Joshua 2: 1- 24
The parsha relates the story of Moshe sending twelve spies into Canaan to see what the land is like. Joshua was one of those spies. We remember that the men came back from their mission laden with grapes, pomegranates and figs. However they spoke of how frightening the land and the people were. Of the twelve men who were sent only Joshua and Caleb believed that B’nei Yisrael, led by G-d , would be able to possess the “land of milk and honey”.
In this haftarah Joshua is the leader of the nation. He sends two spies to Jericho to investigate the city and the surrounding countryside. They are seen and are subsequently hidden by Rahav, a local woman. She hides them in bales of wheat on her roof, then lowers them from a window so they can escape safely. The two Israelite spies give her a red rope to hang from her window so that when the Israelites attack Jericho her home and all those in her home will be saved.
Laya Crust 