Parasha Shelach (שלח) — Bamidbar 13:1 – 15:41. Read on Shabbat, July 3, 2027.
Summary of Parasha Shelach
At G-d’s command, Moshe sends twelve men, a leader from each tribe, to scout the land of Canaan; among them are Kalev son of Yefuneh and Hoshea son of Nun, whom Moshe names Yehoshua. They travel through the land for forty days and bring back a cluster of grapes so heavy that it takes two men to carry it, along with pomegranates and figs. They confirm that the land flows with milk and honey, but add that its inhabitants are powerful and its cities fortified. Kalev declares that the people can go up and conquer the land; the other scouts spread a disheartening report. The people weep all night and speak of returning to Egypt. Yehoshua and Kalev tear their garments and try to reassure them. G-d wishes to strike the people; Moshe intercedes, and G-d forgives, but decrees that this generation will wander forty years in the desert, one year for each day of scouting, and will not enter the land, with the exception of Kalev and Yehoshua. The scouts who slandered the land die. Some nevertheless attempt to go up and are defeated. The parasha then sets out the laws of the offerings and libations, of challah, and of unintentional sins. A man gathers wood on Shabbat and is punished. The parasha concludes with the commandment of tzitzit, as a reminder of the commandments.
The Themes
- The report of the scouts
- The courage of Kalev and Yehoshua
- Tzitzit, a visible reminder
Rav Raphaël Benizri’s Lectures on Shelach
There are no lectures by the Rav on this parasha yet. Find all available lectures on the Weekly Parasha page.
A Question for the Shabbat Table
The scouts saw the same land yet drew opposite conclusions from it: what shapes the way we see?
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Summary by the Pensées Juives editorial team. The Rav’s teachings are found in his lectures, linked above.