By Rabbi Haim Ovadia *
[The material from Shelach is part four of a multi-section discussion by Rabbi Ovadia]
The story of the scouts is presented in the Torah in two versions, which seem to be incompatible. This chart lists the most salient differences.
God tells Moshe to send the scouts.The mission is requested by the people.The mission is to gather information. There is no specific mention of how the information will be used.The mission is strategic. The scouts are asked to come back with a plan for the route to take and cities to attack.The members of the delegation are called scouts, from the Hebrew root רות.The members of the delegation are called spies, from the Hebrew root רפח.The scouts are described as leaders and chieftains, and they are mentioned by name.They are described only as “one person of each tribe."The scouts first deliver information, with only a hint of difficulty, conveyed by the word ספא however (13:28). After the Israelites react negatively, the scouts add that it is an impossible mission. After the decree is given that they will spend 40 years in the desert, the scouts instigate the people again.the land which God is giving us is very good. They refer to the land as already being given.In summary: the voices in the conversation from the moment the scouts return are: scouts; Israelites (insinuated); Caleb; Scouts; Israelites; Yehoshua and Caleb; Israelites; God; Moshe; God; God; Scouts.In summary: the voices in the conversation from the moment the scouts return are: scouts; Israelites; Moshe; God.The commentators offer many explanations to the discrepancies between the two narratives, and it seems that the common thread to all of them is that in Devarim Moshe tells the story in retrospect, from his perspective. The narrative in BeMidbar unfolds as events are taking place, and reading that narrative one might have believed that the mounting opposition among the people regarding the conquest of Canaan was a result of an ongoing debate between the people, the scouts, Caleb and Yehoshua, Moshe and God. The debate in BeMidbar is prolonged and multilayered, while in Devarim almost no discussion is present. In retrospect, Moshe tells the people that they never intended to accomplish their journey and enter the land of Canaan, and that it was not the report of the scouts that made them take the final decision.
In BeMidbar, the people sent to Canaan are described as scouts sent to gather general information, they hold prestigious positions, and they are commissioned by God. In Devarim, it is understood that the mission, even if ordered by God, was necessary because the Israelites wanted it. They wanted spies and not scouts, and they wanted strategic information, so they could insist on returning to Egypt. In retrospect, it is understood that the chieftains sent to Canaan did not deserve the honor bestowed upon them, and they are referred to in Devarim as ordinary people.
This is just a cursory interpretation, and the readers are encouraged to compare the two narratives in depth and research the commentators. It is also recommended to chart the order in which the events in the desert are described in Devarim, in order to feel the perspective of Moshe as he speaks of those events.
I would like to highlight several elements of the story, especially in relation to the overarching story line of loss in trust in the leadership.
Loss of trust in oneself: a lot was written on verse 13:33: “in comparison to the giants we seemed to ourselves as grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them." Losing trust in ones ability to succeed will turn him against parents, educators, and advisors. The rebellion might be active and aggressive, or it might be expressed through passive, indifferent behavior. When such feelings are experienced by a group of people, they are exponentially more powerful and spread like waves throughout the group.
Why does God care what people say?: in verses 14:13-18, Moshe argues that God should spare the Israelites, because their annihilation would cause other nations to say that God was unable to bring them to Canaan. A similar argument is used following the sin of the Golden Calf, and we wonder why is it a valid one when used to convince God, since after all God is immutable. The answer is that Moshe is not speaking of God's image but of the greater goal of the Torah. That goal is mentioned when God chooses Abraham and again before Mattan Torah, the Giving of the Law on Mount Sinai – and it is about spreading the message of the Torah to the whole world. Though any argument with God would seem futile, Moshe argues that destroying the Israelites will foil the general goal because no nation will be willing to become God's nation. (Have in mind that any discussion of the goals of the Torah or of God is limited to our perspective of events, and is phrased in the Torah in terms palatable to us.)
What you care for will succeed: amidst the tragic events of the scouts' rebellion there is one positive moment. In verse 14:31 God tells the Israelites that their children, whom they thought would be slaughtered by the enemy's sword, will merit entering Canaan and settling in it. He is not telling them that to rub salt in their wounds, but to send the message that when you deeply care about something, there are chances it is going to succeed. The Israelites [ed: generation of the Exodus] did not care for independence or for Canaan, and therefore lost both, but they did care deeply about their children, and for that reason their children succeeded in the mission.
The importance of family: this brings us to another key element of BeMidbar's trust crisis narrative. A nation is strongest when its members feel as family to each other. A family where siblings, spouses, and parents and children do not trust each other will fall into disarray and so will the nation. Let us go back to chapter 11 and look at references to familial relationships:
11:10: families; 11:12: pregnancy, delivery, wet nurse, suckling, fathers; 12:1: wife (spoken of by in-laws); 12:12: fetus emerging from the mother's womb; 12:14: father; 14:13: wives and children; 14:31: children; 14:33: sons;
Don't kill the messenger: The story of the scouts also drives home the point that though the people mostly directed their criticism as Moshe and Aharon, and even tried to stone them, they were actually rebelling against God. That idea is mentioned in the following verses:
14:3: why does God bring us to that land to be killed by the sword...
14:9: [Yehoshua and Caleb urge the people:] do not rebel against God...
14:11: God tells Moshe that the people blaspheme Him and have no faith in Him, despite all the miracles they have seen.
14:13-19: Moshe's argument revolves around the need to establish faith in God.
14:22: God speaks of the people who try Him.
14:26: [God said:] until when will this evil congregation complain against Me... I have heard their complaints against Me...
14:35: The people congregated against God.
Devrei Torah from Rabbi Ovadia this year come from an unpublished draft of his forthcoming book on Tanach, which Rabbi Ovadia, who has generously shared with our readers. Rabbi Ovadia reserves all copyright rights to this material.
* Judaic faculty, Ramaz High School, New York; also Torah VeAhava. Until recently, Rabbi, Beth Sholom Sephardic Minyan (Potomac, MD). Faculty member, AJRCA non-denominational rabbinical school). Many of Rabbi Ovadia's Devrei Torah are now available on Sefaria: https://www.sefaria.org/profile/haim-ovadia?tab=sheets. The Sefaria articles include Hebrew text, which I must delete because of issues changing software formats. Rabbi Ovadia retains all rights (copyright) to this and all other Devrei Torah that he permits me to share.
