Sh'lach Lecha: A Biblical Perspective on Flotillas

Earlier this week, I had a very interesting discussion with a friend about the connections between this week's Torah portion and the terrible flotilla-incident involving Israeli soldiers and activists on their way to Gaza. At first glance, it's hard to see the relationship between the two, but we found a couple of very interesting ones, which also give us a little perspective on this unfortunate situation.

One of the things I've said many times in previous blog posts and in many sermons is that the Torah reminds us there is no right and wrong. In real life, every protagonist has flaws, every antagonist deserves a second look, and every scenario can be seen from multiple sides and has many complicated layers. That is true both for this week's Torah reading and the flotilla-incident.

In this week's reading, Moses sends 12 spies in to the land of Canaan to scout it out, and report back on whether the land can be taken or not. Ten of them come back with a negative report, saying, "The country that we traversed and scouted is one that devours its settlers. All the people that we saw in it are men of great size... and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them" (Num. 13:32-33). Only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, come back and say that they can conquer the land. Disheartened by the report of the 10 spies, the people rebel against Moses and Aaron, threatening to kill them. God intercedes, and as punishment for their lack of faith, the people are forced to remain in the desert for 40 years before they can enter the land.

The first similarity we see is the value of intelligence. The Israelites knew that they needed spies to investigate the land first, before they could attempt to attack it. Information had to be gathered, and all angles considered. Last week, much of the flotilla-disaster might have been averted if the Israeli soldiers had been more prepared for the resistance they faced. Yes, they did train for these "types" of situations, but somehow they were still caught off guard and panic ensued. One officer speaking to the newspaper Ha'aretz told reporters, "I still wake up at 3 A.M. and wonder how the hell we did not know more." With information comes tremendous power. The ten spies were able to incite an entire people into a state of panic, and last week's confrontation became an international disaster.

Yet at the same time, most Jews watch the news reports about the flotilla unfold and are shocked at how one-sided they are. They speak of the Israeli "massacre," "bloodbath," "mission of madness," and "piracy." When I read the facts about the incident - or at least try to gather information and piece together what seem like facts - I do not see that at all. I once again see Israel being judged infinitely harsher than any other nation, and I ask myself, "What other country would let these ships sail peacefully into their harbor under these circumstances?" In this week's Torah portion, twelve spies enter Canaan to investigate it, and after spending 40 days together, they still come out with two, diametrically opposed reports. They look at the same information and paint two completely different pictures. And neither side can really convince the other to see it their way, which is indeed part of our predicament today.

There are a couple of essential lessons we can take from these comparisons; in particular the value of gathering information, and the recognition that two sides can look at the same situation and see two completely different things. In the end, however, we are left with no easy answers to the terrible state that last week's incident has left us in. I imagine that Moses and the Israelites often felt caught between a rock and a hard place; unable to go backwards yet unwilling to move forward. Sometimes we feel a similar sense of despair. But it is precisely at these difficult moments that we must remain strong. We have to band together and fight off the vicious lies that are spread about Israel. At the same time, we cannot ignore the mistakes that Israel makes, for when we try to paint a one-sided picture, we discredit ourselves and forfeit our own integrity.

Sometimes it truly seems like we are caught in the wilderness, surrounded by enemies and feeling despair start to creep in. The Israelites overcame adversity, and persevered their time in the desert. It took them years to realize it, but eventually they learned that neither going backwards nor standing still are viable options. We must do the same.