Parsha Pearls

Parsha Pearls

אֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר-שָלַח מֹשֶׁה לָתוּר אֶת- הַאָרֶץ... וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה לְהוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן-נוּן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ.

These are the names...And Moshe called Hoshea bin Nun - Yehoshua.

Chazal teach us that students are called children. To Moshe, Yehoshua was like his son - i.e., very beloved...

Based on Midrash Rabba, Rashi explains why Moshe changed Yehoshua’s name:

התפלל עליו, י-ה יושיעך מעצת מרגלים (במ"ר טז, ט. יח, כא): (רש"י)

Moshe prayed for Yehoshua – “HaShem should save you from the plan of the spies.”

If Moshe needed to pray for Yehoshua to be saved from the influence of others, all the more so we should pray continuously for our children to be saved from negative influences of the society.