Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky and Rabbi Daniela Szuster joined Temple Beth El in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 2015. The married couple relocated from San Jose, Costa Rica, where they served as co-rabbis of Congregation B’Nei Israel since 2004. Rabbis Pavolotzky and Szuster were the first full-time rabbis to serve their small congregation in Costa Rica. Together, they launched a number of programs during their tenure at Congregation B’Nei Israel and increased membership by more than 50 percent.
In Parshat Shelach, Moses sends twelve spies to the land of Canaan. When they return, they report that the land is plentiful – but also that the inhabitants of the land are giants and warriors. The people weep that they’d rather return to Egypt – then fight. G‑d decrees that Israel’s entry into the Land shall be delayed forty years, during which time that entire generation will die out in the desert. Also in this parsha, G‑d instructs to place fringes (tzitzit) on the four corners of our garments, to remind us of the mitzvot (commandments).
Previous Torah Talks on Shelach
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