In Shelach L’cha Moses appoints twelve men, one for each if the tribes to scout out the land that God has promised the before they try and conquer it. Forty days later the spies return and say the land is “flowing with milk and honey” but that the people are too mighty to conquer. Two spies disagree Caleb and Joshua, who claim with God’s help the Israelites can claim the land. The people hearing what most of the spies say rise up against Moses and demand to go back to Egypt.
Angered by the people’s lack of faith God wants to destroy them and start over with Moses. Moses calms God down enough so that God commutes the sentence but does require the Israelites to wander the desert for forty years, until all the men who complained died off and the only ones left would be Caleb and Joshua.
What can we take from this Torah Portion. God does not like complainers,, nor does God like negativity. As said by our former Vice President Spiro Agnew no one likes nattering nabobs of negativity. Looking at the world with such a terrible attitude is corrosive it leads to organizational problems as well as personal problems. Now God wanted to impose the seemingly worst punishment God could impose that of death to the naysayers but once again Moses intercedes and God then makes the people wander in the desert for 40 years and does not permit them to enter the promised land. This is an allegory for what happens to those who always find fault. Good things and opportunities can be right in front of them and they can not see it or participate in it.
Negativity leads to fear and anxiety not happiness, enthusiasm and courage. The Israelites had the worst punishment seeing the promised land and never experience it. As we enter into our second year of existence let us remember that TSS has accomplished a great deal in a short time. We have served our membership with care and concern, and have created a positive prayer experience. Let us not think of the things we still need to do in a negative light let us always think of them as opportunities and challenges so that we can fully be in “the land of milk and honey”.
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