Andy and Neal are celebrating their brit ahava during the week Jews all over the world read the Torah portion about the 12 spies, Shelah Lekha. You recall that Moses sent them to reconnoiter the Promised Land to assess whether the Israelites could conquer it. We know how the story ends: that ten were wimps, while the two good guys, Joshua and Caleb, were risktakers who pronounced the goal worthy of the effort.

What was the source of their confidence? The Torah tells us that the Canaanite gods couldn’t hold a candle to the God of the Israelites.  The JPS edition of Numbers 14:9 reads, "Their protection has departed from them; the Lord is with us." The translation is a loose one; the Hebrew word translated as protection is "Tzilam"—their shadow. Luzzatto, an early modern Biblical commentator, says "tzilam" refers to what provides shade. Divine protection is symbolized by shadow.

This sounds strange to Western ears who identify shadow with darkness or gloom. We sun-starved Northeasterners usually associate good fortune with sunshine. There are occasional exceptions that appear in Western literature: Bram Stoker’s depicting his vampires as shadowless; Peter Pan’s frantic visit to the Darling household to retrieve his shadow; and all of us of a certain age can recall "The Shadow knows…" But for the most part, goodness is associated with sunshine, not with shade.

 But imagine what shadow or shade meant in a Near Eastern context: it was a precious gift. Biblical images for God’s caring are often associated with shade: the cloud which protected the Israelites in the desert, the sukkot our ancestors lived in during the harvest season,  the Torah as a tree of life. Shade is a blessing.

Andy and Neal, like Joshua and Caleb, are embarking upon an arduous journey: Marriage is not for wimps. One wonders if either Joshua or Caleb could have stood up for their unconventional views if they didn’t have the other. But there were two of them, so each was emboldened by tzilam, their shadow. "Me and my shadow…"

Andy and Neal have this gift, tzilam. It is afforded by their families and friends, by their attachment to the Jewish community, by their strong moral compasses, and by their deep respect and love for each other. May they be protected all of their days and may their journey together be a blessing for them and for all of us who love them. And let us say, Amen.