Parshat Shelach by Reverend Asher Tannenbaum
Go Up and Overcome
In this week’s Parsha, we read the famous Biblical story of the 12 scouts, appointed by Moses who sends them on a mission to study the land of Canaan. Ten of the twelve scouts bring a negative report and only two, Caleb and Joshua, speak positively. Caleb says the following “Let us by all means go up and we shall gain possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it.”
We are living in difficult and historic times. Israel and the Jewish people are fighting a war of survival against Iran. A war that was inevitable but justified for Israel to eliminate the nuclear threat it is facing and to allow the Jewish people to live in peace and security. The IDF listened to Caleb’s assessment and followed his recommendations to go up and overcome the enemies.
I want to give a special shoutout to Lisa and Mitchell Steinberg who performed a beautiful Mitzvah this morning. It was their initiative and idea to organize a special Shacharit service of prayer and solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel and the Journey of Hope 2025 participants who are stuck there now.
Finally, we are a week away from the 2025 Raffle draw. You, the people of SZBE, have heeded the words of Caleb to go up and overcome the challenge.
There are 150 Israeli teens eagerly awaiting to travel to Canada this summer and spend some deserved time at our camps in the Laurentians. There are still six days left to purchase more Raffle tickets so that we maximize our gift to IVOW and the benefits it brings.
Shabbat Shalom and Am Yisrael Chai.
Reverend Asher Tannenbaum