Rectifying the sin of the spies

Parashat Shelach begins with the words, “Send yourself men to survey the land of Canaan….” What was the purpose of this assignment? Why was it necessary to send men to examine the land’s quality?

Rectifying the sin of the spies (mathematics)

The Spies' Psychology

The sages reveal that the problems leading to the spies' disloyalty to Moses can be found in their names. But, just as their names reveal the psychological qualities that led to disloyalty, these same qualities can be used to rectify and solidify our own commitment to Moses.

Added: 14 Sivan 5771 | June 16, 2011

Audio Class: Holy Espionage

A new look at why the spies sinned. What was Moshe Rabbeinu's real intent in sending them as his emmisaries? What does this have to do with the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel in modern times?

The Rock that God Can Carry

A famous philosophical conundrum, asks, whether God can create a rock that He cannot lift? The answer to this conundrum is that indeed, God can create such a rock and yet, He can still lift it if He so pleases.

613 Mitzvot: Challah

The commandment of Challah appears in parshat Shlach. One of the 3 mitzvot given especially to women, Challah entails taking a piece of unleavened dough from a batch of dough and donating it the priest. In this multi-part series, Rav Ginsburgh explores the deep inner meaning of this mitzvah and how it relates to women in particular. He also goes into the two other mitzvot for women, lighting Shabbat candles (one of the 7 mitzvot of the sages) and family purity.

613 Mitzvot: Tzitzit

The commandment of tzitzit appears in parshat Shlach. In the paragraph prescribing this commandment, the Torah mentions the word tzitzit explicitly three times. This is analyzed in light of the models of space-time-soul and the 4 Worlds (Emanation, Creation, Formation, and Action). In addition, the basic connection between the tzitzit and 613 is explained in depth, both mathematically and conceptually.