Parshah Summary – P’sha
The parshah begins with the Children of Israel encamped in the wilderness of Paran, and Moses sends out twelve spies to the land of Canaan. After forty days, they return with great reports, carrying some of the land’s bounty: an enormous cluster of grapes, a pomegranate and a fig. But, ten of the spies warn that the inhabitants of the land are giants and warriors; only Caleb and Joshua insist that the land can be conquered. The people side with the ten naysayers and complain that they would rather return to Egypt. In response, Hashem decrees that the entire present generation of the Children of Israel will wander in the desert for forty years until they all perish, and only their offspring will enter the Promised Land. When they hear this news, a group of them storms a mountain on the border, but they are swiftly defeated by the Amalekites and Canaanites. Hashem then gives mitzvot about the offerings of grain, wine and oil that their descendants should bring when they enter the land, as well as the mitzvah to consecrate a portion of dough when making bread, which is the origin of challah. Finally, a man is found gathering sticks on Shabbat. In response, the mitzvah of tzitzit, which are special fringes worn on the four corners of garments, is given as a bodily reminder of the mitzvot.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
שְׁלַח־לְךָ֣ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים וְיָתֻ֙רוּ֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֥י נֹתֵ֖ן לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אִ֣ישׁ אֶחָד֩ אִ֨ישׁ אֶחָ֜ד לְמַטֵּ֤ה אֲבֹתָיו֙ תִּשְׁלָ֔חוּ כֹּ֖ל נָשִׂ֥יא בָהֶֽם׃ Send for yourself people to spy out the land of Canaan that I am giving to the Children of Israel, one person from each of their ancestral tribes you shall send, each one a leader among them... - Bamidbar (Numbers) 13:2, Parshat Bamidbar
Once, Reb Zushia commented on the saying of the sages:
יְהוּדָה בֶן תֵּימָא אוֹמֵר... עַז פָּנִים לְגֵיהִנֹּם, וּבֹשֶׁת פָּנִים לְגַן עֵדֶן. – Yehudah son of Teimah said, “The bold-faced will go to hell, and the shame-faced will go to the Garden of Eden.” - Pirkei Avot 5:20 “The bold-faced will go to hell,” said Reb Zushia, “This means that if you are bold in holiness, you don’t have to fear descending into hell. You can engage in all kinds of worldly things, and you will bring forth the light hidden within them. But if you are shame-faced in your holiness, you’d better stick to the “paradise” of learning and prayer, and stay away from worldly things.” This remarkable teaching of Reb Zushia reverses the meaning of the mishna, which is simply saying that arrogance leads to suffering, whereas humility leads to spiritual pleasure. Without contradicting this basic truth, Zushia adds another nuance: to be עַז פָּנִים az panim doesn’t necessarily mean arrogant – it can also mean courageous, that is, having the courage to willingly to descend into “hell” for the sake of the “light” – meaning, being willing to weather the presence of reactivity and impulsivity for the sake of becoming more conscious. Being a steady beacon of consciousness in the face of adversity requires that you not be seduced by the energies before you, that you remain עַז az, “strong” in פָּנִים panim, “Presence” (lit., “face”). If you are not able to do that, teaches Reb Zushia, it is better to be protected from the forces of unconsciousness by remaining in a spiritually conducive environment. And yet, if we understand the context of Hasidism in which the Baal Shem Tov actively sought to bring many of his rabbi disciples out of their reclusiveness and into the world of ministering to the uneducated masses, this teaching is not merely advice, but implies an admonition. One should be עַז פָּנִים az panim; it is not good to shut oneself up in paradise, but one should be courageous in the face of spiritual obstacles, unlike the “spies” in the parshah: שְׁלַח לְךָ֣ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים וְיָתֻ֨רוּ֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן – “Send for yourselves people who will spy out the land...” The spies return with a wonderful report, except that there are “giants” in the land; they are afraid to confront the giants! They are being בֹשֶׁת פָּנִים voshet panim – “shame-faced,” lacking courage and confidence. But what’s wrong with being cautious? Isn’t it a good thing to be aware of our limitations in confronting obstacles? There are times when we must withdraw from the world and from people, in order to heal, recover, and renew our connection; this is the purpose of meditation. But we cannot remain there; even if we’re not going into the unconsciousness of the world on purpose, as was the mission of the Hasidic rebbes, the unconsciousness of the world comes to us. We must not shrink away from our mission to bring light to whatever adversity arises, but rather we must be עַז פָּנִים az panim; this is the Path of כ Kaf, the middah of courage. But once we muster the inner strength to confront the obstacles, how do transform the darkness into light? This is where the Thirty-Two Paths can be helpful; there are many entry points to consciousness, depending on the situation. Sometimes there might be something we need to learn – this is the Path of ל Lamed. Other times the task might be to love and serve others – this is the Path of Hesed. Or, the task might just be to surrender more deeply, as in the Path of מ Mem. But before we engage any of these paths, we first must trust that we can do it; we must trust that we have come to this moment, this situation, for this reason. אַל־תִּֽירְאוּ֙ ...יהֹוָ֥ה אִתָּ֖נוּ אַל־תִּירָאֻֽם׃ – “Do not fear… the Divine is with us; do not fear them!” These words of excortation from Joshua and Caleb teach: to be “bold” doesn’t actually negate humility; it doesn’t require “self” confidence. It’s true, the spies in the story lacked self-confidence, but the remedy was to bolster their Divine-confidence. Similarly, we shouldn’t worry about having self-confidence; it is better not to be “self” confident: הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר... וְאַל תַּאֲמִין בְּעַצְמְךָ עַד יוֹם מוֹתְךָ Hillel said… “Do not trust in yourself until the day of your death.” - Pirkei Avot 2:4 In other words, don’t trust your “self” – that is, identification with thought and feeling, but still trust: the unfolding of Reality has guided you to this moment – God “put” you here for a reason, so to speak, and that reason is now your task, in this moment – this is the “death” of ego, the death of resisting what is. When we can learn to embrace whatever beings and situations we encounter, moment to moment, without judgment and with receiving our task from God’s hands, then life itself becomes meditation; this is the Path of י Yud, the middah of Trust.
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