Parashat Sh'lach L'cha 5768

In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Sh’lach L’cha, the Israelites journey close to the Promised Land. As they approach, God instructs Moses to choose twelve emissaries to go and scout out the land. This mission is a curious one. As God says to Moses, “‘Send emissaries to scout the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelite people’” (Numbers 13:1).

And I wonder, why would the Israelites need to send scouts to a land that God has already promised them? What are they meant to find there? What impact will their discoveries have on their future? Commentators have asked similar questions, some suggesting that the purpose of this mission is to test the faith of the scouts. I believe this mission is not only a test of faith, but also a test of partnership. Are the Israelites willing to recognize their own role in realizing the vision of the Promised Land? Are they willing to imagine themselves as God’s partners in the next stage of their lives? With all of their complaining about their present conditions, are they willing to vision and realize a better future?

Whatever the goal of the expedition is, the scouts (all except for two) clearly fail in their mission. They return back with examples of lush produce, illustrating that the land is indeed fertile. However, they quickly tell of “giants” who inhabit the land, adding “The country that we traversed and scouted is one that devours its settlers.” (Numbers 14:32). The scouts’ scathing report sends fear throughout the camp.

I believe this story of the scouts holds particular significance to us today. I believe that we, in this generation, stand again on the edge of the desert looking into what might yet be the Promised Land. Our Promised Land is not a physical space, but a vision of what our world might yet be. Our Promised Land is a world in which all people are treated with dignity, in which all people are free from violence, in which all people are satiated. In today’s world, we are all scouts. Do we look forward to the future with a sense of hopelessness and defeat? Do we give into our own doubts that our world might never be made whole? Or, do we suspend our fear and overcome our apathy to find a passion for change—a passion for tikkun olam—within ourselves. We stand again on the edge of the Promised Land and we are asked to believe that we might yet enter and occupy a better world.

On this Shabbat, may each of us imagine ways that we can fulfill our role as God’s partner in the ongoing work of healing our world. On this Shabbat, may we renew our hope in a Promised Land not yet realized.