Parsha Sh'lach Day #1: Numbers 13:1-20 (Study Notes)
Parsha Sh'lach Day #1: Numbers 13:1-20 (Study Notes)
(Numbers 13:1-20) A Call to Scan the Promised Land
Right after we read about the plague of quail that killed thousands of Israelites and the plague of leprosy that befell Miriam (but not Aaron for the same sin), Hahem commands Moshe to send 12 spies into the promised land to see what type of land it was. This mission seems more a test of faith than an actual scouting mission.
In the opening lines of Numbers chapter 13, we read that Hashem commands Moshe to choose 12 men to go and scan the promised land. The Hebrew word used in the first verse to describe Hashem's interaction with Moshe is: אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה.
This word (or conjunction of words) connotes the idea that Hashem more than spoke to Moshe. Indeed, it connotes the idea that Hashem "spoke into Moshe." If we consider that every Jewish person…