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Orchard of Delights
such a symbolic manner, Kabbalah and Chassidut understand not
only all the mitzvot in the Torah this way but propose that every
story, chapter, verse, and letter in the Torah yields layer upon layer
of symbolic and associative meanings. For this reason the Sages state
that there are seventy faces to the Torah, while the Arizal wrote of
600,000 faces, one for each letter in the Torah and one for each of the
600,000 Jewish root soul sparks. The symbolic strata associated with
the Torah narrative do not undermine a literal reading of the text or
call into question the text’s literal story line; rather, they reveal ever
deeper levels of understanding, which make the Torah personally
relevant and meaningful to every individual.
In the early 1900s, a style of writing termed “stream of
consciousness” captured many peoples’ imaginations. This genre
championed a narrative style based on the loose association of freely
flowing thoughts. Contemporary rap music adopts a similar style.
Yet, when learning Talmud one realizes that these techniques are not
as new as we may think. The Talmud’s free flow of pure logic and legal
argumentation, interspersed by a multitude of stories and pertinent
oral traditions, creates a weave of intellectual and psychological
strands that create an awesomely beautiful stream of consciousness,
a veritable tapestry of spiritual insights juxtaposed with practical
applications. In adopting this style, the Talmud reflects a similar
phenomenon found in the Torah, wherein stories and mitzvot are
juxtaposed to reveal their deep inner connections.
In order to make sure one performs the mitzvot with kavvanah (deep
intent) it is useful to pause both before and during their performance
to make spiritual associations and realize the symbolic ramifications
of our actions. In addition to taking advantage of the insights
provided by the Sages and a multitude of commentators through the
ages, everyone is encouraged to find new and inspiring ways to make
the mitzvot relevant and meaningful in a deeply personal way. The
more Torah one learns the richer the possibilities become for making
associative connections between ideas and concepts. Ultimately, the
more we learn the more we become aware of the unity of all things,
of how everything is rooted in God’s oneness. This, as we discussed
above in the section “Inherent Unity” in the portion of Terumah, is
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shelach ח ַל ְׁש
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“And God spoke to Moses saying: Send for you men that they may
spy out the Land of Canaan which I give to the children of Israel”
(Numbers 13:1-2). The Hebrew root of the word “shelach” (send),
the name of this Torah portion, interestingly enough appears in
the names of two other portions as well: Vayishlach, when Jacob
sends messengers to Esau before re-entering the Land of Israel, and
Beshalach, when Pharaoh sends the Jewish people away after years
of slavery.
Not only do all three portions share the same root word in their
names, they also have coming to the Land of Israel in common. Jacob
sends messengers to Esau, hoping to appease him before re-entering
the Land. Pharaoh sends the people from Egypt thus sending them
on a journey that will ultimately culminate in the Promised Land.
In our portion, Moses sends spies to assess the lay of the land and its
inhabitants in order to devise a plan of conquest.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, taught
that the numerical value of the word “shaliach” (a messenger, with a
specific purpose or mission) – which has the same root as “shelach”
– is 348. If an additional letter yud, equaling 10, is added to the
word “shaliach,” it equals 358, the same as the numerical value of
Mashiach. The Rebbe explains that the additional yud is the hidden
point of pure potential, the spark of Mashiach within every Jew.
The prophet Isaiah summed up the Jewish people’s mission with
great brevity: “to be a light unto the nations” (Isaiah 42:6). This holy
light is initially hidden within every Jew, but when it is activated,
the dormant spark of Mashiach and the Jew’s hidden leadership
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