Zelig Golden | 11 Sivan 5769 | June 3, 2009

In the parsha for this week, we confront the core obstacle of becoming who we are: fear. After a long journey, Moses and the recently liberated people of Israel stand just outside of the Promised Land. Hashem tells Moses, “Shelach Lekha” — ‘Send for Yourself’ by sending scouts to investigate the land, its resources and the people who reside there. One member from each of our twelve tribes goes forth to explore.

Upon their return, one by one the scouts recount the magic of the land — the land indeed flows with milk and honey and the fruit hangs heavy on the vine. Yet ten of the scouts declare that entering the land is impossible – describing the people of the land as giants that make us look and feel like grasshoppers — “the land eats up its inhabitants,” they told. Based on these reports, the Israelites break out into shrieks of grief and despair, calling for a return back to the narrows of Egypt.

Only two scouts, Joshua and Caleb, pleaded with the Israelites: “The land we traversed and scouted is an exceedingly good land. If Hashem is pleased with us, Hashem will bring us into that land … have no fear …” But the Israelites respond with threats of stoning Joshua and Caleb. In the end, only Joshua and Caleb will enter the Promised Land. The scouts who spread fear die of plague, and the rest of the Israelites must wander the desert another forty years until they are prepared to enter the land.

This story tells of an invariable spiritual truth — it is profoundly difficult to escape the slavery of our conditioning and fear. Even when we glimpse the Promised Land, the place of freedom and land of milk and honey, we must return to the wilderness of our lives to continue the journey of self-discovery, healing, and knowing the One. As Rabbi Shefa Gold teaches, “over a lifetime we are given glimpses, flashes, and hints that open our awareness to the Reality of paradise and unity that underlies this world.” Our journey is long, yet like the seed of a tree, each glimpse of freedom is the fuel for our journey through the wilderness of our growth.

Yet we also learn from Caleb and Joshua that with faith we can muster the courage to enter the Promised Land whenever we choose. To move us closer to this faith, this parsha ends with a blessing. We are instructed to remember the path of Hashem – by following the mitzvot and connecting with the divine, we can transcend our fears. We are also given a physical tool for remembering – we are told to put tzitzit (fringes) on the corners of our garments with a thread of ocean blue. When we look upon this blue, we recall the ocean, which reflects the sky, and reminds us of the Throne of Glory that we glimpse in each moment of clear awareness. (Talmud Menachot 43b).