Shelach שְׁלַח-לְךָ - Send For Yourself
Numbers 13:1-15:41
Reading #4 - Numbers 14:26–15:7
My Thoughts:
In verse 14:42 we read “Hashem isn’t among you”. And they still persisted to conquer the Land. They meet up with the enemy and are defeated. Even the ark of testimony does not go with them. They probably panicked about their sin of doubt and wanted to make things right in their own flesh. Have you ever done that? Where you do something really wrong, and instead of repenting and asking Hashem to help you repair things -- you try on your own to repair them -- and it ends up a disaster! You want Hashem “to be among you” in your life. Especially for big decisions. And if you do sin in a horrible way or even a little way, don’t try to make it up to Hashem in your own way. Ask Him first what you should do! He will show you for sure!
Challenge:
In this Torah study we learn that complaining actually caused ten men their lives! And caused many more to be penalized about going into the Land. So, this tells us that Hashem does not like complaining. And at the time of writing this I can honestly tell you, that’s what I have been doing in my head all day long today. We are in the middle of trying to sell our house and things are going very differently than we thought they would. I am asking Hashem what we are doing wrong, and trying to listen to Him to tell us. But, in the meanwhile, I am super complaining that our house is not sold (like everyone else's has). Then I repent and tell Hashem I am sorry for not having faith that is needed to pull us through. Still, I am sure He is not happy about my complaining. All I can say is “I am so sorry Hashem, please forgive me for complaining. Please show us what to do, very clearly, to sell our house. Help us to be patient and to have faith that You are in the middle of this.” Amen. I hope you can learn from my mistakes today. This is my challenge to you.
Reading #4 - Numbers 14:26–15:7
14:26 Hashem spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation that complain against me? I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel, which they complain against me. 28 Tell them, ‘As I live, says Hashem, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so I will do to you. 29 Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all who were counted of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have complained against me, 30 surely you shall not come into the land concerning which I swore that I would make you dwell therein, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 But I will bring in your little ones that you said should be captured or killed, and they shall know the land which you have rejected. 32 But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your prostitution, until your dead bodies are consumed in the wilderness. 34 After the number of the days in which you spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, you will bear your iniquities, even forty years, and you will know my alienation.’ 35 I, Hashem, have spoken. I will surely do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.”
36 The men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation to murmur against him by bringing up an evil report against the land, 37 even those men who brought up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before Hashem. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive of those men who went to spy out the land.
39 Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. 40 They rose up early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Behold, we are here, and will go up to the place which Hashem has promised; for we have sinned.”
41 Moses said, “Why now do you disobey the commandment of Hashem, since it shall not prosper? 42 Don’t go up, for Hashem isn’t among you; that way you won’t be struck down before your enemies. 43 For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and you will fall by the sword because you turned back from following Hashem; therefore Hashem will not be with you.”
44 But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain. Nevertheless, the ark of Hashem’s covenant and Moses didn’t depart out of the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites who lived in that mountain, and struck them and beat them down even to Hormah.
15 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you have come into the land of your habitations, which I give to you, 3 and will make an offering by fire to Hashem—a burnt offering, or a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or as a free will offering, or in your set feasts, to make a pleasant aroma to Hashem, of the herd, or of the flock— 4 then he who offers his offering shall offer to Hashem a meal offering of one tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one fourth of a hin of oil. 5 You shall prepare wine for the drink offering, one fourth of a hin, with the burnt offering or for the sacrifice, for each lamb.
6 “‘For a ram, you shall prepare for a meal offering two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the third part of a hin of oil; 7 and for the drink offering you shall offer the third part of a hin of wine, of a pleasant aroma to Hashem.
