Shelach Lecha
Are we willing to clean our lenses?
Reflection by Ariel Dominique Hendelman, the Or HaLev Team
"The Torah Portion of Shelach Lecha - meaning Send for Yourself, tells the story of the spies that are sent to survey the land of Canaan in preparation for Am Yisrael conquering it. They come back with mixed reports, saying that there are giants living there, and that it is too well defended to be conquered. Only Yehoshua and Calev have nothing disparaging to say about the land. Moshe is disappointed by such a fearful report and decides with the Infinite One that the people must wander for another 40 years so that the generation consumed by fear will die out, and only the new generation will be able to enter the land that has been promised.
This Torah Portion presents us with a fairly common story. Something has been promised but remains shrouded in mystery, so there is an attempt to scout out the lay of the land, which results in immense fear and doubt. The spies believe that they are too small and insignificant to receive what has been promised to them; they are not worthy of it.
This portion is teaching us something about fear and also about vision. The way we see the world is the way it will appear to us. We don't look at reality as it is, but rather, as we are. If we feel unworthy and unlovable, then we will look with that lens on all of creation.
Our meditation practice affords us the chance to be intimate with our inner landscape - to watch as thought and emotional patterns rise and fall. We can be with what we are trying to escape and distract ourselves from and instead find some stillness and peace. This is a kind of cleaning of the lenses, so that we can view the world with a vision infused with compassion, love, and spaciousness. Then we can look at what has been promised to us and know full well that we deserve it, that it is coming to us without us having to even spy it out. It is coming because it is meant for us. May our practice open us up to new landscapes and all the sacred promises of an intimate connection with ourselves and the Divine."