Shelach: which side are you on?

Shelach: which side are you on?

The Haftara is a commentary on the parsha. The story in this haftarah is a contrast with the parsha.  The parsha tells the story of the scouts sent to investigate the Promised Land.  Their evaluation, based upon the physiognomy of the inhabitants was that Gd's Promise could not be kept.  Their report generates panic among the people and results in  the 40 year desert sojourn. 

The Haftarah recounts the adventure of the two ( more select) spies sent to Jericho in preparation for entry into the land. These spies come to Rahab.  When the agents of the state come for them, she hides the pair in the flax heap - in the hayloft.  

When my father escaped from Treblinka ( paired with another man [Velel Schneiderman]), they found a woman in the fields (my mother) who convinced the local farmers to hide them... in the hayloft.  The old Rahab trick!

The stories share something deeper than the coincidence of hiding in the hay.  Rahab subsequently tells the spies  that the people of Canaan sense that they cannot stand up to the Israelites and the forces that battle for them.  She knows that the current government of Jericho will be defeated. The Stys family also felt that the Nazis would be defeated, despite their current domination.  They would need to answer for their actions during the occupation. 

The only intelligence the Jericho spies bring back is that the spirit of the enemy is broken. Ten of the spies in the parsha deliver a report that discourages the Israelites. Belief is a pre-requisite for victory.

The sending of the spies in the parsha comes in the context of an established crisis of confidence.  Moshe had stated that the task of leading the people was more than he could bear. Sending the spies was another manifestation of insecurity.  What is the relationship between insecurity and lack of faith? 

The forces of justice and beneficence are at a disadvantage. They should never win.  The greedy and oppressive  do not have set rules, while the good must answer for everything they do.  It is only through Divine intervention that good can triumph.