Most Appropriate for Parshas Korach

The Sin of the Spies and of U.S. Chassidim?

by the great Akiva of Mystical Paths

How can it be that in the week of Parshas Shelach, the Torah portion discussing the spies scouting Israel and returning with negative reports – bad mouthing G-d’s promised land, that the largest chassidic group in the U.S. rents a stadium to meet and bad mouth Israel?

In Parshat Shelach, the people subsequently suffered the punishment of wandering the desert and not being able to enter the land for the sin of listening and not responding to the bad report. In other words, the sin of not listening to G-d’s words that it was the promised land but listening to the spies words that it wasn’t good.

We cannot make the same mistake.

[. . .] they are railing against the ‘zionists’ because they won’t pay for rabbinical students to learn through 30? 

 Or because yes, if those students aren’t learning, they may be required to join those who are defending the life and limb of the population…while eating kosher food and being able to keep Shabbos?

Not acceptable by any Torah standard.

Reb Akiva: we want more of your spot-on observations. we miss your keen perspective.