Cyberdov

Heard from Riva Alper at the Ramaz Liasion committee meeting this week…

The shoresh RAH (to see) appears infrequently in Sefer BaMidbar. Most of those instances are in the story of the spies, in this week’s parshah. It is interesting to note that the exact form of one of these words also occurs in a different context in this same parsha. In 13:18, Moshe charges the spies, “u-reitem et ha-aretz ma hi” (See what the land is like). In 15:39, in the parsha of Tzitzit, we are told “u-reitem oto u-zechartem et kol mitzvoth Adonay” (See them and remember all of God’s commandments).

It is also interesting that there is another textual link. The spies are not called ‘meraglim’, but rather (14:6) ‘tarim’, from the root TVR (“to tour” is probably a reasonable translation). This root is also found in the paragraph of tzitzit – 15:39, “ve-lo taturu acharei levavchem ve-acharei eineichem” (do not stray by following your hearts and eyes).

Perhaps there is a connection. It is a common theme that all 12 spies saw the same things in Canaan, but 10 gave a negative report and 2 gave a more encouraging one. One interpretation is that they all saw what they wanted or expected to see. The tzitzit are just threads - when we look at them, how are we to be reminded of the mitzvoth? Clearly, it is only if we are looking for the mitzvoth and their reminders that we will be able to discern them. The same is true of God’s presence in our world and our lives. Life usually proceeds in a natural way. It is only if we sensitize ourselves to God’s presence that we can benefit from recognizing it. Perhaps this is the zechut referred to by R Chanaya ben Akashya when he said, Ratza HaKadosh Baruch Hu le-zakot et Yisarel…

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