did they describe the land in this way? According to the Jewish tradition, God brought a plague wherever the spies went in order that no harm comes to the spies, thus, the people of the land were busy burying their dead and did not pay attention to the spies. If the spies had a real faith in G-d they would have realized that this was to their benefit. However, because they lacked faith in G-d’s words (that the land was good), they attributed the deaths to “a land which eats up its inhabitants!” This resulted in their discouraging the Jewish people from going up to Israel.
Feel proud and positive
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he spies said also, “And we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers and so we were in their eyes.” What a strange statement about themselves. Our rabbis explain that how a person is in their own eyes so are they perceived by others. Had the spies been positive and confident in their mission, remembering that they were sent by Moshe, they would have been proud of their mission. But with their negative attitude (“we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers”) they projected the same image about themselves to the inhabitants of the land and, they too, viewed them an grasshoppers - small and meaningless creatures. The rabbis derive an important lesson from this: When we do a mitzvah, performing our G-dly mission in this world, it is important to feel proud and positive about it. This feeling will then be projected and transmitted to others. They will look at us in a positive way and they too will be affected and influenced to do the same.
“Up ahead of you are the Amalekites and Canaanites, and you will fall by the sword. You have gone away from G-d, and [now] G-d will not be with you.” (Numbers 14:43)
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Shelakh-Lekha
“They began to speak badly about the land that they had explored. They told the Israelites: 'The land that we crossed to explore is a land that consumes its inhabitants. All the men we saw there were huge!'” (Numbers 13:32)
abbi Yisrael Yaakov Kanievsky said, “Man is led in the path that he chooses to travel!” Imagine. The spies see these giants wailing and weeping at massive funerals day after day. They should have figured that this plague was an anomaly, for if this was the norm, then the funerals would have become part of their everyday existence, and hardly an event worthy of disrupting their normally tight security. In fact, comments the Steipler, that in the times of Yehoshua, the two spies who entered Canaan were immediately detected on the very day they arrived, and they were hunted with a vengeance! Yet these twelve spies remained unnoticed. But the spies did not look at the events with that view. When people have sour opinions and want to see only doom and gloom, then even a ray of light will blind them. When one is constantly weighed down with worry, he will only drag his feet down the path of discontent. However, if we take life’s bumpy road, as a chance to exercise our endurance, and turn the lemons handed to us into lemonade, then unlike the meraglim we will glean light from even the seemingly darkest abyss. And one day we will follow the path of that light to the Promised Land.
“Send for Yourself”
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rom time to time we have to make some difficult decision for ourselves and our family. It could happen that we receive a good promotion in our work, but we have to move to a new place where there is no believers or congregations where to meet, but we are not very sure, we hesitate, we don’t know what to do. A wrong decision can lead to a catastrophe for ourselves and for our family. This parasha give us a good advice, “Send for YOURSELF, men, and let them spy out the Land of Canaan that I am giving to the Children of Israel.” (Bamidbar 13:2).” Go There and check if this new place is really good for you and your family then pray and ask God if it his plan that you have to live in a place where there is no possibility to grow spiritually. But going over there to “spy” is also maybe to check the possibility of planting a new congregation of believers. The Lo-d is good and if we are ready to do his will he will bless us.
Apostolic Writings
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Acts 5:1-6
n our parasha if someone blasphemes against G-d and remains unrepentant, he will be cut off from his people. (Numbers 15:30-31) In the Apostolic Writings we have the story of a couple who sinned defiantly and blasphemed in lying to the Ruach Hakodesh, the name of the husband was Ananias and his wife, Saphira, they were among the first believers in Yeshua. Here is what we read in Acts 5 “But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him” (1–6). At that time in Jerusalem the community was a very loving community, living in the fear of the Lord. It is written “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship . . . All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” (Acts 2:42-45) Some of the members were wealthy and had possessions in Jerusalem and suburbs. The first community was so enthusiastic, that the wealthy people agreed to share their possession with the community, since the return of the L-rd was believed so closed, it was not time to possess anything, and in addition they remembered the dialog with the wealthy young man who came to ask Yeshua: how to get eternal life, Yeshua answering to him with love: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:21), thus, they remember that wealth were not bad by themselves, but if they don’t serve to the cause of G-d, they are a trap in the hands of the wealthy men and women. Of course, it was not mandatory to give them for the cause of G-d, but most of the wealthy people did it because they were sure that the
end of time had arrived and the Messiah would be coming back very soon to introduce each one of them in the kingdom of God. With the perspective of the very soon coming of the Mashiach in mind, they understood that their properties were worthless. Some of them, maybe remembered the words of Yeshua announcing the destruction of the city: “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:2). They knew that the city will be desyroyed, thus, it was better to put their “treasure in heaven” where “neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:20). Ananias and Saphira were among those who had a property in Jerusalem. They came to the disciples and said to them that they were ready to sell their property and to give the full result of the selling for the poor of the community. It is clear that nobody obliged them. That is why, when Shim’on-Peter, who received a special revelation from the Ruach Elohim that they were cheating the new community of Yeshua, said to them “Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?” (Acts 5:4). The property belonged to them, nobody forced them, and even when they sold it, they still had their money and they had just to say the truth, “look Peter, we have sold our property, but we have a family here or there, and it is better for us to keep half of the selling to feed our family” that would have been al-right, but instead they decided to lie, they said to the community and to G-d that they were going to give the entire amount of the selling. For the disciples it was lying to the Lord, not to men. It was a case of “sinning with defiance” and “blasphemy”. In the fledgling community, it was important not to allow sins openly. “When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died.” (5:5). Later, his wife arrived. Shim’on asked her some questions and, when he discovered that she was in on the plot, he said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” At that moment she fell down at his feet and died” (5:9-10). The Movement of Yeshua is holy, that is why we deal straightforwardly with believers, the community and the Lord.
Haftara
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Joshua 2
n the text of the parasha the L-rd commanded Moses to send spies to the Land of Canaan: “And the L-rd spoke to Moshe, saying, ‘Send to you men that they may spy the land of Canaan which I give to the children of Israel...” Moshe chose twelve men — one from each tribe (Num. 13:2-3). Haftara: In our haftara it is Joshua who send spies to the Land of Canaan. “Then Joshua bin Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” (Joshua 2:1).
Thirty eight years before the people of Israel were not ready to trust the L-rd, but now they are. They want to leave the wilderness and to taste this land of honey and milk. The Canaanites heard what the L-rd has done for Israel since they left the land of Egypt. They are afraid of them. Some of the Canaanites have gotten faith in the G-d of Israel and are ready to help them. It is the case of Rahab the prostitute of Jericho. “So they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there.” (Joshua 2:1). Rahab said to the spies that she knows what the L-rd has done for them, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. (Joshua. 2:9-10). She asks them to remember her and her family when they will come back. “Now then, since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the L-RD that you in turn will deal kindly with my family. Give me a sign of good faith that you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” (Josh. 2:12-13) Rahab become an example of faith “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.” (Heb. 11:31). She deserved to become one of the ancestors of King David and the Mashiach, Son of David. (Matt. 1:5).
Stories and Traditions Ahavat Israel
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he word “Areivim”, meaning “responsible”, can also be translated as, “blended” and “sweet”. Our rabbis explain the connection of the three translations: when Jews “blend” with each other (Ahavat Israel) and feel “responsible” for each other, the result is that they feel good and “sweet” about each other! The Baal Shem Tov explains that this is the reason why the people of Israel are at times likened to the earth. For the earth contains wonderful treasures, including gold and precious stones. Yet, they are covered with layers of sand and dirt. In order to find these treasures, one must make the effort of digging through the layers of dirt until the treasures are found and exposed. This may require great patience, depending how deep they are buried. “Every Beleiver,” says the Baal Shem Tov, “can find enough treasures and hidden good in every other believer. It is only a matter of how much effort, patience and dedication we will assign to this task”.
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Tsedaka
rabbi came to a wealthy businessman and asked him to contribute a large sum for a Yeshiva. The rich man replied, “I need to think about this. Come back tomorrow.” When the rabbi came the next day the check was already prepared. “I have decided to contribute the amount you asked. However, I want you to explain the words of the Talmud, ‘Great-
er is the one who influences others to give than the one who gives.’ How is it possible that here I’m contributing such a large sum, yet, according to the Talmud, your deed can be greater than mine?” The rabbi replied: “There is no question that your mitzvah and its reward is great. However, the courage and, at times, the embarrassment one experiences when collecting for charity can make it more difficult than giving.”
G-d’s people Blessed
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fter each chapter of Pirkei Avot, Jews recite, “Rabbi Chananya son of Akashya said: The Holy One blessed be He, wished to bless the people of Israel; therefore He gave them Torah and Mitzvot in abundance...” Thus, the many mitzvot (commandments) which G-d gave in the Torah are an expression of His love. A Chassid once complained to his Rebbe that, due to his widespread business activities, he had very little time to perform mitzvot. The Rebbe replied, “The Mishna says that G-d wanted to bless the Jewish people so He gave them mitzvot in abundance. When one builds a house, there are mitzvot associated with it. When a person works in the fields or in business, there are many mitzvot to perform there too. G-d spread out His mitzvot in every area so we can connect with Him each day of our lives no matter what our occupation is.”
Inspirational Corner All but two of
the spies enlarged upon the dangers and uttered the
sentiments of their
unbelieving hearts, which were filled
with discouragement prompted by Satan.
Their unbelief cast a
gloomy shadow over
the congregation. The
mighty power of God,
so often manifested in behalf of the chosen
nation, was forgotten. The people did not call to mind how
wonderfully God
had delivered them
from their oppressors,
cutting a path through the sea and destroying the pursuing hosts of Pharaoh. They
left God out of the
question, as though they must depend
solely on the power of arms. (EP 270.4)