Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
Chodesh tov! Have a wonderful month! Hadar and Shai Buzaglo from Dimona have started a new tradition. They wrote to me as follows:
"Shalom Sivan. Something inspiring and historic happened two days ago in our home. On the 29th of Sivan, 3,334 years ago, the spies embarked on their journey from the desert to the Promised Land. This was a trip that lasted 40 days and ended in tragedy on Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av) when they returned to the nation.
They had lost their faith, convincing the nation that this was a dangerous land and delivering a slanderous report.
We now have an opportunity during the next 40 days to make amends for the sin of the spies, and this is what we are trying to do. On the day the spies embarked on their unfortunate journey, more than 70 people -- from all sectors of the public -- came to our home to express their love for the Land. We learned words of adulation -- divided into the 40 days of the spies' excursion -- that had been written in a special booklet by Rabbi Benayah Lifshitz regarding the uniqueness of the Land of Israel. We sang many songs and niggunim (liturgical melodies) about the Land. We ate the best fruits that the Land of Israel produces and, in the end, it was a beautiful gathering of the children of Israel.
We want to publicize this idea in order for people to open their minds and their hearts. It was during this time of year that the spies toured these environs and, because of their negativity, saw everything in a bad light. On the day in which they began their trip, we began to make amends for their misdeeds. Everyone has the chance to join us in this campaign in the days ahead, to look only positively at the Land and its people since, ultimately, "the Land is very, very good."
