D’var Torah – Parshat Shelach Lecha
(Moreh Alan delivered this D’var Torah at the Annual Parents Meeting, Monday, June 16)
In Parshat Shelach Lecha, B’nai Yisrael faced a defining challenge in the story of the Meraglim – the spies. Twelve Meraglim were sent to survey Eretz Yisrael. Ten return with fear and negativity, describing the land as – אֶ֣רֶץ אֹכֶ֤לֶת יוֹשְׁבֶ֙יהָ֙ – “a land that devours its inhabitants” and giants who make them feel – וַנְּהִ֤י בְעֵינֵ֙ינוּ֙ כַּֽחֲגָבִ֔ים – “like grasshoppers.” Only Calev and Yehoshua respond differently. They see the same facts, but from a lens of possibility. They say the following:
וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֶל־כׇּל־עֲדַ֥ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָבַ֤רְנוּ בָהּ֙ לָת֣וּר אֹתָ֔הּ טוֹבָ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ מְאֹ֥ד מְאֹֽד׃
“…The land that we traversed and scouted is a very, very good land.” (Numbers 14:7),
and,
וַיַּ֧הַס כָּלֵ֛ב אֶת־הָעָ֖ם אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר עָלֹ֤ה נַעֲלֶה֙ וְיָרַ֣שְׁנוּ אֹתָ֔הּ כִּֽי־יָכ֥וֹל נוּכַ֖ל לָֽהּ׃
“Caleb hushed the people before Moses and said, “Let us by all means go up, and we shall gain possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it.” (Numbers 13: 30)
What separates the ten from the two? A growth mindset, positive outlook, and resilience. Calev and Yehoshua understand that fear is natural but also that fear doesn’t have to paralyze us. They choose courage, trust, and positive vision. They embody an approach to life which focuses not only on the obstacles, but on the opportunities for growth, faith, and resilience.
At the end of the parsha, the mitzvah of tzitzit is introduced—fringes on the corners of our garments to remind us of the mitzvot. But the Torah doesn’t just say “remember the mitzvot.” It adds:
וְלֹֽא־תָת֜וּרוּ אַחֲרֵ֤י לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַחֲרֵ֣י עֵֽינֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם זֹנִ֖ים אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃
“And do not stray after your heart and your eyes.” (Numbers 15:39)
In other words, we need regular, tangible reminders not to be pulled off course by fear, doubt, or momentary distractions.
What is interesting is the word used in the negative with the mitzvah of tzitzit — “וְלֹֽא־תָת֜וּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם” — “Do not go astray after your heart and your eyes” — is the same unusual verb that we find at the beginning of the parsha, when HaShem tells Moshe: “שְׁלַח־לְךָ אֲנָשִׁים וְיָתֻרוּ אֶת־אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן” — “Send people to scout the land of Canaan.”
This word “לתור” (to scout, explore, or seek out) is not commonly used in the Torah. Yet it appears twice in this very portion, once in the context of the spies scouting the land, and again in the mitzvah warning us not to be led astray by what we see and desire.
The connection is profound. The Torah is teaching us that how we “scout” the world, i.e., how we perceive, explore, and interpret what we see, shapes our reality. Ten spies used their eyes and hearts to instill fear, to seek what could go wrong. Two spies, Calev and Yehoshua, as well as the tzitzit, remind us to guide our eyes and hearts in the opposite direction: to seek what is right, what is holy, and what aligns with our values.
In other words, the Torah bookends this parsha with a lesson in perspective. Will we look at the world through fear and doubt, or through trust and growth? The mitzvah of tzitzit reminds us daily that the choice is ours: to seek with clarity, not distortion; to perceive with purpose, not panic.
This is the Torah’s call: Be mindful of how you see. Choose to “scout” the world through the lens of mitzvot, positivity, and potential.
As we gather here at the end of another school year, this message resonates deeply. You, our parents, are the scouts and shepherds of your children’s journeys. The way you view challenges, growth, and potential deeply influences how your children will perceive the world around them. Like Yehoshua and Calev, your faith in what’s possible, in your children, in their education, and in the values we share, helps shape their confidence, curiosity, and connection to Torah. The mitzvah of tzitzit reminds us that learning and living by Jewish values doesn’t happen just in the classroom; it happens every day, in how we look at the world and what we choose to focus on.
Thank you for being our partners in helping your children see with clarity, grow with resilience, and walk with purpose. That is one of the “added values” of a Heschel education. May we continue to raise a generation that scouts the world not with fear, but with trust, not with doubt, but with the deep belief that the land, and the future, is “tovah me’od me’od”, very, very good!
