Ten Minutes of Torah

with

Rabbi Chaim Weiner

Shlach Lecha – 5767

במדבר פרק יג :כו

וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל מִדְבַּר פָּארָן קָדֵשָׁה.

Numbers 13:26

They went and they came straight to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran.

R. Yohanan said in the name of R. Shimon b. Yohai:

Their coming is compared to their going. Just as they came with ill intent, so did the go with ill intent.

QUESTION

1. What difficulty in the verse is the Midrash based upon?

2. What is the idea behind this Midrash?

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S QUESTION:

Against which quality of the Manna were the people complaining about according to each of these commentaries?

Rashi says that the people were complaining that the food was boring – the same thing morning and night for 40 years!

Ramban says that the poeple were complaining about the lack of control – although the food was given for free, they did not know from one day to the next whether they would have food or not. The dependency was crushing them.

______________________________________________________________

Ten Minutes of Torah was prepared by Rabbi Chaim Weiner, based on the methods of Prof. Nechama Leibowitz. Rabbi Weiner studied and corresponded with Prof. Leibowitz for several years.

· I endeavour to reply to everyone who sends their answers to me.

· Please feel free to forward this study sheet to anyone who you think might be interested, including all headers and footers.

· This study sheet, and archives of previous study sheets are available at www.tenminutesoftorah.supanet.com .

· Please send any comments or questions (including technical questions, or problems you have accessing the material) to tenminutesoftorah@supanet.com.

Girona - One Day Special

15 July, 2007

The Programme

Nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, on the border between Spain and France, the beautiful city of Girona was one of the most important centres of Jewish life in the Middle Ages. It has left a lasting mark on Jewish life to this day. Looking at the back of my Talmud, I once discovered that almost all of the commentaries were written in Girona. This was the home of Ramban - Nachmanides - who wrote an important commentary on the Torah, hundreds of Responsa, profound commentaries on the Talmud and was also an important Kabbalist.

Girona was the northern most Jewish community in Spain, and it sat on the cultural border between the Ashkenazi and Sephardic worlds. This is where Spanish and Ashkenazi Jews first met each other, with surprising results.

We will walk the narrows lanes of the old city where the Jewish quarter is preserved, visit the home of Ramban, walk the walls of the city, and open Girona's secrets through its sites and literature. This short trip will whet your appetite and leave you wanting more.

Cost: Only £60.00 pp + flights. This includes all transportation in Spain, one Kosher meal and all entrance fees, sessions and programmes.

CHECK IT OUT AT: www.jewishjourneys.supanet.com