By TM Garret Schmid
Jan 4, 2026

Moses sends twelve spies into the land he promised land. To get a status-quo and to get a feel for what to expect. And when the spies come back the discussions begin. What did they see? Was conquering the land possible? God promised them the land, didn’t he? So why were they doubting?

This is the topic of Sh’lach-L’cha, the 37th weekly Torah portion. And I decided to give a drash during the respective Shabbat service. I had given a few drashim before, but this time I did not know what to talk about until I stumbled about the concept of the Silent Aleph. And I thought: this is it. This resonates. This is the thing I have been trying to name for months when I talk about the empty vessel, about listening instead of reacting, about the space before you speak. The emptiness I couldn’t name and that I tried to fill with clutter. It is called the Silent Aleph because the Aleph is silent. Just like the Aleph in Anochi, the first words of the ten commandments the Israelites received at Mount Sinai.

Suddenly the upcoming Torah portion gave this emptiness a name.

So I spent hours scribbling notes, trying to tie together this ancient midrash about silence at Sinai with the story of those 12 spies standing in the same dirt, seeing the same giants, holding the same fruit, and somehow hearing completely different voices about what was possible.

The Silent Aleph at Sinai

There is this paradox in Judaism, how the Torah was given in full at Sinai, and how that is even possible. There are different opinions. One says it was only given in thought. One says it was only the Ten Commandments. And another one says it was the Silent Aleph.

“At Sinai the world fell into utter silence; Revelation began with an unspoken Aleph.”

The Silent Aleph can be seen as representing the oneness and unity of God. But its silence can also symbolize God’s unrevealed, infinite nature. The quiet before creation. The voice of God in silence. In Jewish tradition, the Silent Aleph is sometimes described as silent inspiration and potential that exists before words and human understanding.

So here we are. The Israelites arrived in Kadesh. And God tells Moses to send out twelve men to inspect the land. After 40 days, the twelve scouts return as ordered. And they all saw the same land. But their reports differed in stark contrast. Ten reported a land of milk and honey, and fruit. But they saw big cities, forts and giants. And their verdict was that it is impossible to conquer the land. They brought up the Israelites against Moses and even suggested to appoint another leader who will lead them back to Israel. God got angry. “How long will they refuse to believe in Me?” Didn’t he promise the land to the Israelites? Did they think he was lying?

Caleb and Joshua

But the report of the other two spies was different. It is absolutely possible! And Caleb told the people: “We can go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it.”

While other ten were hollering and arguing and spreading fear, Caleb and Joshua disagreed. What made the majority panic while Joshua and Caleb stood calm? How could two believe something the other ten could not? How did they believe it was possible without painting a dark picture? Would it be hard? Make no mistake. Moses did not choose rookies. All twelve were seasoned leaders, representatives of their tribes. That is why the people believed the twelve. They all saw it would be a challenge. But there was one difference. Caleb and Joshua listened.

They listened just like Abraham when God promised, “To your offspring I will give this land”. Isaac listened when God told him, “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and I will bless you, for to you and to your seed will I give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham, your father.” And Jacob received God’s message, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac; the land upon which you are lying to you I will give it and to your seed.”

All three listened. Just like the Israelites at Mount Sinai when they received the Torah. In silence. The Israelites didn’t know what it was – the future wasn’t written. But God’s promise was given: “And now, if you obey Me and keep My covenant, you shall be to Me a treasure out of all peoples, for Mine is the entire earth.” It must have felt like blind faith. And it was. Like Hillel said, “What is hateful to you, don’t do to your fellow, that is the whole Torah” so said God, “This is the whole Torah.” And like Hillel said: “The rest is commentary. Now go and study.”

Filled with Clutter

Sometimes it can be so simple. But we won’t see if we are not ready to receive. When we fill ourselves with daily baggage and clutter. When we forget to empty this emotional garbage bag. When our Vessel is full and we simply can’t receive anything else without flowing over. Then we can’t even receive and understand the simplest message, let alone believe in it. When you are already full, full of presumptions, prejudices and negativity, there will be no room for God’s word.

But that is also why Caleb and Joshua stood firm. And quiet. In silence. Like during the silent Amidah. Receiving God.

And Joshua and Caleb knew, God was not lying.

What irony. Even though they were settling in Kadesh, which shares the same root word as kadosh, meaning holy, the ten spies could not receive God. They did not hear God’s promise that he will give them the land. Milk and honey. It is true. But they could not align themselves with God’s promise. God wants us to have faith. But we can’t hear God’s voice when we are not receptive.

It is not that God didn’t speak to them. God speaks to all of us. The same voice that spoke at Mount Sinai. But God also gave us choice. And the ten chose to be afraid and spread their fear amongst the people. They were cluttered up and didn’t leave room for God. They didn’t take time to find the faith in God’s promise.

Caleb and Joshua had faith. Having faith in what they didn’t know, what they received in silence. Just based on God’s promise alone. That was enough for them.

What We Can Learn

God’s voice can be heard in the stillness of the heart and mind, in silence. In meditation, in silent prayer, or just inner reflection before we speak, act or react, reinforcing faith leading to clarity and courage.

In our daily lives, we make decisions and choices based on external noise and pressure and influences. We barely listen to our inner voice. The voice we hear in the silence. That is when God speaks to us. That is our silent Aleph moment.

And so often we tend to forget God’s promise. Because we are so busy and we don’t listen. We are quick to talk, quick to judge, quick to value, and just so busy. No room to let the silence happen. We can listen to the voice of fear based on our surroundings, or we can listen to the still small voice, the voice of God, the Silent Aleph, and divine possibility. Divine and infinite possibility exists before it gets channeled into specific words and meanings. It shows us everything is possible. That is God’s promise if we have faith.

What The Silent Aleph Means to Me

That moment of resonating. That moment of thinking, of awareness, where you halt before you speak, where you actually think before you speak. I am a rapid, verbal, neurodivergent person who tends to talk a lot. A verbal processor. But the silent Aleph has helped me a lot. I once wrote about love as God’s highest command. To love God and to love yourself. That you only can love yourself if you listen to your inner self. And this voice that we are hearing, is it really our voice? Or is it God? Or is it a godly voice within us? Does it matter? Fact is when we are talking, we can’t listen.

Like the spot the Israelites were standing at when they sent the spies: Kadesh. It means holy but also set apart. It doesn’t necessarily mean separated. It is more in the sense of exclusiveness. God is Kadosh – unique and distinct from creation. But the same verse that proclaims God as holy (kadosh, kadosh, kadosh) immediately follows with “the whole earth is full of His glory” (Kavod). Wholeness occurs when the “separate” holiness of the Divine “infiltrates” us. And this only happens when we have made room for it. And when we do, we are whole with ourselves but separate from the world. It is just us and God. Our inner voice. Balance. Inner peace. Neutrality. The Silent Aleph.

Where Is Your Silent Aleph?

Any Silent Alephs in your life? The pause before Shema? The Silent Amidah? The mezuzah, where you halt before entering? All of them? But the real lesson lies here: the next time you feel that emptiness, that uncomfortable silence before you speak or act, don’t fill it. Sit in it. That is your Silent Aleph. That is where God is waiting.