The Torah recounts the argument that erupted between the 10 pessimistic spies and Joshua and Caleb, the two optimistic ones. In the Torah portion “Shelach,” we read about the 12 spies who were sent to ...

Pirkei Avot 5:24-Teachings of the Sages, in the name of Ben Bag-Bag, teaches, “Turn it and turn it (the Torah) – you will find everything in it.” These words have rung poignantly true in my life, ...

The 10 spies teach us what happens when fear rules the heart. The ma’apilim teach us of the danger of forcing reality to revive an old fantasy. I write these words from far away, though my heart is at ...

Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, the late Jewish Theological Seminary chancellor and rabbinic literature scholar, taught: When I pray, I speak to God; when I study, God speaks to me. Brilliantly, Finkelstein ...

This week’s Torah portion, Shelach Lecha, opens with Moses enlisting 12 spies to scout out the land of Canaan. Their marching orders are to bring back an assessment not only of their new home, but ...

DURHAM — In Judaism, “Shelach Lecha” is a story in the Torah that is a testament to faith. It is a story of initial fear, but choosing to move forward anyway. This is a Torah portion that Will Ramsay ...