Herb Levy will lead the service as we gather at midsummer to imagine we are spies sent to observe the Promised Land, the land that is still larger than life.

The parsha is Shelakh Lekha, Send Yourself. Ten of the twelve spies found the land filled with giants who could not be conquered. Two of the twelve, reported that the land was filled with bounty. How is it possible for such a variance to occur when perceiving the same information?

We need look no further than the sharp differences in our own society as we consider how to approach the next steps in our country’s life, as we are about to celebrate its birth. We bring ourselves to every experience we have and wear our past experience like a filter as we continue to live our lives. Shelakh Lekha has wonderful advice about how to break the pattern, how to free us to experience the present as the joyful, hopeful moment it is. Please bring a dairy/vegetarian lunch to share. We’ll be downstairs in the Chapel.