This process is reflected in the general idea of the descent of the soul to this world: It descends from Tikun, from Atzilus, to the created physical world in order to achieve a deeper connection to Hashem through the physical actions of the mitzvos. This deeper connection is called “the advantage of Light that comes from transformed darkness.” In order to attain this deeper connection to Hashem in the physical world, there are two stages required: “Turning away from bad,” by fulfilling the 365 mitzvos to refrain from certain actions. When a person overcomes his own Yetzer Hara (mundane physical desires) for the sake of serving Hashem, he removes the concealment of Hashem from the entire world. Even though Hashem created the world is such a way that it conceals his Light and Truth, when a person “turns from bad,” he removes some of that concealment so that he and the entire world should be able to receive and perceive Hashem’s Light.
The second stage is the fulfillment of the 248 action mitzvos, which are like “limbs” that bring down the Life and Light of Hashem’s Inner Will into these channels. These bring the Light of Hashem into the person and into the world around him.
A2. Now, we will understand why Eretz Yisroel is called “the Land flowing with milk and honey.”
Milk and honey are both sweet, but milk is something sustainably sweet that can be eaten every day as a person’s sustenance, (like a nursing baby, for example). However, honey is intensely sweet, and therefore can only be eaten in small amounts. These represent two types of revelation from Hashem: The revelation of Hashem through refraining from sin is intensely sweet, and the revelation of Hashem from performing the actions of the mitzvos is comfortably sweet. Both of these types of revelations are connected specifically to Eretz Yisroel, since that is where the majority of the mitzvos can be performed (and where there are more forbidden actions that we must refrain from.)
A3. The reason that most mitzvos are connected to Eretz Yisroel specifically is because it corresponds to the level of Malchus of Atzilus, which is the “Spiritual Land of Eretz Yisroel.”
Just as the physical ground is the lowest level that everyone steps on, yet produces the crops that everyone depends on, so too, Malchus is the lowest level of Atzilus, yet only in it is revealed the Infinite Creative Power of Hashem to create the worlds. Of all the physical land in the world, only Eretz Yisroel is directly corresponding to Malchus of Atzilus.
Now, as explained, the main idea of mitzvos is to draw down Hashem’s Light into this world. The focal point of this process is Malchus of Atzilus:
By refraining from sin, we remove the concealment of the Light from Malchus, and, by perfoming mitzvos we draw down the Light into Malchus. Once the Light is in Malchus, then it will come down into our world, since Malchus is the creative source of our world.
Since the main goal of mitzvos is to draw down Hashem’s Light into Malchus, and Eretz Yisroel is the place directly corresponding to Malchus, most mitzvos are specifically connected to Eretz Yisroel.
A1. Now, we can understand why the Spies didn’t want to enter Eretz Yisroel:
The Spies were on very high spiritual level, and they wanted to receive the Light of Hashem as it comes into Malchus of Atzilus itself, not as it comes down into the physical world. They thought they would receive the Light on a higher and purer form in its spiritual source in Malchus, which they would draw down through prayer and Torah study. They also were worried that if the Light came down into the physical world, it would be too intense for them to handle.
They thought that it would be enough if they revealed the source of Malchus through their speech, through prayer and Torah study, since Malchus is also the idea of Divine Speech.
However, Yehoshua and Kaleiv knew that this was not Hashem’s plan and desire. Hashem desired to have a dwelling specifically in the physical world, through the physical actions of the mitzvos (and physically refraining from sin.)
The lower a level can descend is indicative of how high its source is. By fulfilling mitzvos in the lowest level, the physical world of action, we reveal the ultimate, highest level, Hashem’s Infinite Light, on a totally different level than can be revealed through understanding and speech.
Perhaps their concern was similar to that of Yaakov regarding Yitzchok’s blessings to Eisav: Yaakov knew that if Eisav would receive the great revelation of Hashem contained in Yitzchok’s blessing, then one of two things would happen: Either it would be too intense for Eisav and he would die; or the holy energy would get sucked into the wicked Eisav and make him super powerful to be even more wicked. Perhaps the spies were worried that if the Light comes into the physical world through the mitzvos of Eretz Yisroel then one of two things would happen: Either it would be too intense for people to handle; or the holy energy contained in the mitzvos would give extra power to the unholiness of the physical world. That’s why they decided that instead of bringing down the Light, everyone should have to elevate themselves to receive it as it exists in Malchus of Atzilus.
This is the ultimate desire of Hashem - to reveal his deepest, most Infinite Light on the lowest level - the physical world - through the actions of the mitzvos.
