Shlach, Shelach, Sh'lah, Shlach Lecha, or Sh'lah L'kha (שְׁלַח or שְׁלַח-לְךָ—Hebrew for "send," "send to you," or "send for yourself") is the 37th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fourth in the Book of Numbers. Its name comes from the first distinctive words in the parashah, in Numbers 13:2. Shelach (שְׁלַח) is the sixth and lecha (לְךָ) is the seventh word in the parashah. The parashah tells the story of the twelve spies sent to assess the promised land, commandments about offerings, the story of the Sabbath violator, and the commandment of the fringes (צִיצִת, tzitzit).
The parashah constitutes Numbers 13:1–15:41. It is made up of 5,820 Hebrew letters, 1,540 Hebrew words, 119 verses, and 198 lines in a Torah Scroll (Sefer Torah).[1] Jews generally read it in June or early July.[2]
- ^ Akhlah Inc., "Torah Stats for BeMidbar."
- ^ Fred Reiss, The Standard Guide to the Jewish and Civil Calendars: A Parallel Jewish and Civil Calendar from 1899 to 2050 with Parashiyyot and Haftarot and Candle-Lighting Times for Selected Cities (West Orange, New Jersey: Behrman House, 1986); “Parashat Sh'lach,” Hebcal.