Leah’s Blog – Parashat Shelach 2026
Leah’s Blog – Shelach June 2026-
Something that gets my heart racing even more than several gallons of coffee in my system is the smell of burnt challah dough. For me it speaks way beyond the commandment to take challah off the dough for tithing to the kohanim. When I was just a little girl sitting at the enclave of the window, I remember cherishing our picture bible. In it were the themes of the stories of genesis, one being particular fascinating to me of Yosef at the bottom of the pit while his brothers sat beside it making bread and eating it. The smoke rose above the camp fire. The abstract text for a child was made real in that book and little did I know that I would come to that very place and become embedded in its story. Life in Israel is not easy as the stories of our Avot point out. But living in Israel is not an option but an obligation. The selling of Yosef and the afterparty of the smoking bread, the brothers only lasted a short while as they all were forced to leave Eretz Yisrael and eat bread out of Yosef s hand. They rejected his dreams that represent our entire journey including this very time. In our Parsha the spies, all princes of their tribes rejected entering the Land. They totally missed the visionary call to truly recognize the holiness embedded in every aspect of its physicality. What they thought was for a higher purpose – sitting and learning Torah in the desert- was really for only their own ego because that was not being obedient to what HaShem wanted. He had already bestowed the covenant with Abraham Isaac and Yaakov there. Avraham was told “lech lecha” – go to a land I will show you. The day ten out of twelve spies obstinately reasoned all the physical labor it entails to build homes, sow crops, fight in wars, drain the swamps was the exact day of the selling of Yosef – the 9th of Av – the same day our Temples were burnt to the ground. Trending today are boycotts, blood libels, sanctions on Israel as it rises as prophesied by Yosef when he dreamt קם וניצב . And his shaft stood erect and tall. The mania obsession of attacking Israel and attempting to throw it into a pit will only inevitably have the world eating out its hand. CALL OF DUTY – now is a time of mutual responsibility. Exile is abnormal. This is when we have to live and inherit it.
Shabbat Shalom to all of our dear friends, blessings!!! Leah
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