Weekly Announcements
Ahavat Yisrael of Wesley Hills Announcements
Shelach
Shabbos Mevorchim
June 20 – June 26
24 Sivan – 30 Sivan
Mazel Tov to all the Graduates:
Meira Leah Steen - High School, Bnos Yisroel, Baltimore
Yaakov Weitzman - 8th grade, Yeshiva Ohr Reuven, Wesley Hills
Marc Fishkind - BA from University of Pennsylvania
Perri Lamm - 8th Grade YNJ
Rachamim Seltzer - BS from Jerusalem College of Technology
Aryeh Katz - 8th Grade Ashar
Jeanie Ben-Jacob - Kindergarten
Gabriel Ben-Jacob - Kindergarten
Connor Ben-Jacob - Kindergarten
Please note that for the next few weeks Maariv will be held at 9:05 PM in order to say shma at the proper time, Tehillim will precede at 9:00 PM
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY (6/20)
Mincha: 7:00 PM
Candles not after: 8:14 PM
SHABBOS MEVORCHIM (6/21)
Shacharis: 9:00 AM
Latest time for shma: 9:11 AM
Parsha Shiur: 7:15 PM
Mincha: 8:00 PM
Shabbos Ends/Tehillim: 9:17 PM
Maariv: 9:23 PM
SUNDAY (6/22)
Shacharis: 8:00 AM
Rabbi’s Gemara Shiur at shul and zoom: 8:45 AM https://zoom.us/j/3812539596
Mincha/Maariv: 8:15 PM
MONDAY – THURSDAY (6/23-6/26)
Tehillim: 9:00 PM
Maariv: 9:05 PM
Wednesday: Parsha previews on zoom 8:00 PM https://zoom.us/j/3812539596
Dvar Torah & Thoughts on Shlach
Rabbi Asher Bush
While every encounter with Parshas Shlach helps us focus on our relationship with Eretz Yisrael, this year, this week, with the ongoing crises in Israel, the “old” one with Gaza and the new one with Iran, several important perspectives jump out. The dramatic story of the Meraglim, their report and the nation’s reaction is not just tragic for the people of that time or its grave implications for future generations, in a real way the most significant challenge it presented is seen as that very moment seems to usher in a period of absolute hopelessness. That sense of ייאוש/absolute despair was so great that members of that generation could easily have given up, after all, what is the use of caring, and there’s just no point in trying anymore after the decree of wandering the Midbar has been issued, nothing we can do will make a difference. Does it even matter if one is righteous or not, holy or not, good or bad; their fate was sealed. And indeed, that is exactly the impression we the readers receive. The misguided attempt to “remedy” the situation with the rash charge of the מעפילים towards Israel ends in further tragedy, and seemingly shuts the door of hope even more tightly.
It is in the light that the rest of the parsha needs to be appreciated. If it is not understood as a response to this sense of hopelessness, it would almost seem that they are being mocked with the next two sets of mitzvos that follow, the bringing of voluntary korbanos and the mitzvah to separate Challa from a dough. Both are both prefaced with a reference to their going into Israel, stating ואמרת אלהם כי תבואו אל ארץ מושותיכם אשר אני נותן לכם /”and say to them when you come into the land of your settlement which I am giving to you”, and ואמרת אלהם בבואכם אל הארץ אשר אני מביא אתכם שמה/”and say to them in your coming into the land which I am bringing you there.” At first glance this might almost seem like a mockery or a cruel reminder of what could have been, but nothing could be farther from the case. Rather, the entire purpose of placing these mitzvos here and using that specific reference to Israel is so that they should not give up hope, that they should understand that there is a future for the Jewish people and what that future is all about.
It is striking to note the specific circumstances of these two sets of mitzvos. The first one, voluntary offerings, typically brought to give thanks to God, tell quite a needed story, namely, that not only will we be there, but we will have ample reason to give great thanks to God for our lives. The second set one, the separation of Challah also speaks of life there, but on a much more basic level, literally putting bread on the table and being able to both give thanks to God and to share that bread with others. Nothing dramatic, and certainly not miraculous, just regular life. But if we think about it, what gives more hope than the idea of just being able to live a regular normal life.
Here the Torah has set a pattern, that difficulties may well be part of life, but so too is hope. If the account of the Meraglim is one of hope lost, the rest of the parsha is about hope restored. The most horrific event in history was followed by the most miraculous event in modern Jewish history.
The events of the past week, while dangerous and scary, have brought hope in a way that had long been forgotten. But it has brought fear in new ways as well, with massive bombs falling in seemingly random civilian areas, bringing massive destruction the likes of which we have been protected from until now, but these events have also led to hope that in the near future things may actually be different, far better in very real ways that have been hard to imagine.
The conclusion of Shlach is the well-know parsha of Tzitzis, which we recite each morning and evening as part of Shma. In these words, we are told to look at the Tzitzis, which as explained by our Sages in turn remind us of the sea, which in turn remind of us of the heavens, which in turn remind us of the Heavenly Throne. The obvious question is, why this circuitous route, why not say that they remind us of the Heavenly Throne, what more needs to be said. Apparently, in order to be able to see and appreciate this connection it is necessary to look at some more well-known and basic sites, the sea around us and the heavens above us. Looking directly at the Divine Throne won’t be good enough. It is also necessary that before beginning to appreciate that Heavenly Throne, we need to look around at the bigger picture, the sea and the heavens; that which is so holy can best be appreciated when one can see and appreciate what makes it so special, so holy.
It is this gift of vision and understanding that is the key to hope, and that is the primary message of Shlach, not “wow unto us”, but even in the most difficult times, seeing the potential, the good and even the great. It is also important to see that the hope presented by the Torah is not fantasy or fairytale, it is real, and even when it is hard to imagine how and when there will be cause for hope, it is real. יהי רצון שתקבל ברצון את תפלתנו
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