In this week’s Torah portion, Sh’lach, Moses sends twelve scouts to explore the land of Canaan before its conquest.
Upon their return, the scouts summarize their impressions with two seemingly contradictory descriptions of the land:
On the one hand: “The country… is one that devours its settlers”
On the other: “The land… does indeed flow with milk and honey”
How can this contradiction be resolved?
On the plain level of interpretation, it is not difficult at all.
Canaan is a land rich in resources, and it would be good to settle there. However, its inhabitants are fierce and formidable, so we have no chance of establishing ourselves there. One could leave the matter at that.
Yet in these days—days of rampant Jewish nationalism and a troubling disregard for the sanctity of human life—we need a different interpretation, one that resolves the contradiction in another way:
A land in which the sanctity of the soil stands above the sanctity of human life is not truly a land.
It is a grave.
And that is, quite literally, a country that devours its settlers.
But a land in which the sanctity of human life stands above the sanctity of the soil is a good land.
It is a fruitful land.
It is a compassionate land.
It is a land flowing with milk and honey.
The choice of which kind of land we will live in, as always, is ours.
May we know how to act and choose wisely, so that days as shameful and unimaginably cruel as these become a thing of the past.
Pay attention to the soul.
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Rabbi Mori Lidar is a Reform Rabbi, serving as a Regional Rabbi at Israel’s Misgav Local Council and as the Rabbi of Har Halutz congregation. He facilitates certified Men’s Circles- a safe space where men share their experiences, thoughts, and feelings in a confidential and supportive setting , and since October 7 has been leading listening and processing circles for community members navigating collective trauma.
Mori holds a Master’s degree in Jewish Studies from Ono Academic College, a B.Ed. from the Institute for Democratic Education at Kibbutzim College specializing in History and Bible studies, He was ordained as a rabbi in 2019 at Hebrew Union College–JIR in Jerusalem.
In the past, Mori served as assistant manager of the educational department at the Jerusalem-based NGO Rabbis for Human Rights, working closely with educational director Rabbi Nava Hefetz. His work there included organizing and facilitating interfaith panels, educational seminars, and field programs in the West Bank.
Mori is a member of Spirit of the Galilee and other Israeli peace and dialogue organizations. In the summer of 2015 he participated in the Inter-Faith Summer Programme at the University of Cambridge, directed by David F. Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity. He is married to Olga and is the proud father of Naomi and Alma. He currently resides in Lotem, a moshav in Israel’s northern Galilee.
Upon their return, the scouts summarize their impressions with two seemingly contradictory descriptions of the land:
On the one hand: “The country… is one that devours its settlers”
On the other: “The land… does indeed flow with milk and honey”
How can this contradiction be resolved?
On the plain level of interpretation, it is not difficult at all.
Canaan is a land rich in resources, and it would be good to settle there. However, its inhabitants are fierce and formidable, so we have no chance of establishing ourselves there. One could leave the matter at that.
Yet in these days—days of rampant Jewish nationalism and a troubling disregard for the sanctity of human life—we need a different interpretation, one that resolves the contradiction in another way:
A land in which the sanctity of the soil stands above the sanctity of human life is not truly a land.
It is a grave.
And that is, quite literally, a country that devours its settlers.
But a land in which the sanctity of human life stands above the sanctity of the soil is a good land.
It is a fruitful land.
It is a compassionate land.
It is a land flowing with milk and honey.
The choice of which kind of land we will live in, as always, is ours.
May we know how to act and choose wisely, so that days as shameful and unimaginably cruel as these become a thing of the past.
Pay attention to the soul.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rabbi Mori Lidar is a Reform Rabbi, serving as a Regional Rabbi at Israel’s Misgav Local Council and as the Rabbi of Har Halutz congregation. He facilitates certified Men’s Circles- a safe space where men share their experiences, thoughts, and feelings in a confidential and supportive setting , and since October 7 has been leading listening and processing circles for community members navigating collective trauma.
Mori holds a Master’s degree in Jewish Studies from Ono Academic College, a B.Ed. from the Institute for Democratic Education at Kibbutzim College specializing in History and Bible studies, He was ordained as a rabbi in 2019 at Hebrew Union College–JIR in Jerusalem.
In the past, Mori served as assistant manager of the educational department at the Jerusalem-based NGO Rabbis for Human Rights, working closely with educational director Rabbi Nava Hefetz. His work there included organizing and facilitating interfaith panels, educational seminars, and field programs in the West Bank.
Mori is a member of Spirit of the Galilee and other Israeli peace and dialogue organizations. In the summer of 2015 he participated in the Inter-Faith Summer Programme at the University of Cambridge, directed by David F. Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity. He is married to Olga and is the proud father of Naomi and Alma. He currently resides in Lotem, a moshav in Israel’s northern Galilee.