Parsha Inspired Menus - Shlach

In this parsha we get the story of the spies, which famously has just two people who believe enough in God to feel confident that the Israelites can successfully take the land - Caleb and Joshua. When Joshua is introduced as one of the spies, the Torah has this pasuk:

These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to scout the land; but Moses changed the name of Hosea son of Nun to Joshua.

While name changes are not unusal in the Torah, they usually come from God, but what's particularly interesting with this one is that we've met Joshua before and he was called Joshua then! So, why the new name introduction here? It doesn't make a lot of sense. The meforshim (traditional commentators) were well aware of these problems.

Rabbi Yehuda ben Eliezer says that Moshe has actually been calling him Joshua the whole time, adding the יה of God's protection when Joshua became his aide. As he explains:

^{Riva Num 13:16} Even though we find many places above where he is called Joshua before his name was changed, nevertheless, when Moses wrote the Torah his name had already been changed. Therefore, he used the name Joshua everywhere but in the list of scouts… where he informed us that [Hoshea] was his name originally

The Tur HaArokh looked at it differently.

We must assume that the Torah uses that instance to tell us that the man now called Joshua had already experienced this name change in our portion here, as a result of having become Moses’ personal valet...As to the comment by our sages that the additional letters symbolize that his name from now mean “may G’d help you!”...It is also possible that as of the time when Joshua became one of the twelve men chosen to spy out the land of Canaan, Moses decreed publicly that he was henceforth to be referred to exclusively as Joshua

Whatever the cause of the disparity in timing, it maes for an interesting situation and calls attention to the importance of this change. Why did Hosea need an extra dose of "God" added to his name? Perhaps it was a way to help strengthen him for his role ahead. Moshe had a personal

relationship with God, but Joshua does not have that in the same way. Perhaps by imbedding God in his name, it gives a different kind of connection.

Finding a food that connects to this was a big challenge, so it's a bit of a stretch, but I found the passage too interesting to pass up. So here it is...Hoshea becomes Yehoshua...Shu...Moo Shu...Moo Shoo Vegetables!

The second item I want to draw attention to is the punishment of the man who gathered sticks on Shabbat.

וַיַּקְרִ֣יבוּ אֹת֔וֹ הַמֹּצְאִ֥ים אֹת֖וֹ מְקֹשֵׁ֣שׁ עֵצִ֑ים אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֙ וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֔ן וְאֶ֖ל כׇּל־הָעֵדָֽה׃

Those who found him as he was gathering wood brought him before Moses, Aaron, and the whole community.

וַיַּנִּ֥יחוּ אֹת֖וֹ בַּמִּשְׁמָ֑ר כִּ֚י לֹ֣א פֹרַ֔שׁ מַה־יֵּעָשֶׂ֖ה לֽוֹ׃ {ס}        

He was placed in custody, for it had not been specified what should be done to him.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מ֥וֹת יוּמַ֖ת הָאִ֑ישׁ רָג֨וֹם אֹת֤וֹ בָֽאֲבָנִים֙ כׇּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה מִח֖וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃

Then GOD said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death: the whole community shall pelt him with stones outside the camp.”

It's an extreme punishment and all the more troubling because it had not previously been made clear that gathering sticks as a Shabbat prohibition. (If it had, they would have known.) And then the punishment for this unknown crime is so harsh. Rabbi Brant Rosen shares this idea on the incident:

I’m also struck that this episode follows upon God’s pronouncement that as punishment for its faithlessness, this generation of Israelites will not be allowed to enter the land of Israel (“your carcasses will drop in this wilderness, while your children roam in the wilderness for forty years…” 14:32-33.) In other words, the stick-gathering incident occurs during a desperate and terrifying moment for the Israelite people.

And I’m also struck that while the question is brought before “Moses, Aaron and the whole community,” it is God who renders the final verdict.  In my reading of this passage, however it

is not God handing down the heinous sentence – God is merely a literary “stand-in” for a fearful and confused people who have resorted to mob behavior for unacceptable (if perhaps understandable) reasons.

While this episode has nothing to teach us about Shabbat observance, it still teaches us plenty about the dynamics of collective fear – and the cruelty with which we too often inflict our fear upon others…

I am not sure if I read it the same way as him, it does seem to be God's punishment, but I connect to the idea of the danger of collective fear and how this possible transgression feels bigger to those who have just dealt with God's anger because of their reaction to the spies. Perhaps they were hoping to get back in God's good graces. But we know that fear is not the best help in making decisions and it's a good reminder of that fact. So, let's call attention to it at our dinner with a dessert of Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods in honor of the sticks gathered on Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom & B'Tayavon!