Shelach: Zemer of The Week
Parshat Shelach
“Yesh Tikvah” (Benny Friedman)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIPCHjFC9yk
יש תקוה אם נשיר כולנו יחד
יש אמונה חזקה מכל הפחד
לא נפול, לא נרעד כי אנחנו לא לבד
יש לנו ד' אחד
There is hope, If we sing our hope together
We have faith that is stronger than the terror
No despair, no dismay because we are not alone.
We have the One Hashem.
In Parshat Shelach, the spies saw giants and became discouraged. Yehoshua and Kalev saw the same challenges but believed in the future.
Yesh Tikvah expresses that spirit of hope and possibility. It reminds us that the future is shaped not only by the obstacles we face, but by the confidence and faith with which we face them.
If you want a more-traditional zemer:
The Zemer for this week: צמאה נפשי
This zemer was written by the ibn Ezra, whose first name (Avraham) appears in the acrostic of its verses. It focuses on – and yearns for – the closeness between Hashem and Bnai Yisrael, both spiritually (נפשי) and physically (בשרי).
Central elements of this parsha include the sin of the spies, the roles of Calev and Yehoshua, and Moshe’s appeal to Hashem to forgive Bnei Yisroel.
Some of the zemer’s connections to the parsha:
· Chorus and 2nd line of 1st stanza:
“לבי ובשרי ירננו לאל חי” (“My heart and my flesh will sing joyously to the living G-d”) – Both the first and last images in the chorus echo the parsha. In addition, “chai” is the central word of the zemer, ending every stanza and appearing multiple other times.
“לבי ובשרי ירננו לאל חי” (“My heart and my flesh will sing joyously to the living G-d”) – Both the first and last images in the chorus echo the parsha. In addition, “chai” is the central word of the zemer, ending every stanza and appearing multiple other times.
o Hashem describes Calev as having a “different spirit” (Bamidbar 14:24). Rashi said that this means that in addition to the usual spirit (“in his mouth”), Calev also had a spirit “in his heart.”
o There are two important mentions of “חי” (living) in the parsha. First, after the incident of the spies, Hashem emphasizes “אני חי” (“As I live” – Bamidbar 14:28). Second, regarding the phrase “Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev חיו/lived” (Bamidbar 14:38), the Maharsha says that Yehoshua and Calev gained extra life because they received the portions of the other spies when they arrived in Eretz Yisrael, “the Land of Life.”
· End of 7th stanza: “ואיככה ישוב הבשר החי” (“So how can he repent – a living person of flesh?”)
– After the sin of the spies, Moshe uses the 13 Middot to beg Hashem to forgive Bnei Yisrael and allow them to do teshuva/repent (Bamidbar 14:18-20).
– After the sin of the spies, Moshe uses the 13 Middot to beg Hashem to forgive Bnei Yisrael and allow them to do teshuva/repent (Bamidbar 14:18-20).
o Also, Yehoshua and Calev rebutted the report of the spies by arguing that Bnei Yisrael shouldn’t fear the inhabitants of the Eretz Yisroel, because “their protection has left them.” Rashi says that this is a reference to the passing of Iyov, a paragon of teshuva/repentance.
o This theme of teshuva is repeated in the zemer in the next stanza: “אם אבו סגים מדרכם ושבו” (“Those who went astray, if they desired, repented from their ways”).