The portion of Shlach lecha discusses the sending of the twelve spies to scout the land of Israel before entering it. The Torah states:[1]
The Lord spoke to Moses saying, "Send out for yourself men who will scout the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel. You shall send one man each for his father's tribe; each one shall be a chieftain in their midst."
The negative report of the spies about the land caused the people to rebel against G-d and ask to return to Egypt, resulting in tragedy for the Jewish people: a plague befell them, and they had to wander in the dessert for forty years until the generation had passed away, allowing only their offspring to enter the land. This narrative… Read More »
The eating of dairy foods is one of the customs on the holiday of Shavuot – commemorating the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.[1] A reason for eating dairy on the holiday is due to the fact that the Torah is referred to as milk and Mount Sinai as cheese. In Song of Songs, it writes in reference to the Torah:[2] ‘Your lips drip flowing honey, O bride; honey and milk are under your tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.’