Parasha Sh’lach L’cha 5784

Me

This week we read Parasha Sh’lach L’cha, Numbers 13:1-15:41. Parasha Sh’lach covers a ton of ground, most of which we will be unable to completely and adequately cover today, but as a brief synopsis: we begin with chapter 13 and the 12 spies of Israel (one from each tribe) being sent out across the Jordan to reconnoiter the Promised Land, and then 10 of the 12 come back with an evil report about the Land and the nation rejects it. In chapter 14 we see Israel grumbling and complaining about the bad report they’ve now heard, they try to mutiny against Moses and Aaron, Joshua and Caleb try to calm the crowd and encourage them to push forward, Moses intercedes for the nation and reminds HaShem of the 13 Attributes found in Exodus 34:6-7, and the Lord condemns Israel to 40 years in the wilderness until the first generation dies out, and Israel suddenly gets indignant and tries to take the Land anyways and fails horribly. In chapter 15 the Lord describes how offerings by fire should be presented as a fragrant aroma before Him once Israel actually enters the Land, He delineates between unintentional and intentional sin, and lastly our Parasha this week concludes with the command to wear Tzitziyot.

(Talk about target fixation on a motorcycle)

A motorcycle will naturally go where you are looking… So it’s vitally important to keep your eyes on the path you’re wanting to go.

We

Maybe you’ve experienced this same kind of idea in your own life...

Maybe you’ve ridden motorcycles yourself and know all about it...

Maybe you’ve experienced the same concept while driving your car and found the curb...

Maybe you’ve experienced this in the workplace and been so focused on the promotion you want you’ve lost focus on the job at home...

Maybe you’re a husband or wife and have been so focused the future or the past that you’ve forgotten about the present in your relationship...

Maybe you’re a teen or young adult and are so focused on the future you want or hope for that you’re not realizing you’re sacrificing the life you have....

The reality is, we can probably all come up with some scenario in our life where this principle of target fixation is true… But where should our attention truly be focused?

God

As I have worked through the Parasha this week this concept of target fixation just kept flowing through my mind and as I considered this reality this principle immediately came to mind from the text, and it’s a spiritual principle we cannot afford to ignore...

Principle: We have two choices—we can fixate on the ways of L-rd, or we can fixate on the world around us…

(Repeat)

So let’s dive into the text a bit together today...

We’re going to kind of work backwards a bit, and begin with the end of the Parasha. Here we see the commandments about wearing tzitziyot, the tassels on our Tallit Gadol or Tallit katan.

Numbers 15:37–41 TLV

Adonai spoke to Moses saying, “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael. Say to them that they are to make for themselves tzitzit on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and they are to put a blue cord on each tzitzit. It will be your own tzitzit—so whenever you look at them, you will remember all the mitzvot of Adonai and do them and not go spying out after your own hearts and your own eyes, prostituting yourselves. This way you will remember and obey all My mitzvot and you will be holy to your God. I am Adonai your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am Adonai your God.”

There’s a couple of intriguing and important things to consider here…

First, the tekhelet, the blue string—the blue strings, which rabbis argue would be somewhere between a blue and a blueish purple. It is connected to royalty and the Temple service.

Numbers 15:39 TLV

It will be your own tzitzit—so whenever you look at them, you will remember all the mitzvot of Adonai and do them and not go spying out after your own hearts and your own eyes, prostituting yourselves.

The Hebrew word translated here as “them” or in other translations as “it” is the word otto and Talmud says the most accurate translation may be “He.” It is said that when one looks at the tzitzit (particularly the Tekhelet) one is looking at God, or as we might say—Looking at Yeshua, the Living Torah, the Word made flesh, as Colossians 1:15 says, “the visible image of the invisible God.” As such, looking at the tzitzit will remind us to keep the Torah.

Second is the purpose for the Tzitziyot themselves… We read again...

Numbers 15:39 TLV

It will be your own tzitzit—so whenever you look at them, you will remember all the mitzvot of Adonai and do them and not go spying out after your own hearts and your own eyes, prostituting yourselves.

“…and not go spying out after your own hearts and your own eyes, prostituting yourselves.” The language here is extremely important to understand, and it is the key to grasping what we’re dealing with today.

The Hebrew word here is “Taturu” from the root word “tor” meaning to spy. This is the same word used in the beginning of this Parasha, in Numbers 13, where the Lord instructs Moses to send 12 “nasi’im” (princes) to spy out the Land.

This word is selected intentionally to remind Israel of their mistake with the report of the 10 spies and to remind them not to do the same thing spying after their own heart and eyes and break covenant with the Lord.

Principle: We have two choices—we can fixate on the ways of L-rd, or we can fixate on the world around us…

(Talk about the 12 spies spying out the Land)

Numbers 13:23–33 TLV

When they reached as far as the Valley of Eshcol, they cut a single branch with a cluster of grapes. It was carried on a pole between two of them. They also cut some pomegranates and some figs. That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster cut by Bnei-Yisrael. They returned from investigating the land after 40 days. They traveled and returned to Moses, Aaron and the entire community of Bnei-Yisrael at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They gave their report to them and the entire assembly. They showed the land’s fruit. They gave their account to him and said, “We went into the land where you sent us. Indeed it is flowing with milk and honey—this is some of its fruit. Except, the people living in the land are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw the sons of Anak there! Amalek is living in the land of the Negev, the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites are living in the mountains, and the Canaanites are living near the sea and along the bank of the Jordan.” Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “We should definitely go up and capture the land, for we can certainly do it!” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We cannot attack these people, because they are stronger than we.” They spread among Bnei-Yisrael a bad report about the land they had explored, saying, “The land through which we passed to explore devours its residents. All the people we saw there are men of great size! We also saw there the Nephilim. (The sons of Anak are from the Nephilim.) We seemed like grasshoppers in our eyes as well as theirs!”

The Land is exactly as God said it would be, BUT we can’t take it because we can’t overpower the Canaanites...

If the Land was exactly as God said it would be then should we at least be able to have the faith that everything else He said about it would come true too, including possessing the land?

But Israel was struggling with target fixation, like I was talking early with riding a motorcycle… They were so focused on the curb that they were leaning enough into the turn and ultimately crashed and burned.

They didn’t have their eyes focused on the Lord, on His Word, and on His promises… All they could see was what was right in front of their eyes...

Principle: We have two choices—we can fixate on the ways of L-rd, or we can fixate on the world around us…

Ultimately, the command for tzitziyot is a very important spiritual object lesson for Israel. It is found in Parasha Sh’lach for a very intentional contextual object lesson. If Israel has Tzitziyot on our garments and are continually reminded of the Torah perhaps we’ll have a much better chance of not chasing after the ways of the world...

In fact, in Talmud there is an interesting story shared to illustrate this very reality. It’s found in Menachot 44a and says:

There was once a man who was very scrupulous about the precept of tzitzit. One day he heard of a certain harlot overseas who took four hundred gold dinars for her hire. He sent her four hundred gold dinars and appointed a day with her. When the day arrived, he came and waited at her door, and her maid came and told her, “That man who sent you four hundred gold dinars is here and waiting at the door”; to which she replied, “Let him come in.” When he came in, she prepared for him seven beds, six of silver and one of gold; and between one bed and the other there were steps of silver, but the last were of gold. She then went up to the top bed and lay down upon it naked. He too went up after her in his desire to sit naked with her, when all of a sudden the four fringes of his garment struck him across the face, whereupon he slipped off and sat upon the ground. She also slipped off and sat upon the ground and said, “By the Roman Capitol, I will not let you go until you tell me what blemish you saw in me.” “I swear,” he replied, “that never have I seen a woman as beautiful as you. But there is one precept which our G‑d has commanded us, called tzitzit, and with regard to it the expression “I am the L‑rd your G‑d” is twice written, signifying: I am He who will exact punishment in the future, and I am He who will give reward in the future. Now the tzitzit appeared to me as four witnesses.” Said she: “I will not leave you until you tell me your name, the name of your town, the name of your teacher and the name of your school in which you study the Torah.” He wrote all this down and handed it to her. Thereupon she arose and divided her wealth into three parts: one-third for the government, one-third to be distributed among the poor, and one-third she took with her in her hand; the bedclothes, however, she retained. She then came to the study hall of Rabbi Chiya, and said to him: “Master, give instructions about me that they make me a proselyte.” . . . Those very bedclothes which she had spread for him for an illicit purpose she now spread out for him lawfully.

And Midrash Rabbah says, The strings of the tzitzit are comparable to the case of one who has been thrown into the water, and the captain stretches out a rope and says to him: “Take hold of this rope with your hand and do not let go, for if you let go, you will lose your life!” In the same way, G‑d said to Israel: “As long as you adhere to the commandments, then “you who cleave unto the L‑rd your G‑d are alive, every one of you, this day" (Deuteronomy 4:4).

Principle: We have two choices—we can fixate on the ways of L-rd, or we can fixate on the world around us…

We see an very powerful example of this principle in Matthew

Matthew 14:22–33 TLV

Right away, Yeshua made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the hillside by Himself to pray. And when evening came, He was there alone. But the boat was already a long way from land, tossed around by the waves, for the wind was against it. Now in the fourth watch of the night, Yeshua came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It’s a ghost!” And they cried out with fear. But immediately, Yeshua spoke to them, saying, “Take courage! I am. Don’t be afraid.” Answering, Peter said to Him, “Master, if it’s You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water to go to Yeshua. But seeing the wind, he became terrified. And beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Master, save me!” Immediately Yeshua reached out His hand and grabbed him. And He said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You really are Ben-Elohim!”

(Talk about this for a moment)

Peter recognized the reality of who Yeshua is, and he had at least enough faith to step out of the boat, and as long as he kept his eyes on Yeshua he stayed above water… But the moment he looked away he was consumed by the reality of what was happening and he became target fixated and began to sink.

Principle: We have two choices—we can fixate on the ways of L-rd, or we can fixate on the world around us…

And, curiously enough, what do we see immediately after the account of Yeshua and Peter on the water?

Matthew 14:34–36 TLV

After they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Yeshua, they sent word into all the surrounding region. And they brought to Him all those who were in bad shape and kept begging Him that they might just touch the tzitzit of His garment—and all who touched it were cured.

You

(Call worship team back up and unmute)

So, what is it you’re facing right now in life?

Maybe you’re looking at a job change, or a crisis at work...

Maybe you’re facing a family crisis or health issue...

Maybe you’re praying for your children who are struggling in their faith or not even walking with the Lord at all...

Maybe you’re the one struggling with target fixation and are find yourself doing a very uncomfortable split trying to walk with one foot in the world and one foot in the Word...

We

Whatever it is, this single and profound principle we see in the spiritual object lesson of the tzitziyot is something we have all got to wrap our heads around. It is vital and key to our faith walk with the Lord. We can’t serve two masters, and we can’t pretend like we can successfully walk in faithfulness to the Lord and His Word while at the same time trying to keep our grasp on the life we had in the world around us.

We can’t become target fixated on the world, on trying to live like the world and act like the world and then also expect the world to see Yeshua in us...

The command to wear tzitziyot is a powerful spiritual object lesson… If we keep our eyes focused on the Word of the Lord then we are far less likely to be swayed by the ways of the world, and we are far more likely to have His Word permeate our very being and draw others into the Kingdom of Messiah.

So, let us learn to keep our eyes locked in on Yeshua at all times… The tzitziyot point us to the Word, and specifically the Word Made Flesh, so let’s strive to maintain our gaze on Him and walk through these storming waters with Him and not sink.

Principle: We have two choices—we can fixate on the ways of L-rd, or we can fixate on the world around us…

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