In Memory of Mr.

Max Glass

In Memory of Mr. Jack Gindi

Likutei Ohr
Volume I : Issue XIII
Editor-in-Chief: Asher Naghi 14 Senior Editor: Micah Hyman 14 Managing Editors: Ariel Amsellem 15 Eitan Meisels 15 Michael Somekh 15 Layout Editor: Yair Fax 14 Marketing: Jordan Lustman 15 Yosef Hier 16 Distributors: Mitchell Silberberg 14 Michael Lazovsky 14 Sta Advisor: Rabbi Arye Sufrin

The Pamphlet of Light

Parshat Shelach

A publication of YULA Boys High School

Rabbi Pini Dunner

Send Only Two

Send out men so that they spy out the Land of Canaan that I am giving the Children of Israel, one representative from each tribe should they send, each one a prince among them. And Moshe dispatched them from the wilderness of Paran as God had said, all of them men who were heads of the Children of Israel (Bamidbar 13:2-3). A number of questions arise out of these two Pesukim: First, the opening Pasuk seems to say that Moshe should send out the spies; however, subsequently the verse uses the word they, which seems to imply that the spies were sent by the people as a whole, not just by Moshe. Then, in the second Pasuk, Moshe is named as the one who sent them off, yet Gods instruction is not applied to the second half of the Pasuk. What exactly is going on here? Who really sends the spies on their mission? Perhaps the answer lies in the resolution of the following contradiction: Hashem clearly disapproved of the entire spy episode, yet he then instructed Moshe to send spies. Furthermore, if God rejected the concept of sending spies, why would he allow Yehoshua to organize a similar mission after Bnei Yisraels forty years in the desert?

heart is attentive, your All of this is clearly reflected in the two Pesukim quoted above: In the first Pasuk, entire being enters your Hashem tells Moshe, send out men, namely two suitable men. Later on, the instruction prayer without your broadens at the insistence of the people to include a prince of every tribe. The second having to force it.

To resolve these questions, one can suggest that sending the spies was a legitimate proposition, and therefore, God instructed Moshe to choose two suitable candidates Anashim to act as the advance party and to scout out the land. However, the Children The Flame of of Israel were not satisfied with such a limited group; they wanted every tribe to be Our represented. This part of the plan brought Gods disapproval, but Am Yisrael insisted. So, Ancestors Moshe was forced to choose ten more men, the princes, aside from the originally While praying, listen intended two Yehoshua and Calev. As it turns out, adding extra members to the group was a disastrous idea, as it was these ten princes who subverted the entire mission, to the words very carefully. When your precipitating forty years of wandering in the wilderness.

- Rebbe Nachman of instruction, while the princes went with them upon the peoples instruction. Breslov Meanwhile, forty years later, Yehoshua found himself in the same situation. With

Pasuk clarifies that Moshe sent them out, meaning Yehoshua and Calev, as per Gods

Tellah Gems
Yonah Hiller 14

the conquest of Canaan imminent, he was compelled to send out spies, but this time the same mistake was avoided. Here, only two men were sent as spies, as should have happened years earlier. Had Bnei Yisrael sent the spies on Hashems terms, they would have avoided the resulting punishment.

When praying, we often find ourselves in a routine, a repetition lacking meaning and commitment. While it is true that the words themselves do not change, our understanding and appreciation of them can be transformed on a daily basis as we attempt to understand the words deep meaning. Twice a day in Shema, we recite, Venasnu al Tzitzis, Hakanaf Psil Techeilles And they are to place upon the Tzitzis of each corner a string of Techeilles. Have you ever wondered why your Tzitzis dont have that thread of blue? If you already have Techeilles, are you well versed in the subject and familiar with the meaning that it imbues into your Tzitzis and Davening? The more deeply you care and the more effort you invest in understanding the words you recite, the more your daily routine will transform into a exciting and redemptive commitment.

Finding Hashem in Galut

Jack Kirschenbaum 14
In this weeks Parsha, Bnei Yisrael are informed by the spies that reaching their destination in Eretz Canan would not be as easy as they had supposed. The spies frightened the people, claiming that the inhabitants of Canan were giants, and Bnei Yisrael would be unable toconquerthe land. When Bnei Yisrael heard the disheartening news, they said to Moshe and Aaron, "If only we had died in Egypt. Why is Hashem bringing us to this land, only to die by the sword?" (Bamidbar 14:3). How could the Jewish people possibly belive and be frightened at the spies terrible report? How could they believe that, with Gods help, they would be unable toconquerthe land of Canan? Had Hashem not already proven his might? Only a short time ago, Hashem redeemed them from the land of Egypt, defeated the mightiest power of the ancient world, and split the sea before them. Bnei Yisrael should have had full faith in Hashem that they would be able toconquer the land. To answer, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein suggests that one can develop a relationship with God in two ways: One can seek Hashem through Torah and Teffilah, or he can seek Him through the observance of miracles and wonders. In fact, there is a immense difference between these two methods of attaining a connection with Him. The generationof the Midbar, who experiencedHashem through the miracles of Mitzrayim, could not fathom a God who performs "behind the scenes miracles." Looming large in their conscious was the image of Maan falling from the sky or the image of the Nile turning to blood. Rabbi Avigdor Miller expounds upon this concept, and he explains that in order to achieve a true relationship with Hashem, one must invest a lifetime's worth of effort. To attain a true connection with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, one must take the path of Torah and Teffilah. That means that one must invest himself, his very being, into the service of God. Therefore, although we yearn for a period in which God displays himself to the world openly, we must remember that this is our time to connect to Hashem in a special way. Now, in the depths of Galut, we have an opportunity to nuture a pure and divine relationship with Hashem.

Halachic Illuminations
From Rabbi Nachum Sauer
We end every Shabbos with Havdalah. Here follows an overview of pertinent Halachot: When one says Borei Pri Hagafen, he should hold the cup in his right hand and the Besamim in his left. Next, one says Borei Minei Besamim and switches the objects to hold Besamim in his right and the cup in his left. If one is left handed, the above is reversed. The reason we never put down the cup of wine during Havdalah is because we want every Bracha in Havdalah to be connected to the wine. When one says Borei Morei HaEish, one should put the Besamim down, keep the wine in his left hand, and extend his right hand towards the flame. The Minhag is to use a Havdalah candle that has many wicks and resembles a torch, so one receives greater benefit. In order to say the Bracha, one must receive some benefit from the candle, so it is customary to shut the lights off so that the candle provides illumination. So as to ensure that the light is providing benefit, we hold our hands up and check that the candle generates enough light that we can distinguish between our fingernails and the skin. There is a disagreement among the Poskim whether one should say the Bracha before or after observing ones fingernails. The reason we have Besamim is because after Shabbos, we lose the Neshama Yeseira the extra soul that was granted to us on Shabbos; the Besamim reinvigorates our leftover Neshama. We use a candle by Havdalah because fire was created on Motzei Shabbos, so we commemorate the creation of fire.

Compiled By Your Senior Editor Micah Hyman

The Importance of Faith

Ilan Lavian 15

In Parshat Shelach, Bnei Yisrael prepare for their entrance into Eretz Yisrael. Rashi tells us that before Bnei Yisroel entered the land, they grew anxious and wanted to send spies to inspect the holy country and its inhabitants. Moshe consulted Hashem regarding their request, to which Hashem replied: Send forth men, if you please, and let them spy out the land of Canaan that I give to the Children of Israel; one man each form his fathers tribe shall you send, every one a leader among them (Bamidbar 13:2-3). In saying, if you please, we find that Hashem was dissatisfied with Bnai Yisraels request. If He found their request acceptable, He would have commanded them to send spies prior to their request rather than allowing them afterwards. After their inspection, the twelve spies returned with awful Lashon Hara about the land and its inhabitants. They asserted that the people living there were massive, and Bnei Yisrael believed them, made a massive uproar, and lost their faith in Hashem. In reponse, Hashem told them that they had lost the privilege of being the first Israelite generation in Eretz Yisrael; instead, they would remain in the desert for forty years to die out. Their children would be the first ones to settle in the promised land rather than those God had origionally intended. Had they kept their faith, however, the Children of Israel would have successfully defeated Canaans inhabitants, as Hashem promised they would, and the generation of the spies would have added this miracle to the list of wonders they had already witnessed Hashem perform. The Torahs reason for recording this story is not just to preserve an event in Israels history; rather, it is written to teach future generations the importance of faith in Hashem. Throughout history, the Jewish people have had their faith constantly tested. Sometimes they stayed loyal to Hashem, but at other times they did not. We must learn, and unlike the spies and Bnei Yisrael, we must hold true to our faith no matter how desperate the situation may seem. Otherwise, the result could be catastrophic.

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