June 24th: Shelach Lecha
THIS WEEK IN THE TORAH
Rabbi David E. Ostrich
The Haftarah portion (a selection from the Prophets) is always linked to the Torah portion—though sometimes the connection is obscure or tangential. Not so this week! Here, we have two very similar situations, spaced some forty years apart. In the Torah portion, Moses sends forth twelve spies to reconnoiter the land. “Go up there into the Negev and the hill country, and see what kind of country it is. Are the people who dwell in it strong or weak, few or many? Is the country in which they dwell good or bad? Are the towns in which they dwell open or fortified? Is the soil rich or poor? Is it wooded or not?” (Numbers 13.17-20)
Forty years later, in the Book of Joshua, the Israelites again send spies to scout out the land. This time, there are only two spies, and the scope is more limited. “Go, reconnoiter the region of Jericho” (Joshua 2.1)—Jericho being the first target of the Israelite conquest.
In Numbers, the spies sent by Moses return with mixed reports. Joshua and Caleb are enthusiastic about God’s mission. Caleb says, “Let us by all means go up, and we shall gain possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it.” The other ten are not so optimistic. “We cannot attack that people, for it is stronger than we…The country that we traveled and scouted is one that devours its settlers. All the people we saw in it are men of great size…and we felt like grasshoppers compared to them; they must have thought so, too!” (Numbers 13.31-33)
Even though the Israelites are commanded by the Lord to take possession of the Land—as part of God’s decision to take it away from the Canaanites because of their sins, the people believe the negative reports of the ten spies and start complaining. “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only that we might die in the wilderness! Why is the Lord taking us to that land to fall by the sword?!...Let us head back to Egypt.” (Numbers 14.2-4)
The Torah presents God’s response as a punishment. If the Israelites will not follow God’s commands, then they must wander in the wilderness for forty years. After this generation dies, perhaps their children can do the Lord’s work and take possession of the Promised Land.
Some commentators, however, see it more as a realization by the Divine that this generation is just not up to the task. Fine, I’ll take care of you here in the desert; then we’ll see if your children are capable of My holy work.
Some forty years later, Joshua is now the leader of Israel, and the two spies he sends to Jericho find themselves in an interesting situation—one in which a non-Jew in Jericho turns against her people and supports the Israelites.
When the two spies enter Jericho, they go first to a brothel. Are they going for the regular customer service, or is it a place of privacy and perhaps a place to find out important intelligence? Perhaps it is like the old Long Branch Saloon in Gunsmoke. In addition to whatever services might be offered upstairs, there is a bar and gaming tables downstairs, and travelers and locals gather and relax and talk.
Some patrons apparently sense danger in the Israelites, and they report them to the local authorities. Meanwhile, the Israelite spies have made the acquaintance of the proprietor of the establishment, Rahab the zonah/harlot. When the authorities come for the spies, Rahab hides them and gives the Jerichoan soldiers false information, sending them off on a wild goose chase. Why? Why would Rahab turn against her own city and help the soon-to-invade Israelites? I can see two reasons, one socio-political and the other theological.
Prostitutes are at the low end of the socio-economic ladder and are not treated with respect. We do not know about the ancient world, but modern knowledge suggests that this is not a profession chosen for anything other than desperation. One would imagine that life or the culture or the powers-that-be in Jericho have not been kind to Rahab and her family, and she has been reduced to this degrading and dangerous work. So, when one is looking around for loyal defenders of Jericho—individuals for whom Jericho is worth saving, one can easily understand why Rahab would not be in their company. Besides, she sees the approaching Israelites as the next ruling power. “I know that the Lord has given the country to you, because dread of you has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land are quaking before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea for you when you left Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings across the Jordan, whom you doomed. When we heard about this, we lost heart, and no man had any more spirit left because of you…” (Joshua 2.9-11) Since the Jerichoans have not been particularly loyal to Rahab, why would she be loyal to them? She goes with the power.
She may also have a theological reason, as she explains to the Israelite spies: “…for the Lord your God is the only God in the heaven above and on earth below.” (Joshua 2.11) This statement is pretty much a quotation from Moses (Deuteronomy 4.39), and Tradition sees it as a realization that Jericho’s religion is wrong. Rahab wants to convert to Judaism and worship the One God. Indeed, some Midrashim say that she marries Joshua and is the ancestress of many of Israel’s great prophets—and King David!
In the Christian tradition, Rahab is considered an ancestress of Joseph, the “father” of Jesus—and is one of several examples of lowly-esteemed women whose repentance and faith make them exemplars of virtue.
A final thought. As much as we believe in our faith and sing its praises, there is something particularly gratifying when a non-Jew acknowledges the truth or wisdom of Judaism. So, when Rahab quotes Moses and declares, “The Lord your God is the only God in the heaven above and on earth below,” we feel affirmed and respected. The theological truth realized by this non-Jewish woman is particularly persuasive. If the Gentiles can see this truth, shouldn’t we?!