Both the first part of our parashah, Shlah Lecha, and the haftarah, deal with espionage: the twelve spies Moses sent to scout the land, who return with the famous bunch of grapes that has since turned into a commercial symbol, and the two spies sent by Joshua, who stay at the home of Rahab the whore.

The word for “spy” or “scout” in Hebrew, meragel, comes from the word for “leg”, regel, and its signification is walking the land, to and fro, to gain an impression. But in our parashah, in the book of Numbers, it is the eyes that stand out. And of course, it is quite natural that impressions are made primarily on our vision. The eyes and vision connect all parts of the parashah, and appear not only in the first part, the story of the spies, but also in the words of Moses, in God’s response to the spies’ report, in the punishment meted out measure for measure

“none of the men who have seen my presence … and who have tried me … shall see the land that I promised on oath to their fathers; none of those who spurn me shall see it“, 14:22

, and also in the discussion of the tzitzith at the end of the parashah. And thus says Moses to the spies:

“see what kind of country it is … and take pains to ring back some of the fruit of the land” (13:18, 20).

From the short description of the journey of the spies one gets the impression that they satisfied Moses’ technical requests, and did indeed bring back a bunch of grapes. What they thought of the country we know only from their words after their return. The fact that the narrator does not describe what happened in the country, and does not describe it directly at all, may hint to us that the impression of the land is wide open. It is us who choose what to see, and it would be wrong if the narrator described the country to us through his eyes. That is why we only get the totally subjective description of the spies.

We learn of the subjectiveness of the spies’ description from the sentence which sums up their opinion of the country:

“and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them” (13:33).

First - “to ourselves” (literally “in our eyes”) - an undoubtedly subjective statement. Obviously, seeing as the spies return with a huge bunch of grapes needing two men to carry it, they must have encountered an unusually good and fertile land. And so they admit - “it does indeed flow with milk and honey”. But they choose to focus on the negative and the frightening: “the country … devours its settlers”, and also “we cannot attack that people, for it is stronger than we”.

This is exceptionally clear if we compare the description with that of Joshua’s spies. In the haftarah, Joshua 2, the spies sum up their mission in one short sentence: “the Lord has delivered the whole land int our power; in fact, all the inhabitants of the land are quaking before us”.

But even more meaningful is the coda of the spies’ words: “… and so we must have looked to them” (literally, “and so we were in their eyes”). How could the spies know what they must have looked like to the residents of the country? We have a deep understanding here, though perhaps an unconscious one: the spies know that the way one sees oneself affects the way others see one very deeply. The power to grapple with things comes not from the outside, but from the inner strength one has. The environment only responds to what we “broadcast”. That is why we admire determination - the thrust against the odds, the belief that if we believe in what we do, others will be swept along. If we see ourselves as grasshoppers, others will also see us that way.

The discussion of the tzitzith (ceremonial fringe on the garment) gives this understanding another dimension: we must find real ways, acts, that will remind us who we are at all times. If we see the tzitzith, we will be reminded. And if we remember, our eyes will not wander after that which is foreign to our spirit and identity. God, who forbade humans from eating from the tree of knowledge, may have planned humans that do not see clearly - neither themselves nor their God. But He got humans who chose to eat from the tree, an act after which, they were promised

“your eyes will be opened and you will be like divine beings who know good and bad” (Gen 3:5).

Our open eyes enable us to look in the mirror and force us to see clearly and answer the question - who are we?

Only if we look clearly at all the elements of our identity, deal with them, change with them, develop with them - only then can we expect those with whom we come into contact to accept us as we are.

Shabbat Shalom!

Recent Articles by Raba Galia Riva Sadan

• Raba Galia Riva Sadan - June 8th, 2006
• Shelah: Eyes and Vision - June 24th, 2005

Categories: Bemidbar / Numbers, Shelah
Tags: Bo, human rights, palestinians, settlers