Shelach: The Day Our Ancestors Matured

In this week’s Torah portion, Shelach, we read the famous account of Moses sending spies to scout the Land of Israel. The narrative begins with a curious nuance: G-d tells Moses he may send spies if he wants to. Essentially, G-d declined to command the mission, leaving the decision entirely in Moses’ hands.

One might wonder why Moses didn’t take this as a hint that the mission was a bad idea. Why did he proceed?

Fascinatingly, we read this story this year on the very day it occurred. The Talmud (Taanit 29a) notes that the spies were dispatched on the 29th of Sivan, meaning they were appointed and instructed on the 28th. This Shabbat coincides with the 28th of Sivan, adding a layer of historical drama to our reading. But what is the deeper significance of the 28th, and why did Divine Providence arrange for the spies to be sent on this specific day?

Independence Day

Recall your own journey into adulthood. There was likely a time when your parents dictated your every move. Eventually, you reached the teenage years and sought independence. Often, this resulted in a struggle for control. Then came the moment when your parent stepped back and said, “I trust your judgment. The decision is yours.” That was the day you truly began to grow.

This is precisely what happened when G-d told Moses, “I won’t tell you what to do. If you want, send them.”

Moses didn’t interpret this as a subtle warning; he took G-d’s words at face value. He understood that G-d was signaling a shift: the Jewish people had reached a point where they no longer needed to be dictated to. They were being invited to make the right choice on their own.

In Jewish thought, there are two ways to serve G-d:

1. Subordination: Letting G-d set the direction and obeying blindly. Our Sages call this “subjugating your will to G-d’s will” (Ethics of the Fathers 2:4).

2. Alignment: Digging deep and working hard until our minds align with G-d’s wisdom and our instincts are synchronized with Divine values. Our Sages call this “making your will G-d’s will” (Ethics of the Fathers, Ibid.).

For over a year, Moses had consulted G-d on every detail. When the tribal princes wanted to bring inaugural offerings, Moses checked with G-d. When the people asked for a second chance to offer the Paschal Lamb, Moses consulted with G-d. But when the people asked to send spies, G-d essentially said, “Moses, I trust you to figure this one out.”

Moses rejoiced. He saw this not as a burden, but as a “graduation.” The people were transitioning from mere recipients of Divine instruction to active contributors. They were finally being trusted to stand on their own.

Of course, the first experiment went poorly; the spies showed disastrous judgment. But that is the risk of independence. Just as we allow our children to learn from their mistakes, G-d allowed the nation to stumble so they could eventually repent, correct their course, and arrive at a deeper, more authentic relationship with G-d.

The Power of the 28th

This brings us to the significance of the 28th of Sivan. G-d gave us the Torah in the month of Sivan; consequently, Sivan is the month of receiving, the month of standing humbly before Divine revelation. The following month, Tamuz, represents the next stage: aligning with the Torah and making it our own.

The spies spent the entire month of Tamuz on their mission. However, they were dispatched in the final days of Sivan. This timing is crucial. Maturity does not emerge in a vacuum; our parents and teachers empower us for that moment. We experience independence as stepping out of their shadow, but it is their wisdom that provides the light by which we walk.

The spies left in late Sivan so they would realize that their independence was not a departure from G-d, but an extension of His empowerment. G-d implanted in them the strength to choose wisely.[1] In Hebrew, the number 28 is represented by the letters Khaf and Chet, which spell the word koach—strength. The 28th of Sivan is the day of empowerment, giving us the strength to align our minds with the Divine.

Let Freedom Ring

This principle extends beyond the individual. Entire societies can be structured this way. For much of human history, true freedom was a rarity. Nineteenth-century Europe introduced emancipation, but it was a freedom granted by governments. What the state grants, the state can take away.

The United States introduced a revolutionary concept: inherent, G-d-given freedom. George Washington famously wrote to the Jewish community of Newport, Rhode Island, that religious liberty was not a matter of “toleration” by the government, but an inherent right. In this “Golden Land,” people were free to make their own choices without coercion. For the first time, free will became a wide-open reality.

Providing people with so much “wiggle room” can be messy. When people are free to choose the good, they are also free to choose the immoral. Jewish immigrants called America the Goldene Medina (the Golden Land), but some also called it the Treifene Medina (the unkosher land) because freedom could lead people away from tradition as easily as it could draw them toward it.

But this is the nature of true maturity. Only when we are fully free to choose—without financial, social, or oppressive coercion—can we choose G-d with a whole heart.

As we read this Torah portion on this fateful day, let us tap into that koach, that strength. May we use our freedom to refine ourselves and the world around us, revealing the inner truth of our reality: that human nature and this world are not lawless jungles, but G-d’s beautiful garden.[2]

[1] This is the inner meaning of G-d’s words, “I do not command it. If you want, send.” It is not walking away and handing authority to Moses. These words endowed Moses with the ability and wisdom to make the right choice.

[2] This essay is based on a landmark talk by the Lubavitcher Rebbe on 28 Sivan, 5749. Toras Menachem 5749:3, pp.383–395.