The events unfolding in Israel and in Iran since last Friday are “biblical” in nature and in import. That is how scholar and teacher, Mijal Bitton, describes them in her Dvar Torah on this week’s Torah portion, Shelach. She does not exaggerate, especially when she assesses the Israelis’ response in the context of the history of the Jewish people.
“[W]hat we’re witnessing is not just a historical moment—it’s a biblical one. A time when divine greatness moves openly through the world, and human greatness rises to meet it. When miracles unfold and people step forward, even when they’re afraid. When they choose to live like lions.”
Shelach holds an especially strong message for us whenever we confront enormous challenges. (Indeed, that message and the inspiration that it generates, have been incorporated into these weekly updates in the past.)
Ten of the twelve scouts whom Moshe had sent ahead to peruse the land of Canaan delivered a near hysterically negative report of what they had seen. The land was good, they averred. But they were completely intimidated by the “giant” people whom they encountered. They cringed in fear and considered themselves inferior and incapable of any, let alone meaningful, action to gain the land. Their report disheartened a large number of the people recently liberated from their enslavement in Egypt.
More than the sense of hopelessness the ten spies fostered, perhaps the most egregious, most egregious aspect of the report was the psychological havoc they wrought upon themselves and the people who adopted their harshly negative views. When compared to the “giants”, and in the face of what they viewed as an impossible task they shrunk in their own self-esteem. “In our own eyes, we seemed like grasshoppers; and that is how we appeared to them.” (Numbers 13:33)
They saw themselves as grasshoppers! They saw themselves as insignificant and insubstantial against a larger force. They surrendered completely to their self-doubts and fears. And thus, alas, Moshe understood they were ill suited and incapable of accepting the large responsibilities that lay ahead of them.
Mijal Bitton seizes upon the unfortunate reactions of the ten frightened scouts.
“They utter a line that echoes across generations: “We were like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so we were in theirs.” Panic spreads. The people cry, rebel, and plead to return to Egypt.”
“When they [the ten negative scouts] saw giants, they could have been inspired to grow taller. Instead, they chose to become grasshoppers.
“The tragedy of Shelach isn’t fear—it’s smallness. It’s the refusal to step into a kind of life that demands everything of us—and, in doing so, can elevate us.
“Biblical times don’t demand fearlessness. They demand the courage to step forward anyway.”
The effort to win justice and fairness in educational funding in Ontario is not an event of biblical proportions. But the effort to bring as many children to Jewish education is part of the overall response needed by Jews to enable us to stand tall against the haters of Judaism and of Israel.
Trying to help ensure the affordability of Jewish education is a daunting task. We are still, essentially, at the beginning. We await a hearing date to try to persuade the Court of Appeal to allow GAJE to proceed to argue our case on its merits. Despite the enormity of the task ahead of us, we are up to it. We will not back away. We acknowledge the difficulties ahead. They may even be giant difficulties. But we will go forward until there is no longer any path forward.
We emphatically do not see ourselves as grasshoppers in this cause. Nor will we allow others to see us grasshoppers. This statement is not only descriptive of how GAJE sees itself in the struggle for fairness and justice. It is also prescriptive – a promise: We will not give up or give in. In Mijal Bitton’s words, we are stepping forward anyway. It is the only course consistent with Jewish history. It is our course.
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GAJE expects to be before the Court of Appeal in the Fall, arguing for the right to a hearing on the merits of our application for fair educational funding in Ontario. When we learn the date of the hearing, we will share it with our readers.
If you wish to contribute to GAJE’s lawsuit, please click here. Charitable receipts for donations for income tax purposes will be issued by Mizrachi Canada. Your donations will be used for the sole purpose of helping to underwrite the costs of the lawsuit. For further information, please contact Israel Mida at: imida1818@gmail.com
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Shabbat shalom. Am Yisrael Chai
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education (GAJE)
June 20, 2025
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education 