Shlach

Tzizit: Zichron Shalom, Reminder of Peace

Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan

In Parshat Shlach, Moshe sends 12 scouts to check out the Promised Land. The scouts bring back a mixed report: it is a land flowing with milk and honey, but defended by gigantic soldiers with well-fortified cities. A crowd of people who hear the report are afraid, and become an angry mob preparing to stone their leaders. God becomes angry - not about the mixed reports, but about the mob. Even Moshe cannot completely calm God down, and the people continue to behave rashly. When Moshe can finally speak to the people again, he reminds them of the spiritual atonement practices for unintentional sin and for arrogant behavior. And he teaches them to make and wear tzizit, as a reminder to stay rooted in mitzvot, and not be swayed by fleeting emotional and perceptual ups and downs.

What a perfect teaching to receive after a difficult week in Israel and Palestine. We are hearing so many mixed reports, watching videos, reading testimonies, sorting through opinions. Torah reminds us how important it is for us not to turn on one another.

Traditionally, we teach that tzizit remind us of the 613 mitzvot: the gematriya of the word tzizit is 600, plus the 8 threads and 5 knots that adorn each corner, total 613. To that, we can add another teaching, relevant to the message of Parshat Shlach: The gematriya of the words zichri shalom, "remember peace," is 613.

Thank you so very much to all those who used the Or Shalom list this week to educate one another, and not to criticize one another!

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