Rabbi's Blog

For many Jews today, all eyes are on Israel.

This week’s Torah portion tells us the famous story of the twelve tribe leaders sent to scout the Land of Israel. What should have been a quick, fact-finding mission turned into a crisis. Ten of the twelve spies returned with fearful reports, swaying the people, and triggering 4 decades of wandering in the desert.

It’s tempting to shake our heads at their poor choice. However, this story isn't just about those people back then. Like everything in Torah, it's just as relevant to us, every day.

Life is filled with choices. We choose how to react to what we see. We choose whether to live with faith or fear. We choose whether to focus on obstacles or opportunities.

Here's the thing: making good choices doesn’t mean choosing perfectly.

Ever watch a toddler eat? Most of the food ends up on the floor, chair, walls, and maybe even in their hair. Despite very little getting into the mouth, the meal is worthwhile as the child still gets nourished. That’s growth; messy but meaningful.

Sometimes we approach spiritual life expecting it to be clean and polished, like a calm meditation retreat. Yet, the Torah doesn't ask for perfection. It asks for effort. G-d doesn’t demand that we get it right the first time. He wants us to be involved and engaged. To be present.

The Land of Israel is not just a holy space. It’s also a land with grapes, fields, armies, neighbors, taxes, etc. It's where spirituality meets responsibility. Where divine purpose is lived through physical action. It's where the spirit meets the ritual. Where the divine and the physical merge. Where heaven and earth kiss.

The spies feared this merger. They liked the comfort of the desert where manna fell from heaven and Moses handled the hard stuff. But Judaism isn’t meant to stay in the clouds or on a mountaintop. It belongs on the ground; your ground, your world, your life.

Even if things don’t go perfectly, whether it’s your prayer that is distracted, your learning is interrupted, or your mitzvot are messy, keep going. The food is still getting in! The nourishment is real. The choices you make, even imperfect ones, shape your journey toward a fully holistic life. One where spiritual and physical, soul and body, heaven and earth unite.

Have a good Shabbos,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman

The story is told that the Baal Shem Tov once visited a very poor farmer together with a few of his students. During their stay, they ate everything in the house. The last of the flour was used for bread, the cow that gave them milk was slaughtered for its meat. The students were horrified. The wife couldn't understand why they ever agreed to host these guests. The children were begging for food.

As the Baal Shem Tov climbed into his carriage to leave, he turned to the man and said:
"I bless you: ask for whatever you need."
And with that, he rode off into the forest.

The man, who until now had been content with very little, was left with nothing. No food, no livestock, no income. Desperate, he lifted his eyes and prayed:
"Master of the Universe, I have never asked You for anything. But now, my wife and children have no food. I need money to feed them, to buy back our farm. My wife would be so happy to have dowries for our daughters and weddings for them — four weddings! And, since I am asking, please bless me to have enough to help others as well."

And then he wept. He fell to the ground, sobbing and praying. After some time, Ivan, the town drunkard, happened by.
"Please, don’t cry," Ivan said. "Maybe I can help. You have always treated me kindly, while others mocked me. I don’t feel well, and if I die, I want you to have what I’ve saved. Come, I’ll show you."
Ivan led him to a large stone and uncovered a hidden box filled with gold coins. That very day, Ivan passed away. The farmer now had enough to buy a beautiful home and build a new life.

A year later, the Baal Shem Tov returned and said:
"In heaven it had already been decreed that you were to become wealthy. But you were so humble, you never asked. I had to bring you to rock bottom so you would finally ask for the blessings waiting for you. Mazel Tov, my friend — to the best of years!"

There is a recurring theme that keeps surfacing: the struggle people have with asking. Asking for support. Asking for what they need. Speaking up about their struggles. Often we hold back — out of pride, fear, or simply not believing we are worthy.

This is precisely what we read about in this week’s Torah portion.

As the Jewish people journeyed in the desert, they celebrated Passover in their first year. But some were ritually impure and unable to participate. They came to Moshe with a simple plea:
"Why should we lose out?"
They wanted a chance to serve G-d like everyone else.
Moshe brought their request before G-d, who responded with the establishment of Pesach Sheini — the "Second Passover" — a second opportunity to bring the offering. All because they asked.

The message is clear:
When we ask, G-d responds.

And in today's world, we feel that need to ask more than ever. In the past few hours once again, tensions in the world rose sharply. Israel, defending itself against threats from Iran, launched targeted strikes to prevent further escalation. We pray for safety, for peace, and for stability for our brothers and sisters in Israel and throughout the world.

But beyond the headlines and geopolitics, there is a spiritual call. In times like these, we must turn to G-d and ask:

• Ask for safety for our brothers and sisters in Israel.
• Ask for healing for those who are sick.
• Ask for blessing and abundance for our families.
• Ask for the Geulah — the final redemption — when the world will finally be filled with peace, free of terror and war.

We must remember:
We are allowed to ask. We are supposed to ask.

May Hashem grant all our requests for good, and may we soon see a world of revealed goodness with the coming of Moshiach.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Kushi Schusterman