The Most Important Word; Shlach

one word in the english language terrifies most individuals- accountability. acceptance of failure, fret over more labor to be done, and the feeling of being trapped are among the emotions that cause us to wake up in a pool of sweat. these emotions come with accountability.

the shlach torah portion takes us to an existential moment for the children of israel. once again disappointing the master of the universe, the master of the universe, is ready to scrap the national building project called “the children of israel”. this ” no mas” moment was precipitated as a result of the failed spy mission scouting the promised land. the esteemed members of each tribe failed the mission and spread “evil” messaging which led to the children of israel calling for revolt against moses. numbers 14:4.

the master of the universe, disgusted with the children of israel’s conduct, expressed to moses that it was time to move on to plan “b”; the nation would be built from moses’ family. impliedly, the rest of the lot would perish in the wilderness.

moses, however, counseled the lord with wisdom. he appealed to the master of the universe that, if he was truly to be respected by the nations, it was imperative that the task be completed with his chosen people.

moses’ moment, akin to abraham’s sodom & gemorrah negotiations, displayed the greatness of his leadership. if this venture was going to work, “accountability” was to be a priority. moses accepted the burden of dealing with the miserable lot and committed to making the best of it. he had no fear to move forward from this failure. he was humble. he accepted the fact that extra work was required and did not allow himself to be overwhelmed by this burden. moses, at that point, could have taken the victim card he was allotted, blew up the exodus, and started anew with god’s plan “b”. while the plan preserved his family, the consequence was the demise of the others he freed.

in sum, in this moment of crisis, moses sacrificed much for the sake of “accountability”; a moment of epic leadership.

be well!!

if you enjoyed this post, please “like”

if you would like to read more posts, click here

if you find this post meaningful, please share