Parsha ‘Beha-alotecha’ ends with what Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship has often described as “the Whining.” Which is followed by ‘the Lusting.’ And a lot of people who end up dead as a result. And that leads directly into parsha “Shalach Lekha,” where the words mean “send out men.” It is the story of the infamous “spies” — including Joshua and Caleb — and is also what Mark calls the “first recorded VOTE in history.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Joshua and Caleb LOST it, 10-2. But, much like ‘votes’ today, the only people that REALLY lost were those who participated. Their “bodies fell in the wilderness,” ultimately, as they were promised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Erev Shabbat reading of the entire ‘parsha-plus’ clarifies that connection:<\/p>\n\n\n\n