Torah Books

Who hasn’t been faced with a task and then spent needless amounts of time coming up with creative reasons why it’s going to be too hard?

Moses felt that the Israelites had no reason to fear the inhabitants, as they had all seen the great miracles wrought against the much more powerful Egyptians.

Introduction This week’s Torah reading contains a passage that – at least on the surface – appears out of context. After relating the story of the spies Moshe sent to survey Eretz Yisrael and discussing the offerings that the Jewish people would be requir...

Introduction In Judaism, there is a dynamic interplay between making a commitment to G‑d and His commandments that transcends reason and serving Him with our minds and using them to guide our conduct. At times, the emphasis is on faith and following His l...

Introduction There is a classic Jewish adage: It took one moment to take the Jews out of Egypt but 40 years to take Egypt out of the Jews. Developing a free man’s mentality takes time. The story of the spies sent by Moshe to survey the Land of Israel show...

The Sidra of Shelach contains the episode of the spies whom Moses sent to gather intelligence about the land of Canaan. Ten of the twelve spies returned with disparaging reports, that although the land was fertile, its inhabitants were too strong and thei...

The dramatic story of the spies Moses sent to scout out the Land of Israel to conquer it is utterly perplexing. How can these handpicked leaders end up claiming that G-d’s mission can’t succeed. Where did the spies go so wrong? Based on Likkutei Sichos vo...

After the debacle of the Spies, G-d threatened to annihilate the Jews and begin His people anew with Moshe. In his defense of his fellow Jews, Moshe seems to invoke a strange, even disturbing argument. (Likutei Sichos vol. 23, Sicha 2)

The passage entitled Shlach relates how 12 individuals were sent to spy out Eretz Yisrael. Upon their return, the spies — except for Calev and Yehoshua — told the people that the land would be impossible to conquer, thereby rousing the people’s wrath agai...