The Day Our Ancestors Matured |
In this week’s Torah portion, Shelach, we read the famous account of Moses sending spies to scout the Land of Israel. The narrative begins with a curious nuance: G-d tells Moses he may send spies if he wants to. Essentially, G-d declined to command the mission, leaving the decision entirely in Moses’ hands.
One might wonder why Moses didn’t take this as a hint that the mission was a bad idea. Why did he proceed?
Fascinatingly, we read this story this year on the very day it occurred. The Talmud (Taanit 29a) notes that the spies were dispatched on the 29th of Sivan, meaning they were appointed and instructed on the 28th. This Shabbat coincides with the 28th of Sivan, adding a layer of historical drama to our reading. But what is the deeper significance of the 28th, and why did Divine Providence arrange for the spies to be sent on this specific day?
Independence Day Recall your own journey into adulthood. There was likely a time when your parents dictated your every move. Eventually, you reached the teenage years and sought independence. Often, this resulted in a struggle for control. Then came the moment when your parent stepped back and said, “I trust your judgment. The decision is yours.” That was the day you truly began to grow.
This is precisely what happened when G-d told Moses, “I won’t tell you what to do. If you want, send them.”
Moses didn’t interpret this as a subtle warning; he took G-d’s words at face value. He understood that G-d was signaling a shift: the Jewish people had reached a point where they no longer needed to be dictated to. They were being invited to make the right choice on their own.
In Jewish thought, there are two ways to serve G-d:
Subordination: Letting G-d set the direction and obeying blindly. Our Sages call this........