When the Yisrael-ites send out a scouting party from the wilderness (Numbers 13:1), disaster results. After escaping Mitzrayim, the narrow place and over two years in the wilderness, the People are moving ahead and now send out a scouting party — AKA “spies” — to explore their destination. The scouting attempt leads to (Num 14:29):
- fear of what’s ahead,
- a desire to go back,
- an attempt to advance without divine guidance, and
- finally, realization that an entire generation will die in the wilderness.
One obvious lesson here is that there is a lot to learn about
- how we look ahead;
- how we look at what’s behind us;
- how our individual perspectives shape what we see; and
- how we organize that information into expectations.
Somewhat belated “week three” installment — more from “The Scouting Challenge: Facing Race” posted at Songeveryday.org last week. Look for week four’s installment soon.
Rereading Torah Towards Liberation 