Beha’alotcha

Never Losing Sight of the Promised Land

By RABBI ANDY VOGEL, Temple Sinai, Brookline MA

Too often, we are overwhelmed by formidable obstacles that obscure our vision. When the spies of this week’s Torah portion, who are sent on a reconnaissance mission to in the land of Canaan, see the giants there, the enormity of the task of entering the Land of Israel grips them, and they lose sight of the potential of the Promised Land. They even admit, “We were as grasshoppers in our own minds, and so we were in their minds, too!” (Numbers 13:33). Their inability to appreciate their own capacity defeats them, taking away their courage and nearly robbing them of their power, too. For this they must wander forty years in the desert.

I can identify with their feelings. There are so many giant tasks we face that overwhelm us: meeting the very serious and real challenges of global warming, debilitating poverty, a disastrous war in Iraq, our broken health care systems, not to mention an on-going genocide by which the world seems unaffected. And yet, the experience of the spies in this week’s Torah portion reminds us to defy being overwhelmed, and continue ahead with our work. The Jewish people’s responsibility always remains to repair our broken world, to have clear vision for a better world, and to have hope.

Celebrating Our Liberation from Slavery by Empowering Those Who Remain Oppressed

By DEVORAH MARCUS

As Jews we assume responsibilities and obligations both as individuals and as a community. Our “sacred inheritance” and our “covenantal responsibilities” to God include combating modern forms of oppression.

Pursuing Holiness and Justice

By BRENT CHAIM SPODEK

Moses had a vision for the Israelites who left Egypt for the Promised Land that included not only food and shelter, but also a holy and just society. “Pursuing justice without holiness is politics, not religion, and the pursuit of holiness without justice is a sham”

Beyond Fear: Social Justice as a Sacred Communal Obligation

By NINA WOUK

Parashat Beha’alotcha reminds us of the risks and dangers of true social action but also of its triumphs when attempted through mutual solidarity.

We Cannot Do This Alone: Participate in National Hunger Awareness Day

By DR. H. ERIC SCHOKMAN

Dr. H. Eric Schokman, president of Mazon, writes about the importance to the American Jewish community of coming together to fight hunger on National Hunger Awareness Day, June 5th. As Dr. Schockman points out, a collective commitment to dealing with this crisis is our responsibility, as Jews.