Parashat: Sh’lach

Parashat: Sh’lach
Numbers 13:1–15:41

“Caleb hushed the people before Moses and said, ‘Let us by all means go up, and we shall gain possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it.'”

— Numbers 13:30

In the face of those who said the task was too challenging, Caleb, one of the spies sent to scout the land by Moses, tells the people that they can indeed succeed in conquering the land. Caleb’s message to the people is that through faith in God, reliance on God’s promises, and trust in one another, they can achieve a seemingly insurmountable task. Unfortunately, the people did not listen and as a result, were sentenced to 40 years of wandering so that a new generation would be the ones to enter the land; only Caleb and Joshua would be allowed from the current generation. This passage is a reminder to us to cast off the naysayers in our midst, those who say a task is too big, or those who reject progress in the name of seeking perfection. When we see a large task, we know it can not be done at once or by individuals, but by all of us coming together, with faith in one another, to overcome even the largest obstacle.

— Rabbi Daniel Plotkin