[Par-reg] For Parshat Shlach

Wed Jun 13 05:27:39 EDT 2012

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     THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]

          In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag

     Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag

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                 PARSHAT  SHLACH

     What was so terrible about the sin of
the "meraglim"?

After all, they were instructed to report the
facts, and

that's exactly what they did!
Furthermore, even if we

consider their report as deliberately
slanted, why was the

entire nation punished so harshly for being
misled by a small

group?

     Finally, even if the people's initial
reaction was

improper, immediately afterward they repent
by declaring their

willingness to take the challenge of
conquering the Land!

Shouldn't this repentance have been accepted?

     Why then is "dor ha'midbar" [the
generation of the

desert] punished so severely? Why must Am
Yisrael wander for

forty years until they perish! This week's
shiur examines this

tragic event in an attempt to understand why.

INTRODUCTION

     Before we begin our study, an important
point of

nomenclature.  Although this event is
commonly referred to as

"chet ha'meraglim" - the sin of the SPIES, in
Parshat Shlach

they are NEVER referred to as such!
Nevertheless, for the

sake of convenience, our shiur will continue
to refer to them

as the "meraglim", even though their mission
(as we will show)

involved much more than just 'spying out the
land'.

     To understand the 'sin of the spies', we
must first

ascertain what their mission was. Therefore,
our shiur begins

with an attempt to identify its precise
purpose by noting how

the Torah describes this mission.

TOURISTS OR SPIES

     In describing the mission of the
meraglim, the Torah uses

the verb "la'tur" (see 13:2,17 & 25). This
verb can be

translated as 'to tour' or 'to scout'.
However, to arrive at a

more precise understanding of what they were
supposed to do,

we must take a closer look at the psukim that
describe their

mission:

     "And Moshe insturucted them saying:

      And you shall see the LAND, WHAT IT IS
-

   Are the people who live in STRONG or WEAK,
FEW or   MANY?

      Is the Land GOOD or BAD?

      Are the towns OPEN or FORTIFIED?

      Is the SOIL RICH or POOR? Are there
TREES?

      [if so,] bring back samples of the
fruit.. (13:17-20)

     Clearly, these instructions entail more
than a spy

mission. Note as well that we find TWO
categories of questions

that the meraglim must answer:

1) Concerning the NATURE OF THE LAND -

    i.e. to find out whether the Land is good
or bad, the soil

    rich or poor, the trees fruitful, etc.

 2) Concerning the FEASIBILITY OF CONQUEST -

    i.e. to find out if the enemy is strong
or weak, if the

    cities are fortified or open, etc.

     These two categories show how this
mission entails much

more than the collection of military
information.  In fact,

these questions seem to be describing a 'fact
finding

mission', much more than a 'spy mission'.
Let's explain why:

     A 'spy mission' is initiated when a
military commander

needs to acquire information (to prepare a
battle plan).  When

doing so, usually a small group of men are
sent secretly, and

hence report back only to the military
commanders (and

certainly not to the entire nation).

     Clearly, the mission of the meraglim in
Parshat Shelach

is quite different. These twelve men (a
representative from

each tribe) are sent publicly, by the
political leadership to

gather information for the entire nation.
This information

will help Bnei Yisrael plan not only the
conquest of the land,

but also how to establish Eretz Canaan as
their homeland.

  [To support this point, simply compare
Bamidbar 13:1-17 with

  34:16-29, noting the textual similarities!]

REALISTIC NEEDS

  To better appreciate the necessity of this
mission, let's

consider the realities that face Bnei Yisrael
at this time.

     Recall that the nation numbers over two
million

individuals.  [This approximation is based on
the

extrapolation of the census figure of 600,000
men above age 20

(see Bamidbar chapter 26).]  This nation,
living in camp

formation for the last year and a half, has
been able to

survive the difficult desert conditions only
with God's

providence, i.e. His miraculous daily supply
of food and

water. However, these special conditions were
only temporary.

    Even though God had promised to bring
them to a land

'flowing with milk and honey', their
existence in this

'promised land' will no longer be supported
by God's daily

miracles.  Instead, they will have to till
the soil and work

the land for their food. [See Devarim 8:1-10,
re: the purpose

of the manna!]

     Similarly, when Bnei Yisrael will enter
the land, they

will have to fight their battles through
natural means.

Surely, God will assist them; but they will
now have to

undertake their own initiatives.  [See
Devarim 11:22-25.]

  Therefore, at this time, Bnei Yisrael must
not only prepare

themselves to conquer that land, but they
must also make the

necessary preparations for all aspects of the
establishment of

their new national homeland.

     Taking this into consideration, it only
makes sense that

it would be necessary to send a 'national
fact finding'

mission to help plan not only how to conquer
the land, but

also how to establish its borders and
partition, as well as

its economy and agriculture etc.  Hence, the
meraglim are

instructed to scout the land to determine not
only the

feasibility of its conquest, but also how to
prepare the land

for its two million new inhabitants!

     To support this explanation, note how
the Torah describes

a similar 'appointment of officers' (forty
years later, when

the next generation prepares to enter the
land):

  "And God spoke to Moshe: These are the
names of the men

  through whom the land shall be apportioned
- Elazar the

  Kohen and Yehoshua bin Nun. And one NASI,
one NASI from each

  tribe... and these are their names..." (see
Bamidbar 34:16-

  29, note obvious parallels with 13:1-16)

UNDERSTANDING THE MISSION

     Based on this introduction, we can
better understand the

opening pasuk of the Parsha:

  "And God spoke to Moshe... send one man
from EVERY TRIBE,

  each one a chieftain among them... all the
men being LEADERS

  of Bnei Yisrael." (13:1-3)

    Due to the nature of this mission, it is
necessary to

send a senior representative from each
"shevet" (tribe).

Similarly, this explains why the meraglim
report back not only

to Moshe, but to the entire public. [See
13:26.]

     Had they been military spies, they would
report ONLY to

Moshe (or to the military commander), but
definitely NOT to

the entire nation! Furthermore, had they been
military spies,

there would be no reason to publicize their
names, and

certainly no reason to send tribal leaders.
Quite the

opposite! It is because they comprise a FACT
FINDING MISSION -

specifically a group of national leaders are
sent, who later

report back to the entire nation (see 13:26).

A PROOF FROM SEFER YEHOSHUA

     To clarify this distinction between
'spies' and a

'commission of inquiry' it is helpful to
compare these

meraglim to the meraglim sent by Yehoshua
[see this week's

Haftarah]:

  "And Yehoshua bin Nun SECRETLY sent two
SPIES from Shittim

  saying: Go scout out the land and the area
of Yericho..."

  (Yehoshua 2:1)

  "... and the two men returned... and they
told YEHOSHUA

  concerning what happened to them."
(2:24)

     Note that in Sefer Yehoshua the spies
are actually

referred to as MERAGLIM. These meraglim are
sent SECRETLY (we

are not told their names) to SPY out the city
and report back

ONLY to Yehoshua. Clearly, their mission was
purely military.

     To highlight this contrast, the
following table

summarizes the differences between these two
missions:

     sent by Moshe       sent by Yehoshua

     ===========         ==============

     12 men                2 men

     Tribal leaders        unnamed

     publicly              secretly

     "la'tur" (to tour)    "l'ragel" (to spy)

     the type of land,     only military
information

     [its fruit, its cities etc..]

     Yehoshua's meraglim serve as military
spies to help him

plan HOW to conquer Yericho. Moshe's meraglim
serve as an

inquiry commission, sent to provide the
people with

information to help them plan the
establishment of an entire

nation with all its institutions.

ONE REPORT / TWO OPINIONS

     Now that we have clarified the nature of
the mission of

Moshe's meraglim, we are ready to evaluate
their report in

order to determine what they did wrong.

     Note that when the meraglim return,
their report

correlates perfectly with the double nature
of their mission:

  "and they returned to Moshe & Aharon and
the ENTIRE

  NATION... and showed them the fruits of the
land saying...

  it is indeed a LAND FLOWING WITH MILK &
HONEY.  Alas, for

  the people who live in that land are
MIGHTY, and the cities

  are FORTIFIED... the Amalekites guard the
south, the

 Chittites and Emorites control the mountain
range, and the

  Canaanites command the planes... "
(13:26-29)

     Based on their findings, in regard to
(1) the nature of

the land, - the meraglim conclude that the
land is SUPERB:

  "and they showed them the fruits of the
land saying... it is

  indeed a land flowing with milk and
honey..."  (13:26-27);

     However, in regard to (2) the
feasibility of its

conquest, the meraglim conclude that
conquering the people of

Canaan appears to be almost impossible:

  "Alas, for the people who live in that land
are MIGHTY, and

  the cities are FORTIFIED... the Amalekites
guard the south,

  the Chittites and Emorites control the
mountain range, and

  the Canaanites command the planes... "
(13:28-29).

     These conclusions reflected the
commission's MAJORITY

opinion. However, Kalev and Yehoshua
presented an opposite

conclusion.  Based on the same findings, they
conclude that

conquest of the Land is possible: "it is
indeed FEASIBLE to

conquer the Land..." (13:30)

     Up until this point, it appears as
though this commission

is quite objective; they report the facts as
perceived. All

twelve members concur that the land is good,
yet the enemy

formidable. However, two opinions exist in
regard to the

feasibility of its conquest: The majority
opinion concludes

that it is futile to even attempt to conquer
the land (see

13:31), while the dissenting opinion,
presented by Kalev,

argues that conquest is achievable (see
13:30).

     The majority opinion appears to be
logical and quite

realistic. Why then is God so angered?

     It is usually understood that the
meraglim's sin stems

from their lack of belief in God.  After all,
had they

believed in Hashem, they would have arrived
at the same

conclusion as Kalev and Yehoshua.  However,
this understanding

may be overly simplistic.  Is it possible
that ten out of the

twelve tribal leaders, after witnessing the
miracles of the

Exodus and their journey through the desert,
do not believe in

God and His ability to assist His nation in
battle?

NO FAITH IN WHOM?

     There can be no doubt that the tribal
leaders and the

entire nation as well, believe in God and the
possibility of

Divine assistance. Unfortunately, they are
also well aware of

the possibility of Divine punishment.  Let's
explain why:

     Throughout their journey, not only had
God intervened

numerous times to help them; He had also
intervened numerous

times to PUNISH them. However, the meraglim
are also aware

that to be worthy of Divine assistance Bnei
Yisrael must

remain obedient at all times. This precise
warning had already

been raised at the conclusion of Parshat
Mishpatim:

  "Behold I am sending a 'malach' to lead
into the Land... Be

  careful and listen to his voice, do not
rebel against him,

  FOR HE WILL NOT PARDON YOUR SINS, for My
Name is with him.

  For IF you will listen... and do everything
that I command

  you, THEN I will help you DEFEAT and
conquer your

  enemies..." (Shmot 23:20-25)

     This warning clearly states that God's
assistance is

totally dependent on Bnei Yisrael's behavior.
Should they not

listen, they will fall before their enemies.

  [Note how the story of Achan in Yehoshua
7:1-26 proves this

  assumption. There we find that the mere sin
of one

  individual led to the defeat of the entire
nation in

  battle.]

     One could suggest that the conclusion of
the meraglim is

based on their assessment that Bnei Yisrael
are not capable of

retaining the spiritual level necessary to be
worthy of

miracles while conquering the Land.
Realizing that the

conquest would only be feasible with Divine
assistance, they

concur that conquest is impossible.  In other
words, the

meraglim are not doubting God's ability to
assist them in

battle, RATHER they are doubting their own
ability to be

WORTHY of that assistance.

     So what's so terrible? Is it not the job
of leadership to

realistically evaluate all of the relevant
factors?

DIBAH - THE CHET OF THE MERAGLIM

     It is precisely in this type of
situation where

leadership is critical!  Ideal leadership
should have

challenged the nation to raise their
spiritual level - to

become worthy of Divine assistance - to rise
to that

challenge! The meraglim take a very different
approach.

Instead of rallying the nation to fulfill its
destiny, the

meraglim hide their spiritual cowardice
behind a wall of

hyperbole!

  To support this point, note their reaction
to Kalev's

'dissenting opinion' (in 13:30), for it sheds
light on their

true character:

  "But the people who went up with him said:
We cannot attack

  that people for it is stronger that we. And
they spread

  DIBAT HA'ARETZ among Bnei Yisrael saying:
The land which we

  visited is one that DEVOURS ITS
INHABITANTS, ALL the people

  who we saw there are GIANT... we looked
like GRASSHOPPERS to

  ourselves, and that is HOW THEY SAW US."
(13:31-33)

     These are not the objective statements
of a 'fact finding

mission'! Rather, they comprise a
presentation of hysterical

exaggerations made in a desperate attempt to
shape public

opinion. A land does not 'devour' its
inhabitants, nor is it

likely that the Canaanites perceived them as
'grasshoppers'!

It is precisely this rebuttal that the Torah
refers to as

"dibah" - SLANDER.  Let's explain why.

     Instead of confessing their true fear
and lack of

confidence in the nation's ability, they
over-exaggerate the

seriousness of the situation. Rather than
encourage the people

to prepare themselves for the task, they
prefer to utilize

populist politics and create fear in the
camp.

     Finally, note how the word "dibah" is
central when the

Torah summarizes their punishment:

  "And those men - MOTZIEY DIBAT HA'ARETZ
RA'AH - died in a

  plague before God." (see 14:37)

     In contrast, Kalev and Yehoshua exhibit
proper

leadership, as exemplified in their rebuttal
of this argument.

Note once again how the entire argument
hinges on Am Yisrael's

special relationship with God:

  "im chafetz banu Hashem" - If God truly
wants us [to be His

 nation], surely He will bring us into the
land... only YOU

  MUST NOT REBEL against God, and you should
not FEAR the

  people of the land for they are our prey...
for GOD WILL BE

  WITH US - [hence] do not fear them."
(14:8-9)

     Unfortunately, the argument of the
meraglim was more

convincing, and the people concluded that
attacking Eretz

Canaan at this time would be suicidal (see
14:1-4).

Considering that staying in the desert was no
better of a long-

term option, the nation concludes that their
only 'realistic'

option is to return to Egypt (see 14:3-5).
The attempt of

Yehoshua and Kalev to convince the people
otherwise was futile

(see 14:6-9). Bnei Yisrael prefer returning
to Egypt instead

of taking the challenge of becoming God's
special nation in

Eretz Canaan.

     Based on our explanation thus far, only
the meraglim

should have been punished, for it was they
who led the people

astray. Why does God punish the entire nation
as well?

     To answer this question, we must return
once again to an

overall theme in Chumash that we have
discussed in our shiurim

on Sefer Shmot (see TSC shiurim on Va'era and
Beshalach) and

in last week's shiur on Parshat Bhaalotcha.

THE LAST STRAW

     One could suggest that the people's
preference of

adopting the conclusion of the meraglim
reflected their own

spiritual weakness as well. Undoubtedly, the
slanted report

presented by the meraglim had influenced
their decision.

However, since the time of the Exodus and
throughout their

desert journey, the people had consistently
shown a lack of

idealism.  (Review once again Yechezkel
20:1-11 and our shiur

on Parshat Va'era.)

     Had the Land of Israel been offered to
them on a silver

platter, Bnei Yisrael most likely would have
been delighted to

accept it.  However, once they realize that
conquering the

Promised Land requires commitment and
dedication, the nation

declines.  This entire incident only
strengthened God's

earlier conclusion that Bnei Yisrael were not
yet capable of

fulfilling their destiny.

  To support this point, note how the Torah
describes God's

decision to punish the nation in both
14:11-12 and 14:21-24:

  "And God spoke to Moshe - 'ad ana
y'naatzuni ha'am

  ha'zeh...' - How long will this people
continue to defy Me,

  and how long will they have no faith in Me,
despite all the

  signs (miracles) that I performed in their
midst..." (14:11-

  13)

And several psukim later:

  "For all those men who saw My Glory and My
signs in Egypt

  and in the desert, and they have tested my
TEN TIMES, yet

  they did not listen to My voice. If they
will see the land

  that I promised to their forefathers...
[However] My

  servant Kalev will see the land, for he had
a different

  spirit..." (see 14:21-24, read carefully)

     Clearly, Bnei Yisrael's punishment is
not based solely on

this specific sin of the meraglim, but rather
on their overall

behavior since the time they left Egypt.

     This also explains the obvious parallel
between Moshe's

prayer in the aftermath of this event and his
prayer in the

aftermath of "chet ha'egel". Then as well,
God wished to

destroy the entire nation, opting to make a
nation out of

Moshe instead; but Moshe petitioned God to
invoke His "midot

ha'rachamim" (attributes of mercy).  This
time as well, Moshe

beseeches God in a similar manner; however
the sin of the

"meraglim" was more severe, and hence it is
impossible to

reverse the "gzar din" (verdict). Instead, it
could only be

delayed over forty years so not to create a
"chillul Hashem".

     Due to "chet ha'meraglim", God is
convinced that "dor

ha'midbar" would never be capable of meeting
the challenges of

conquering and establishing a 'holy nation'
in the Promised

Land. They are to perish slowly in the
desert, while a new

generation will grow up and become properly
educated.

     Based on this interpretation, we can
explain why God was

not willing to accept the repentance of the
"ma'apilim" (see

14:39-45). Even though their declaration of:
"we are prepared

to go up and conquer the place that God has
spoken of, FOR WE

WERE WRONG" (see 14:40) may reflect a change
of heart, it was

too late. Had this been Bnei Yisrael's only
sin, then most

likely their repentance would have sufficed.
However, "dor

ha'midbar" had suffered from an attitude
problem since the

time of the Exodus (see Tehilim 95:8-11,
Shmot 6:9-12, and

Yechezkel 20:5-9).

  Even after they received the Torah and
built the Mishkan,

their continuous complaining was inexcusable.
"Chet

ha'meraglim" was not an isolated sin; rather
it became the

'straw that broke the camel's back'.

     Bnei Yisrael may have been more than
happy to accept the

privileges of becoming an "am segula", yet
they were not

prepared to accept its responsibilities. God
decided that it

was necessary to educate a new generation
instead.

     It is not often in Jewish History when
the opportunity

arises for Am Yisrael to inherit (or return)
to its homeland.

The implication of such an opportunity is far
greater than

simply the fulfillment of "mitzvat yishuv
ha'aretz" (the

commandment to settle the Land), for it
relates to the entire

character and destiny of the Jewish people.
When such

opportunities arise, spiritual weakness
should not be allowed

to hide behind subjective pessimism. Rather,
Jewish leadership

must gather strength and assess the realities
objectively

while rising to the challenges
idealistically.

                              shabbat shalom,

                              menachem

==============

FOR FURTHER IYUN

1. Note the parallel account of this event in
Sefer Dvarim

(1:22-24). There, they are called "meraglim"
and only the

military aspect of their mission is detailed.
Relate this to

the purpose of Moshe's speech in the 40th
year and the fact

that Bnei Yisrael are about to cross the
Yarden and begin

conquest of the Land. See also Ramban
(Bamidbar 13:1), note

how he attempts to combine both accounts.

2. All said and done, the obvious question
remains, why does

God command Bnei Yisrael to undertake a
mission which may

fail?

  One could suggest that even though God has
promised the land

to Bnei Yisrael, He prefers that its conquest
follows a

natural sequence of events. Even though
Yisrael enjoyed a

supernatural existence in the desert, as they
prepare for

entering the land, they must begin to behave
in a natural

manner, as this will be the mode of life once
they conquer the

land. Now there is value in the fact that
Bnei Yisrael

participate actively in the process of
"kibush ha'aretz", and

begin to live like any normal nation by
making decisions on

their own.

     This could be compared to a 'first step'
towards national

maturity. Just like a child's needs are first
taken care of by

his parents, and slowly he must begin to take
on his own

responsibilities, so too Bnei Yisrael at this
stage.

Unfortunately, it seems that this 'weaning'
process began a

bit too soon. Bnei Yisrael were as yet not
ready.

3. Recall from last week's shiur that in the
overall structure

of Sefer Bamidbar, parshiot of mitzvot which
would appear to

belong in Sefer Vayikra often 'interrupt' the
ongoing

narrative 'challenging' us to find a
connection. Review the

mitzvot in 15:1-41 and try to find a thematic
connection to

the story of the meraglim.

  1) The mitzvah of "minchat n'sachim" to be
brought with

  korbanot Olah or Shlamim;

     2) The mitzvah of taking challah;

  Note that both these mitzvot begin with the
phrase "ki

  tavou el ha'aretz" (when you come in the
Land);

  3) Avodah Zara of the tzibur and the
necessary korban chatat

  (should entire nation sin);

     4) Chilul Shabbat and its punishment;

     5) Mitzvat Tzizit

a. Attempt to relate these parshiot to chet
ha'meraglim?

     (Compare both thematically and
linguistically.)

b. Where in Sefer Vayikra does each mitzvah
belong?

c. Recall the various mitzvot which chazal
equate with keeping

the entire Torah:

     1) Eretz Yisrael

     2) Avodah Zarah

     3) Shabbat

     4) Tzizit

Could you conclude that Chazal based these
Midrashim on the

special structure of Sefer Bamidbar?

4. Note 15:22-23.  Why is this pasuk
referring to the

transgression of all the mitzvot of Torah,
while the chazal

explain that it refers specifically to avoda
zarah.

     (Relate your answer to the previous
question.)

   How is chet ha'meraglim thematically
similar?

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