By Rabbi Natanel Kaszovitz * Auckland, New Zealand Hebrew Congregation **
There are ups and downs in life, good days and bad days, for everyone but especially for us as the Jewish people.
There have been times when Israel felt like the safest place in the world to be a Jew, and there have been times when Jews living in the Diaspora were afraid even to visit. Throughout our history, we have found many reasons not to make aliyah: economics, security, politics, family, and countless others.
In this week's parsha, we read about the spies who attempted to convince the nation that they should not enter the Land of Israel. They saw the challenges, the dangers, and the obstacles, and concluded that it could not be done. (On Shabbat, we will discuss some of the deeper reasons behind their mistake.)
But two spies stood against the crowd: Kalev and Yehoshua, the future leaders of the Jewish people. Looking at the very same land, they proclaimed:
"Tovah ha'aretz me'od me'od" — "The land is very, very good."
Their message was not that there were no challenges. They saw the giants, the fortified cities, and the difficulties. Their message is that despite all of those challenges, this was still our land.
I often explain this through a Midrash. The Jewish people are like fish, and Eretz Yisrael is our water. There may be sharks in the water. There may be fishermen on the shore. There may even be pollution and oil spills. But outside the water, a fish simply cannot thrive.
For over 2,000 years, we have lived as an exiled people spread across the world. We have built communities, schools, synagogues, and families in every corner of the globe. Yet we must never forget what Kalev and Yehoshua taught us:
"Tovah ha'aretz me'od me'od.": The Land of Israel is very, very good.
Not because it is perfect. Not because it is easy. But because it is home.
B'Ahavat Yisrael Rabbi Netanel
[Editor's note: If you became Rabbi of the only synagogue in a small, isolated Jewish community, at what level would you direct your Shabbat message for the congregation?]
Roots Project Worldwide Competition
Mazal Tov to Eleanor Shenkin and Kadimah school! This week, Eleanor placed 4th out of thousands of entries from 31 countries in a global competition hosted by the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv.
* Rabbi Kaszovitz, an Israeli ordained at Ohr Torah Stone, previously served as Rabbi in Nairobe, Kenya. He became Rabbi of Auckland Hebrew Congregation in September 2025. Rabbi Moshe Rube, whose remarks I previously posted in this space, is in the process of starting a new Rabbinic position in Australia. Rabbi Rube is waiting for his visa to enter Australia, when he will be able to start his new position. I plan to use this space to include messages from Rabbi Kaszovitz and Rabbi Rube going forward.
** Rabbi Kaszovitz is now posting his Devrei Torah and classes on You Tube: https://youtube.com/c/TheNairobisher .
