Parshat Shlach Lecha

I apologize for not preparing a dvar Torah for the past two weeks. My time was taken up with studying the laws of Eruvin with a group in the Yeshiva.

The laws of Eruvin are the halachot pertaining to carrying in the street on Shabbat and are very complicated. Now that we have organized the material and the shiur is under way I hope to have the time to resume the weekly dvar Torah.

The main topic in this week’s parsha is the story of the spies. The whole story, starting with their departure and up to the conclusion when the Jews refuse to enter the Land of Israel is a mystery. The question of how people who so recently saw with their own eyes G-d’s deliverance could suddenly deny their destiny defies simple explanation. The Netziv in his commentary to the Chumash provides an approach to the subject, and I recommend his commentary as an excellent starting point for studying the episode.

Later in the parsha there are two mitzvot that apparently have nothing to do with one another. In chapter 15, verses 17-21 we are given the mitzva of challa, and the very next pesukim teach us about the sacrifices to be brought to atone for the sin of idolatry.

The Sfat Emet (in his divrei Torah for the year 5601) explains why challa is linked with idolatry. Idolators believe that there are forces in the world that act independently of Hashem’s will. Don’t be fooled into thinking that idolatry is a thing of the past. A visit to this week’s Jerusalem Book fair will show (or horrify, depending on your orientation) you that books on astrology and neuveau-paganism attract a crowd.

We as the recipient’s of the Torah are called upon to be opponents of idolatry. First, we are called upon to believe that there is a single Creator who created all the universe (interestingly the Sfat Emet, who writes with an incredible economy of words, emphasizes that we are to believe that Hashem created the universe from a few basic elements). The universe as created is connected to G-d. Next we are to believe that G-d chose the Jewish people to strengthen that connection to G-d by performing mitzvot with His creations. To accomplish this G-d actually shares His power with us, and that is why we must rest from our labor on Shabbat, just as G-d Himself rested on Shabbat.

The Gemara in masechet Shabbat (page 31a) explains verse 33:6 from the Book of Yeshaya. The pasuk speaks of the virtue of faith in Hashem “Vehaya emunat itekha…” and the Gemara says that “faith” refers to observing the agricultural halachot of Seder Zeraim.

What sort of faith do the agricultural halachot (which include the mitzva of separating challa) proclaim?

There is no novelty to a religion of ceremonies. There is no novelty to a religion that provides exquisite esthetic experiences or feelings of spiritual elevation. The Torah is different. When we were blessed with the Temple in Jerusalem, farmers who made the pilgrimages experienced the wonders of the sacred music of the Levi’im. But unlike other religions the religious experience did not end when the farmer left the Temple. When the farmer arrived at home he forged his link to G-d when he planted tomatoes. The G-d of Seder Kodashim is also the G-d of Seder Zeraim. The link of the farmer to his Creator which was achieved in the Holy Temple was strengthened when the farmer planted tomatoes in accordance with the laws of kilayim.

Hashem gave us a Torah in order that we proclaim His rule not only in the synagogue but in our fields and in our kitchens as well. When we get our hands dirty in the vegetable patch we can proclaim that G-d is the Creator. And when we knead flour and water in order to bake our bread that too provides an opportunity to show that we believe in G-d.

That is why the Torah juxtaposes the apparently mundane mitzva separating challa with idolatry. The person who sees Hashem in the kitchen will never be led astray.