Scroll to Scroll: Todays Parsha #37: Shlach Lecha (Send out for yourself)

PART 1: THE LAST AND CURRENT TORAH PORTIONS ANSWERS TO LAST WEEKS STUDY QUESTIONS (BeHalotekha):

1) There is a person mentioned, seemingly for the first time in this Torah portion, whom Josephus says Moshe knew previously. Who is that person? In Numbers 12:1, Moshe takes a Cushite wife. However, Josephus tells us he believes Moshe originally married this lady before he left Egypt, as this story of Princess Tharbis is told here
243

So Moses, at the persuasion both of Thermuthis and the king himself, cheerfully undertook the business: and the sacred scribes of both nations were glad; those of the Egyptians, that they should at once overcome their enemies by his valour, and that by the same piece of management Moses would be slain; but those of the Hebrews, that they should escape from the Egyptians, because Moses was to be their general;244 but Moses came ahead of the enemies, and took and led his army before those enemies were apprised of his attacking them; for he did not march by the river, but by land, where he gave a wonderful demonstration of his sagacity; 245 for when the ground was difficult to be passed over, because of the multitude of serpents, (which it produces in vast numbers, and indeed is singular in some of those productions, which other countries do not breed, and yet such as are worse than others, in power and mischief, and an unusual fierceness of sight, some of which ascend out of the ground unseen, and also fly in the air, and so come upon men at unawares, and do them a mischief,) Moses invented a wonderful stratagem to preserve the army safe, and without harm; for he made baskets, like to arks, of sedge, and filled them with ibis, {b} and carried them along with them; which animal is the greatest enemy to serpents imaginable, for they flee from them when they come near them; and as they flee they are caught and devoured by them, as if it were done by the harts; 247 but the ibis are tame creatures, and only enemies to the serpentine kind: but about these ibis I say no more at present, since the Greeks themselves are not unacquainted with this sort of bird. As soon, therefore, as Moses was come to the land which was the breeder of these serpents, he let loose the ibis, and by their means repelled the serpentine kind, and used them for his assistants before the army came upon that ground. When he had therefore proceeded thus on his journey, he came upon the Ethiopians before they expected him; 248 and, joining battle with them, he beat them, and
246

deprived them of the hopes they had of success against the Egyptians, and went on in overthrowing their cities, and indeed made a great slaughter of these Ethiopians. Now when the Egyptian army had once tasted of this prosperous success, by the means of Moses, they did not slacken their diligence, insomuch that the Ethiopians were in danger of being reduced to slavery, and all sorts of destruction; 249 and at length they retired to Saba, which was a royal city of Ethiopia, which Cambyses afterward named Meroe, after the name of his own sister. The place was to be besieged with very great difficulty, since it was both surrounded by the Nile on all sides, and the other rivers, Astapus and Astaboras, made it a very difficult thing for such as attempted to pass over them; 250 for the city was located in a retired place, and was inhabited after the manner of an island, being surrounded with a strong wall, and having the rivers to guard them from their enemies, and having great ramparts between the wall and the rivers, insomuch, that when the waters come with the greatest violence, it can never be drowned; which ramparts make it next to impossible for even such as have crossed over the rivers to take the city. However, while Moses was uneasy at the army's lying idle, (for the enemies dared not come to a battle,) this incident happened:-- 252 Tharbis was the daughter of the king of the Ethiopians; she happened to see Moses as he led the army near the walls, and fought with great courage; and admiring the subtilty of his undertakings, and believing him to be the author of the Egyptians' success, when they had before despaired of recovering their liberty, and to be the occasion of the great danger the Ethiopians were in, when they had before boasted of their great achievements, she fell deeply in love with him; and upon the prevalence of that passion, sent to him the most faithful of all her servants to discourse with him about their marriage. 253 He thereupon accepted the offer, on condition she would procure the delivering up of the city; and gave her the assurance of an oath to take her to his wife; and that when he had once taken possession of the city, he would not break his oath to her. No sooner was the agreement made, but it took effect immediately; and when Moses had cut off the Ethiopians, he gave thanks to God, and consummated his marriage, and led the Egyptians back to their own land. (Antiquities 2:243-253)
251

2) Exactly how long were the Israelites camped at Sinai, in both Hebrew and solar terms? I actually answer this on the Bonus PDF VAYEHI BASHANAH HA-SHENIT CHODESH HA-SHENI BEESRIM BACHODESH (10:11) = and it came to pass in the second year, in the second

month, on the 20th day of that month. This ends the nearly 2 year period that the Israelites are at Sinai and coincides exactly with when the parallel instructions given in Leviticus run out, with all of that book being confined to the time Israel was at Sinai. They got there on 1 Sivan (May 5th) in 1447 BCE and now they are leaving on 20 Iyar (May 4th) in 1445 BCE. For more information, please see the attached Bonus PDF. In solar terms, this is 2 days shy of 2 full years that they were encamped at Sinai. In Hebrew terms, it is 10 days shy of being 2 full years.

3) What one act in this Torah portion that is used as a sign of elevation is elsewhere used as a sign of humiliation? The answer is shaving
6

"Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them. 7 "Thus you shall do to them, for their 1cleansing: sprinkle purifying water on them, and let them use a razor over their whole body and wash their clothes, and they will be clean. (Numbers 8:6-7 NAU)
37

Yes, every head is shaved, every beard cut off, gashes are on every hand, sackcloth round every waist. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in all its squares there is nothing but lamenting, for I have broken Moab like an unwanted pot, Yahweh declares. 39 How shattered he is! Wail! Moab so shamefully in retreat! Moab has become a laughing-stock, a thing of horror to all his neighbors. (Jeremiah 48:37-39 NJB) (If you picked a passage from Isaiah 15, rather than this one from Jeremiah, I also count that as a correct answer.) 4) Hebrews 4 mentions Joshua, who made the sun stand still. However, according to the Talmud, only 2 other people were able to affect the sun and one of these people is someone that Yshua actually knew. Who is that person? Nicodemus, also known as Nakdimon, of whom we read the following: John 3:1 31) Niqodemus is also known as Nakdimon ben Gurion in the Talmud. In (Taanith 3) he is greatly honored as a generous aristocrat with a righteous heart. A story about him says he borrowed 12 wells of water so a group of pilgrims could be ritually washed and purified, on the condition that he would replace the water used, or pay nearly 655 pounds of silver. After the pilgrims had used the water Nakdimon offered up this prayer: Creator of the Universe! It is known to Thee, that not for the sake of glory for me... but for the glory of Thy name, that the pilgrims in Jerusalem might have water, did I

borrow those wells. Rain fell, the 12 wells refilled, but the sun had already set, and the lender demanded payment. So Nakdimon returned and prayed in the Temple, and the sun reappeared. The Talmud later concludes: We have learned in a Boraitha: His name was not Nakdimon, but Boni, and he was called Nakdimon because on his account the sun hastened. The rabbis taught: For the sake of each of three men alone the sun shone, and they are Moses, Joshua, and Nakdimon ben Gurion. Knowing a bit about Niqodemus better helps us understand why Yshua posed the question in verse 10:You are a teacher of Yisrael, and these things you do not understand? Nakdimon had been given a preview of heavenly glory and the power of YHWH. He knew enough to recognize Yahs Son when he saw him, and yet still, even for this man of great piety and insight, some of the elements of the Kingdom of Heaven have eluded him, he didnt understand. If such was the case for Nakdimon, one can only imagine how it was for many lesser teachers of his generation when Yshua came to them. 5) If you know the answer to #4, what is the shocking truth about the way this hero in the Talmud may have met his end? John 7:50 109) Niqodemus is known as Nakdimon ben Gurion in the Talmud, an endearing name given to him for causing a very favorable rain, and for the sun to return after it had set. The Talmud says his real name was Boni, it records that someone with a similar name was executed as one of Yshuas five disciples: It is taught: Yeshu had five disciples - Matai, Nekai, Netzer, Buni, and Todah. They brought Matai [before the judges]. He said to them: Will Matai be killed? It is written (Psa_42:2) When [=Matai] shall (I) come and appear before G-d. They said to him: Yes, Matai will be killed as it is written (Psa_41:5) When [=Matai] shall (he) die and his name perishTalmud Sanhedrin 43a. Mattai is clearly Matthew. Todah is a match for Thaddeus in Aramaic. But Buni, most likely the Boni referred to earlier is Nakdimon. It is an odd happening that a man so revered in the Talmud should, under another name, be executed for heresy. On the other hand, Josephus speaks of many Rabbinics opposing the assassination of Yaakov Ha Tzadik (James the Just) so double traditions are not without precedent. Another case is Rabbi Gamaliel, Pauls teacher, who is remembered fondly in both the Talmud and NT. AND NOW FOR THIS WEEKS PORTION 1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents: Shlach Lecha means send out for yourself, referring to the spies that Moshe will send into Canaan to do a little reconnaissance on the strategic strengths of the

various peoples living in Canaan. When the spies let their fear get the better of them and bring back an evil report, YHWH officially enacts punishment that they will spend an additional 40 years wandering in the wilderness, or a total of 42 years from the time they left Egypt. However Caleb and Joshua prove themselves to be the voices of righteousness and will not give into fear. Then, for the second time, YHWH offers to destroy all Israel and start over a new tribe with Moshe as leader and the fallout from this occasion is most interesting, to say the least. Chapter 15 though also follows the pattern of the previous cycle when YHWH offered to start over with Moshe, Moshe refused, and the final verdict from YHWH comes down. In both cases, YHWH reassures Israel by re-issuing his Torah requirements, meaning that even for those who will die in the wilderness the tribes they are part of will live through obedience to YHWHs Word. Read Parsha (English-Numbers 13:1-15:41). This week we will read the entire portion. 1) Play by Play commentary where appropriate. 2) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary: PARAN BMIDBAR (13:3) = wilderness of Paranseems to be a general area that would include the town of Rithmah, which is their next stop after Hazeroth. Other authorities believe that based on Numbers 33 that they were actually in Kadesh Barnea (not the same place as Kadesh, their last stop. The most likely answer is both are correct.Kadesh Barnea is another name for Rithmah, and this is my position as well. REUBENSHAMMUA.ZAKUR (13:4) = Reuben = behold a son! Shammua = heard. Zakur = remembered, mindful. Message: Behold a son who has heard and remembered. SHIMEONSHAPHATCHORI (13:5) = Shimeon= he has heard. Shaphat = he has judged. Chori reminds me of (but is not spelled like) my mountain, but it means actually something closer to cave dweller. One could read it as He has heard and has judged (at) my mountain and think that is a possible reference to Moshe. However, it is probably more accurate to read it as: He has heard and head has judged (while) being a cave dweller. That might be a reference to the prophet Eliyahu being in a cave at Mount Sinai, but it is still at that mountain either way (1 Kings 19:1-21, especially verses 9-10). YEHUDAHCALEBYEPHUNNEH (13:6) = Yehudah (praise), Caleb (dog clan), Yephunneh (nimble). Possible message: Praise the nimble pack of dogs? Wild dogs are sometimes a metaphor for enemies surrounding Israel (Psalm 22:16) and this exact line is where Yshuas crucifixion is predicted. My best guess might be two fold. One that this is talking about Abba YHWH inflicting

judgment on wicked Israel and therefore the praise goes to the wild dogs nimbly chasing them or possibly the bad behavior of Israel is being thematically linked to Yshuas death somehow, though more study is needed to be more definitive. YISSACAR.IGALYOSEF (13:7) = Yissacar (there is recompense) Igal (he who redeems) Yosef (Yah has added). Message: There is recompense, for he who redeems Yah will add (rewards) to. I think this could be predicting the imagery of a suffering Yshua in Yeshayahu 53. EPHRAIM.HOSHEANUN (13:8) = Ephraim (fruitful), Hoshea (salvation) and Nun (increase). Message: May your salvation be fruitful and increase! BINYAMINPALTIRAPHU (13:9) = Binyamin (Son of my strength/right hand), Palti (escape) and Raphu (cured). Message: The son of my strength escapes getting cured. Perhaps a warning of disobedience that is coming upas the descendants of firstborn Reuben prepare for the worst rebellion ever to hit Moshe. It also reminds me of those who died in last weeks parsha at the Caves of Craving, which is interesting because a previous series of names talked about a cave dweller. ZEVULONGADIELSODI (13:10) = Zevulon (exalted), Gadiel (El is my fortune), Sodi (my secret). Message: Exalted El is my fortune and my secret. If the habitation meaning of Zevulon is intended it still works as, My habitation, my fortune and my secret are all (from) my El. YOSEFMANASHEGADISUSI (13:11) = Yosef (Yah has added), Manasseh (caused to forget), Gadi (my fortune) Susi (my horse). Possible message: Yah has added but (also) caused (me) to forget my fortune and my horse. The only person I can think of who loses his fortune and his horse is the Pharaoh that drowned in the Sea of Reeds. Perhaps others also fit this description though. DANAMIELGAMALI (13:12) = Dan (judge), Amiel (my family is El) Gamali (my reward). Judge (that) my family is El and is my reward. ASHERSETHURMICHAEL (13:13) = Asher (happy), Sethur (secret), Michael (who is like you El?). Message: Happy (are those who know) the secret (of) Who is like unto You, O El. NAPTHTALINAHBIVAPHSHI (13:14) = Naphtali (my struggle), Nahbi (hidden) Vaphshi (meaning is unknown). Message: My struggle is hidden and ___(?). GADGEUELMAKI (13:15) = Gad (a troop is coming), Geuel (majesty of El) Maki (uncertain, perhaps humiliation?) Possible message: A troop is coming! The majesty of El (brings) humiliation.

HOSHEAYEHOSHUA (13:16). Moshe did for Hoshea in effect what YHWH did for Abram and Jacob, changed their names to fit their new status. So Abram goes from exalted father to father of many nations when he proves himself to YHWH. So too here did Moshe reward Hoshea (salvation) for his great service by changing the name to YEHOSHUA (YHWH is salvation). VEHAYAMIM YEMEY BIKUREY ANAVIM (13:20) = it was during the days (or season) when the grapes begin to ripen. This would be early summer, probably at the end of Sivan or very early into Tammuz. So thus far only about 31/2 months have passed from the start of Numbers. AHIMAN (brother of fortune-13:22). Perhaps meant to showcase the prosperity and strength of the clans living in Canaan. SHESHAI (13:22) has a very interesting etymology. According to A.H. Sayce, who is one of the greatest cuneiform experts of all time, SHESHAI or SHESHAY as it appears in Hebrew may derive from SHAASU, an Egyptian word. The Egyptians actually called the HyksosSemitic invaders who took over their country for about a hundred years and under whom Joseph became vizier to sell grainHEKU SHAASU or foreign princes. Others think this refers to Syrian Bedouins but there is no reason it cant be a little bit of both, meaning perhaps a closer association between the expulsion of the Hyksos and the Hebrew Exodus than has been previously realized. However, I am not willing to argue, as some do, that the Hyksos expulsion and the Exodus are the same people and same event. TALMAY (13:22) = name means plowman, but for our purposes it may shed light on one of the names of the apostles. Matthew, Mark and Luke reference Bartholomew and John doesnt but references exclusively Nathanael that the others do not. Eastern and Western tradition agree this is the same man, Nathanael being his first name and Bartholemew being a corruption of his surname. Some have surmised that Bartholemew is son of Ptolemy or Ptolmais, but Aramaic transliterates even Greek names consistently and would have done so here. For example, Aramaic reads Andraus (Andrew) for that apostle, as it would in Greek. So the more likely scenario is son of TULMAY which we see in this portion is a Semitic name. CHEBRON (Hebron-13:22) = league, association, and Joshua finds a league of the sons of Anak there. VAYASHVU MITUR HAARETZ MIKETZ ARBAIM YOM (13:25) = and when they returned from spying out the land after 40 days. Rabbinic tradition says the spies went into Canaan on 29 Sivan, which fits well with the general description about the time of the grapes ripening. If so, then 40 days later brings us right to the 9th of Ab, explaining one reason why the day became cursed.

DIBBAH (13:32) = bad report. Literally whispering in the sense of gossip and rumor. Related to the concept of lashon hara (evil tongue). MEOD MEOD (14:7) = very very good. The double occurrence acts as an extra emphasis, such as when you have Isaiah say SHALOM SHALOM (double or perfect peace). KI LACHMENU HEM SAR TSILAM MEALEYHEM V/YAHWEH ITANU AL TIRAUM (14:9) = for they have lost their protection and shall be like prey to us. Yahweh is with us, so do not be afraid. The word is actually BREAD. Their enemies will be devoured as easily as piece of bread. AYIN BE AYIN (14:14) = Literally: eye to eye. Some would say this means the same as PANIM AL PANIM, face to face, but I am not certain that is the case. YHWH says He only revealed Himself face to face with MOSHE, not the rest of rebellious Israel. eye to eye to my mind suggests a more limited revelation of His power, but not His whole face. VEATAH YIGDAL NA-KOACH YAHWEH (14:18) = and now, let greatness come into your power, Yahweh. It is interesting that Moshe is actually asking for RESTRAINT but phrases it as STRENGTH, or KOACH. This is because YHWHs patience has been sorely tested and it will require strength to exercise restraint and not kill all of Israel. CHAY ANI (14:20) = I am life. Since YHWH is contemplating killing all Israel, He restrains His hand by remembering that He IS LIFE just as other Scriptures proclaim He is also LIGHT and LOVE. It is enough for Moshe to point to just one of the positive attributes because YHWH will also call them to mind along with the others that show Him to be merciful. AD MATAY LA EDAH HARAAH (14:27) = How long this evil congregation, more literally until when is how the Hebrew reads. But I find it interesting it is phrased this way because MATAY also sounds a lot like MATTEH, which means TRIBE. YHWH wanted obedient MATTEH, but now they are an evil group instead.

One TORAH and one MISHPAT (ordinance, judgment-15:16). A MISHPAT concerns the smaller preparations or instructions that make the main requirement (Torah) possible. DOR = generations (15:21). DOR can also refer to a century long period or mean habitation. It is the formula four dor that we derive the 400 year period from Jacob to the Exodus.

Torah Question of the Week: What does blaspheming against YHWH really mean?

END PART 1

PART 2: THE HAFTORAH Torah Question of the Week: What does blaspheming against YHWH really mean?

There are two different Hebrew words that express the same concept. In Numbers 15:30 we see the word RUM. Usually translated as defiantly the root meaning is to be high, exalted, or literally, to be above the law. Then, in 15:31 we get the word BAZAH (despise, hate), and we looked at this word before in reference to Michals hatred of her husband David. BAZAH also means to be on high, haughty and expresses the kind of hatred where the self is elevated and the object is lower than the dust at their feet. This is what blaspheming (whether against YHWH in Tanakh or the Ruach ha Kodesh in the NT) really means. It means that you put your soul as above and outside of His Rulings and in a sense make yourself a god. That is why the charge of blasphemy was also leveled AGAINST Yshua wrongly by the Pharisees who misunderstood Messianic prophecy and said We dont stone you for any of the good things you did, but rather because you blaspheme, that you, a mere man, claim to be Elohim.

1) Haftorah portion (English- Joshua 2:1-24) and discuss common themes with the Torah portion. 2) Our linguistic commentary ISHAH (2:1) = can generically mean wife or female. The connotation for Rahab is that she is a wayward woman, someone who cheated on her husband perhaps, but not a prostitute per se who traded sex for money. RAHAB (2:1) = large or broad. ZONAH (2:1-rabbinic commentary) means harlot but they favor ZANAH for describing Rahab, which is one who feeds/takes care of as in an innkeeper. The LXX though calls her PORNE (prostitute). VATITMENEM BEFISHTAY HAERETZ HAARUCHOT LAH AL- HAGAG (2:6) = But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them in the stacks of flax which she had spread out there. This is another good piece of evidence that the Jericho campaign takes place in the spring time, just after Passover. But this early part of spying out the land only makes sense if the month of Adar is hitting late that year (1405 BCE) and in fact it does. 29 Adar, the last day of that month is on March 23rd and the most probable date for this event is a few days later, on Sunday, March 27th, which is also the 4th day of Abib.

10

KI VEYTA BEKIR HACHOMAH UVACHOMA HI YOSHAVET (2:15) = for her house was on the side of the wall, so she lived in the wall. In other words, Rahab is in an extremely strategic locations, which is why the guards seek her out so quickly even though they have no evidence she saw these men. They have made a likely assumption that if a group of spies came in, they would seek shelter at the earliest possible opportunity, in a place like Rahabs house. She also clearly is used to dealing with soldiers given her answer. It also works in this other sense: Joshua would probably have destroyed her house in the wall FIRST if she didnt help him. 3) Renewed Covenant portion: (English) Hebrews 3:7-19 (all the way through with applicable footnotes.) Footnotes are here this week! 21) This verse reflects an insight that is only found within Aramaic! Y'shua, because he was not from the tribe of Levi, is not being called cohen, but kumrea, which is the designation for a non-Levitical priest like Jethro. This is vital, as it points to Mashiyach being "like a priest after Melchisedec" (Psalm 110) as a nonAaronic figure who in effect becomes the High Priest who intercedes for Israel. The Peshitta Tanakh consistently translates cohen/kahna into kumrea with regards to these same men (Genesis 14:18, Exodus 2:16, 3:1 and 18:1). Another magnificent part of this verse is the phrase, "called with a calling." Vayikra "and he called," is the original Hebrew name of the third Book of Torah (named Leviticus--Greek for "book of Levites"). The Aramaic word qarya is derived from the exact same root. The "calling that is from heaven" to follow Mashiyach is to be "called to" service in YHWH as were the Leviim who were Cohanim along with Moshe. We know that, according to Acts 6:7, a large number of Cohanim (Priests) also entered into this High Calling to represent YHWH in Mashiyach Y'shua; this Priesthood in Mashiyach is what Avraham paid a tithe into. Consider how Kadosh (set-apart) this High Calling is according to YHWH! The importance of this word kumrea in this letter cannot be overstated as it appears here nearly two dozen times, exactly the same way (4:14, 5:1, 5:5, 5:6, 6:20, 7:1, 7:11, 7:15, 7:17, 7:21, 7:23, 7:26, 7:27, 7:28, 8:1, 8:3, 8:4, 9:6, 9:25, 10:11, 10:21, 13:11). In some verses, kumrea is used twice to cement the point Paul is making. Furthermore, this word is utterly unique to Hebrews because of its exclusive emphasis on Mashiyach, the true High Priest who gives eternal atonement. By contrast, in every other book of the Renewed Covenant, we are confined solely to the word kahna/cohen, as this refers to the regular kind of priest. However, perhaps the most remarkable aspect of all is that Peshitta Hebrews actually "out Judaizes" the Tanakh, since the Hebrew Bible makes no distinction between Levite priests like Aaron and righteous "Elohim Fearers" like Melchisedec and Jethro. Therefore, in this instance, we clearly see that Shaliach Paul is again demonstrating that he is very "zealous for Torah" as he always claimed.

11

For he is our God, and we are the people in his pasture, the sheep in his care. If only today you would listen to his voice: 8 "Don't harden your hearts, as you did at M'rivah, as you did on that day at Massah in the desert, 9 when your fathers put me to the test; they challenged me, even though they saw my work. 10 For forty years I loathed that generation; I said, 'This is a people whose hearts go astray, they don't understand how I do things.' 11 Therefore I swore in my anger that they would not enter my rest." (Psalm 95:7-11 CJB) 4) Highlight common themes in Aramaic (terms in footnotes which I will read) 5) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (We must always remember Yshua is our Mediator, but he is not the one who tells us there is no such thing as a violation of Torah! The role of a mediator is grossly misunderstood in Christendom.) 6) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion (Read Divine Communication, p. 770-772 in Appendix). STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK FOR THIS PORTION:

1) The bad report the spies gave talked about two separate groups, Nephilim and people of great size or giants. Does that mean the giants were Nephilim? 2) How might the words of Yshua impact on the question on #1? 3) The Punishment Pattern in Numbers 14 is repeated by two more prophets. Who were those prophets? 4) What is probably the most surprising suggestion in the Rabbinic tradition regarding Rahab? 5) In a very ironic twist given Rahabs profession, she utters a phrase that will be repeated by someone who is the exact opposite of her. What is the phrase and who said it after her?

12

Torah Thought for the Week: Shaken AND Stirred: A Spy Tale Gone Horribly Wrong Or, a Born Legacy The following communique was intercepted from the base of Mount Sinai and decrypted for an English speaking audience:

23
24

23

You will not follow the laws of the nations whom I am driving out before you; they practiced all these things, which is why I detested them. 24 As I have already told you, you will take possession of their soil. I myself shall give you possession of it, a country flowing with milk and honey. "Since I, Yahweh your God, have set you apart from these peoples! (Leviticus 20:23-24 NJB) The world of the spy has been glamourized in our pop culture since at least the early 20th century. We have James Bond and Jason Bourne on the big screen and various other dramas on television (Alias, Covert Affairs) that make spy work seem to be nothing more than adrenaline packed action scenes with fast cars and trysts with beautiful women in the most romantic places on earth. Occasionally the super villain who tells the hero the intimate details of his plot for world domination before leaving the hero alone to die what could go wrong?instead of just shooting him then and there, makes for good parody like the Austin Powers series. But, even in parody, Austin Powers still makes the spy world seem just as much as a party as the Bond movies he is riffing off of. But in this weeks Torah portion, we find quite a different spy tale. In this version almost all the spies are idiots. Theyre not the brave lone wolf soldier who can single handedly rescue a prisoner well-guarded by 300 soldiers in some super-secret compound. Far from it! These guys are WIMPS. No one in British Intelligence or the CIA would touch these losers with a ten foot pole. Except for the last two that is, and we will get to them later. The first rule of being a good spy is this: Collect the RIGHT information and dont let emotion cloud your judgment as to what the information really means. But before getting to that perhaps we should look into another issue with this storys equivalent of M, James Bonds boss. And in this case, the M conveniently stands for MOSHE. As Jack Bauer would say, This was a bad opand we are running out of time! Bad op MI mean Moshe. First of all, you already had good intel. You had the greatest Intelligence in the UniverseYHWH Himselfthe ultimate Insider who

13

actually MADE the land you were going into, He told you it was a GOOD land. He said, GO AND TAKE IT. I HAVE GIVEN IT INTO YOUR HANDS. DO NOT BE AFRAID. If any of our fictional spies got a report like that, I guarantee they would sign up for that incursion immediately. The ultimate Authority has given you the green lightGO. But did the real spies of Numbers 13 & 14 take that advice? Of course not, especially since even previous humanitarian missions involving manna and quailOperation Skyfall in other wordsresulted in a total lack of appreciation and even stretched M to the breaking point. In a stunning preview of how bad bureaucracy can get, they needed to spend MORE time seeing the land FOR THEMSELVES. So they cried out to Moshe, and as Ops Commander he should have called for the Abort. He should have said, YHWH said its good so its good. Go attack! But he didnt. Why? Just like Bond and Bourne, sometimes bad politics gets in the way of a good op. Moshe knew his people were struggling with their faith. He probably felt that if they saw the land for themselves it would give them confidence that YHWH was telling them the truth. That was a rational, man-based decision, and that was the problem. See, while its true that YHWH gave the command for them to spy out the Land, this can be a bit deceiving. It wasnt that YHWH wanted Israel to spy out the land; rather it was His response to their incessant whining that things were better in Egypt, from the food to the quality of the land, as if YHWH didnt know how to give a good land to them. So I firmly believe YHWH wanted them to conquer it WITHOUT sending out spies, so they would take His Word for how good the Land was. It was also a test for Moshe. Even though YHWH commands the spies to proceed, He was hoping Moshe would protest and say, But You already said the Land was good, so we should NOT send out spies. I mean they protested everything else Abba YHWH told them so why not here, when it would have actually been beneficial for them to do so? It was just like when men became defiled at Pesach time.they faced what looked like a contradiction in Torah commands so they ASKED YHWH for clarification. Again, why not do that now? Why not say, again, this seems to contradict what You, Abba YHWH said before so please confirm what You want? As a result, instead of showing his people the need to bring their faith UP, he met them where they were with their faith DOWN. Sometimes thats a good thing to be sure, but not here. This is because their expedition did not result in what YHWH wanted. He said, Take it now and dont be afraid. They said back to Him, We really want to wait and were terrified of these big people all over the place. [Operation Nephilim Scare is in full effect.]

14

But if Moshe had put his foot down, the spies would not have come back with the bad report and Israel would not have had to wander in the wilderness until that whole generation dropped dead for their lack of faith. Again, YES, YHWH told them to send out spies, but its the context in which He did so that should have been probed and double-checked to see if that was REALY His will. First rule of any good spy: Know how to assess the REAL AGENDA of the situation. Read between the lines, guys. Thats your job. And also like any good spy drama, the commander is held responsible for the mistakes of his crew, so Moshe himself will not be allowed to enter into the Promised Land either. They even cover up the place where spy master Moshe will be buried, lest other bad ops arise from people worshipping his grave. To be fair though, Ms colossal op is not a total failure here either. Sometimes the seeds of tomorrow are more important than the grand failures of today. M has a new recruit. Hes licensed to kill but more importantly, hes anointed and ready to lead. And so a new generations legacy is Bourne, even though M had offered, like any good secret operative, to be blotted out of the official record. Good thing for us though that new generation went forward and Moshes request for the ultimate anonymity was overruled by a Higher Authority. And lets talk about that white op now in our Haftorah portion shall we? Like any great Bond film, the key is that opening sequence that kicks off the whole drama, so lets open the dossier on Joshua and recap a bit. (Insert deep, gravelly movie announcer voice here) Dateline: Goshen, Egypt, 2,454 Years after the Creation of Adam (1447 BCE) In a world of slavery and hardship, he rose from obscurity to be the second in command to more than 600,000 fighting men as the hopes of a nation of 2 million rested on his shoulders. I know, dont give up my day job Seriously though, Joshua cut his battle teeth against one of the worst foes of the daythe Amalekites. And then he continued to survive where countless other Israelites perished because he was faithful to Abba YHWH. So we need to add the Golden Calf and Caves of Craving disasters to the long list of Joshuas achievements against adversity. And it is out of this training ground that the ancient version of the Mossad recruits Joshua to go into Canaan. But first, Joshua needs to study his tactics. He takes a full year after Moshes death to think about what has to be done for Jericho. During that year, he has no doubt consolidated his power and figured out who he can trust, to keep his friends close and his

15

enemies closer. When the time is right, he debriefs the next generation and lets them know the risks of the op and the even greater risk of destruction for disobeying Abba YHWHs intel. And to help him, the mysterious Man of Elohim has a covert meeting with Joshua to make sure he knows whats expected of him from Above. Joshua has learned from the mistakes of the previous generation, and his op goes as smoothly as anything dreamed up in the mind of Hollywood. He even recruits a prostitute to help him destroy Jericho, uses top secret signals to direct the op and gives her witness protection in return. Now THATs entertainment! You might even say that as spies go, Yehoshua was Bar None. But you can call him Josh. But as for the huge failure here, all I can say is what Austin Powers made famous: OH, BEHAVE! Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week! Next week we will be exploring Korach, or Numbers 16:1-18:32. Our Haftorah portion will be 1 Samuel 11:14-12:22 and our Renewed Covenant portion will be the whole book of Yehuda, 1:1-25! Stay tuned!

16