Embracing Humility:
My ancestor, Rav Mord’chele of Nadvorna zy”a (Sefer Maamar Mordechai) states that the word “anashim” (men) always indicates importance and prestige (Rashi ibid:3). Accordingly, with the words “shlach lecha anashim” the pasuk is saying that one should “send away” his “anashim”, i.e., his honor and glory. It then says that one should “scout the land of Canaan”, meaning that he should look around to discover his own lowliness and humility. (The land of Canaan is used as a term to refer to a lowly, degraded place.)
The pasuk continues: “Which I will give to the children of Yisroel.” This means that this concept of engaging in humble behavior is a good piece of advice given to us by Hashem. When one does this, he is called “a child of Yisroel”, and is considered to be a true son of Hashem.
The Nature of the Land is to Create Humility:
Sefer Zera Kodesh notes that the word “Canaan” seems to be unnecessary. Since Hashem said to go to the land “that I will give you”, they knew which land He was speaking about. Why does it reiterate that this is “Canaan”? He answers that this is a reference to the middah of “hachnaah”, self-annulment and humility. This is the loftiest of all middos, as we see that Moshe Rabenu, the greatest of all men, is specifically praised for excelling in this character trait. The pasuk is teaching us that this is also the greatness of Eretz Yisroel and why it is the Chosen Land. Its nature is to bring those who live there to be humble.
Moshe told the meraglim to keep in mind that this is the prime aspect of the land. When they scout out the land to determine “what it is”, they should remember that this is a major part of its greatness. The meraglim were then told to scout “the nation that lives there, if they are strong or weak, if they are a few or a lot.” He explains this as a hint that in Eretz Yisroel, one is only strong if he considers himself to be weak, meaning that he is influenced by the land to be humble. If a nation receives this influence, they will be “a lot” in strength even if they are “few” in number.”
They then were told to see “if there is a tree or not.” Rashi understands this to mean to see if they have an “odom kosher”. Again, he explains this to mean a righteous man who is humble and will be able to protect them in his merit.
How Could Tzadikim Reject the Land:
The story of the meraglim is very difficult to understand. The Torah testifies that they were great men who were the leaders of the nation. When they left on their mission, they were upright tzadikim and they certainly had good intentions. How could they fall so quickly? How could they end up speaking badly about the land and rejecting Hashem’s kindness? Numerous answers are suggested in the Sefarim Hakedoshim, several of which we will relate below.
They Wanted to Serve Hashem With Ease:
Rav Menachem Mendel of Rimanov zy”a explains that while the meraglim were tzadikim, they made a big mistake. They believed that they could serve Hashem better in the desert than they could in Eretz Yisroel. They knew that in Eretz Yisroel, they would have to work hard to create a connection to Hashem, whereas in the midbar, all they had to do was subjugate their hearts to Him and the connection would then be automatic. Therefore, they felt it would be better to remain in the midbar. However, they were mistaken, as the main purpose in life is to work hard to serve Hashem with mesiras nefesh, and this can only be fully attained in Eretz Yisroel.
They Rejected Gashmius:
Sefer Ateres Yeshua writes that Hashem promised that He would take Klal Yisroel to Eretz Yisroel, which is a land flowing with milk and honey, and to provide them with much gashmius. The meraglim were such tzadikim that they eschewed gashmius and preferred to stay in the midbar. They thought that working the land and being granted earthly pleasures would be bad for ruchnius, so they tried to do what they could to remain in the barren desert.
Yehoshua and Kalev disagreed and said that the land was “very, very good”. They understood that even though they would be given an abundance of parnassah in Eretz Yisroel, if this abundance was from Hashem, it must be good for their ruchnius. They knew that this gashius would enable them to learn Torah and reach great spiritual heights. This is hinted to by the fact that the words “zavas chalav v’devash” has the same gematriah (with the kollel) as “keser, chochmah, bina”, which indicates that it will lead to a greater understanding of Torah.
They Didn’t Want to Lose Connection to Hashem:
The Sifsei Tzadik quotes the Chidushei Harim zy”a as explaining that the Jewish people were doing very well in the midbar. They were being taught Torah by Moshe Rabenu and they had all the food and clothing they needed. Thus, they were able to focus on serving Hashem with no distractions.
They realized that once they entered Eretz Yisroel, they would no longer be able to live this way. They would have to work the land and there would be many distractions from serving Hashem. Therefore, they decided to create a situation where the nation would have to remain in the desert for an additional 40 years.
In his words: “The meraglim worried about Klal Yisroel like an avreich who is worried that when he loses the support he receives from his father-in-law, he might get busy with making a living and he won’t be able to learn as well as before.”
Hashem Can Provide Yeshuos Without Mesiras Nefesh:
Sefer Imrei Noam writes that the meraglim saw that the residents of the land were very strong and great miracles would be needed to defeat them. They knew that before Hashem performs miracles, an act of mesiras nefesh is needed. For example, before the splitting of the Yam Suf, part of the nation had to risk their lives by jumping into the water and, in this merit, the miracle was performed (see Sotah 37A). We also find that Yechezkel told Chananya. Mishoel and Azariah that they would not be saved from the fire, but they still risked their lives to sanctify His name. And in this merit, they were saved from the furnace.
This was the meraglim’s plan when they said that the residents of the land were so strong that they could not be defeated. They wanted Klal Yisroel to be moser nefesh to go up and fight anyway, knowing that Hashem would then perform wondrous miracles for them.
However, the Satan succeeded in getting the people to believe the meraglim and to fall to despair. This was Kalev’s intentions when he said (Bamidbor 14:8): “If Hashem wants us, and He will bring us.” He was saying that if Hashem wants to give us the land, He will give it us without the need for us to be moser nefesh. He was saying that it is not up to us to make such calculations. Rather, we are meant to serve Him and not to worry about how He will provide our salvation.
They Were Scared of the Women’s Strength:
The Medrash (quoted in Hadar Zekeinim of the Baalei Tosafos) relates that when the spies were in Eretz Canaan, a daughter of one of the giants took a pomegranate from an orchard, ate it, and discarded the peel. The peel was so big that when the meraglim happened upon it, they thought it was a cave and they went in to explore it.
A short while later, the girl remembered that she had thrown away the peel and she went to get it so that her father wouldn’t know that she had taken a fruit from the orchard without permission. She picked up the peel with the 12 men still inside, without even realizing they were there, and threw it out of the orchard.
At that time, the spies told each other, “If even the women are so strong, imagine how strong the men are?” After this, they said that it would be impossible to conquer them.
The Meraglim’s Error:
In Parshas Devarim (1:22), we find that Moshe Rabenu chastised the nation for sending spies to scout the land. However, on the pasuk of “shelach lecha anashim”, Rashi says: “Send for yourself. For your own will. I didn’t command you to send spies. If you want to do it – send.” We see that it was up to Moshe to decide if they should or shouldn’t send spies, and he agreed to let them go. If so, why did he later criticize the nation for this?
The Chasam Sofer zy”a answers that the rule that one must act according to the bounds of nature and not rely on a miracle applies only to a king or a ruler. A king or leader of the nation may not rely solely on miracles and must try to do what he can by natural means. Therefore, Moshe, and later Yehoshua, had the right and obligation to send spies to scout the land.
The general public, however, had no obligation to request to send spies to check out the land they would be entering. All they needed to do was to follow their leaders and listen to them, like sheep following their shepherd. When the nation presented their request to Moshe, rather than following him without question, it showed a lack of respect to him. Due to Moshe’s great humility, he took no offense and agreed to the request.
Hashem told Moshe that since he was the king, he had the right to send spies as his emissaries. Although the request was insulting to Moshe, due to his great humility, he did not take offense and allowed them to go as his shluchim. However, their error was that they failed to see themselves as Moshe’s agents and, instead, thought that they were there to give their own advice and to tell Moshe and the nation what to do.
This was Kalev’s exhortation to the meraglim when he asked them why they were so worried about what they saw. He was telling them that all they were tasked to do was to report back to Moshe, as he was the one who sent them and they only were meant to answer to him. The entire complaint against them was that they didn’t fully annul themselves to Moshe and they felt that they could offer their own opinions and advice.
The Secret of the Meraglim:
Sefer Ohr Kadosh (page 183) relates the following incredible story:
Rav Uri of Sambor zy”a once traveled to bask in the presence of the Sar Shalom of Belz zy”a. He arrived in Belz before Shavuos and remained there until after Shabbos Parshas Behaaloscha. On his way back home, he and the group of chasidim he was traveling with decided to stop in Premishlan to see Rav Meir of Premishlan zy”a. Rav Meir immediately became aware of their decision and told his gabbai, “A group of young men are on the way. Their leader is a tall, weak man. He wants to test Meir’l but Meir’l has already proven himself. Do not let him in.”
The group arrived in Premishlan on a Sunday. When the group was denied entry, all of them besides Rav Uri got back on the road and returned to their homes. Rav Uri, however, remained in Premishlan. He kept a watch on Rav Meir’s door until Friday (erev Shabbos of Parshas Shelach), but Rav Meir never left his room.
On Friday, Rav Meir sent his gabbai to ask him to leave, as if he remained there, he wouldn’t be able to go to the mikvah before Shabbos. He said that if Rav Uri agreed to leave, he would reveal to him “the secret of the meraglim”. Rav Uri agreed and walked away, but he did merit seeing Rav Meir’s back as he left his house.
Rav Meir told him through the gabbai that he should walk out of the city and continue walking until he reached a certain mountain. There he would find a man chopping wood. He should tell the man, “Meir’l sent me to spend Shabbos with you.”
Of course, the woodchopper agreed to host the guest and on leil Shabbos, he told him the secret meaning of the story of the meraglim.
Saved After Asking Hashem for Salvation:
Rav Henoch of Alexander zy”a (Sefer Chashbah L’Tova) explains that Moshe saw that Yehoshua constantly asked Hashem to help and protect him. In fact, this was the meaning of the name “Hoshea” (save me). He changed his name to Yehoshua because Hoshea means that a person davens to Hashem for a salvation but Yehoshua means that the davening itself is the salvation.
A Leader Cannot Save People from Those Who Speak Lashon Hara:
A student of Yeshivas Volozhin once approached the Rosh Yeshiva, the Netziv zt”l, and told him that he had accepted a position as Rov of a certain town. The people of that town had engaged in numerous fights over the years and he asked for a bracha that he should be safe from those who speak lashon hara and rechilus and who may challenge his authority as Rov.
The Netziv told him, “The Torah tells us that when Yehoshua was chosen to be one of the spies, Moshe Rabenu changed his name from Hoshea to Yehoshua, as a prayer that Hashem should save him from the plans of the meraglim. On the other hand, we find that when Yehoshua accepted the role as leader of the nation, Moshe called him by his first name, Hoshea (Devarim 32:44). Why didn’t Moshe use his new name as a prayer for him to be saved from the challenges of leadership?
“We see from this that Moshe, who had been the leader for 40 years, knew that a bracha alone cannot save someone from those who speak lashon hara against a leader.”
Going to Kevarim But Not to Living Tzadikim:
Rashi states that Kalev went to Chevron by himself and prostrated himself on the graves of the Avos and davened that he should not fall prey to the plan of the other spies.
Rav Avrohom of Parisov zy”a (quoted in Seer Zechusa D’Avrohom) relates that Rav Avrohom of Tchekinov zy”a was once visited by a talmid chochom from Yerushalaim. Rav Avrohom said to him, “They say that you are a wise man. I want to ask you something. Why is it that when the people of Eretz Yisroel need a Yeshua, they go to daven by the graves of tzadikim but when us residents of Chutz La’aretz need a salvation, we go to a Rebbe and ask him to intercede on our behalf?”
The wise man answered, “Before joining the meraglim, Yehoshua went to his ‘Rebbe”, Moshe Rabenu, who davened for him to be saved from their plans. Kalev, on the other hand, went to kivrei tzadikim to ask the Avos to beg for mercy and save him. We thus see a source for both courses of action. The reason we in Eretz Yisroel choose to go to kivrei tzadikim, rather than to a Rebbe, is because going to kivrei tzadikim is ‘vadai”, as we know that the people buried there are genuine tzadikim. Going to a Rebbe, however, is a ‘safek’, as we can’t know from sure that he is a lofty person. Therefore, we prefer the ‘vadai’ over the ‘safek’.”
The Rebbe enjoyed this answer. When he later was visited by another great Rebbe, he quipped that a chochom from Eretz Yisroel told him that a Rebbe is a safek and it can be said that this is a “safek d’rabanan.”
Speaking Badly About the Goyim, Not About the Land:
Someone once spoke negatively about the residents of Eretz Yisroel to the Ruzhiner Rebbe zy”a, saying that they did not behave properly. The Rebbe got very angry at him and said, “You are even worse than the meraglim. They at least praised the land and said that it was flowing with milk and honey. They only spoke negatively about the gentiles who lived there and said that they were too mighty to conquer. Still and all, they were punished terribly. But you go so far as to besmirch the Jewish residents of the holy land!”
Not Besmirching the Land:
A man once approached Rav Yehoshua of Kutno zt”l to ask if he should send merchandise to sell in Eretz Yisroel. Rav Yehoshua asked him if he planned on traveling to Eretz Yisroel and the man answered, “No. I’ll stay here and I will send the s’choirah to Eretz Yisroel in order to make a profit.”
Rav Yehoshua understood that if he relied on others to take care of his merchandise and its sale in Eretz Yisroel, he would lose his investment, as Chazal say (Bava Metziah 29B) that a surefire way to lose money is to hire workers to oversee one’s business and not to oversee them. He realized that this would lead the man to speak badly about Eretz Yisroel. Therefore, he told him, “I know of people who left their money in Chutz La’aretz and traveled to Eretz Yisroel without it so that they could be buried there. But I never heard of anyone staying in Chutz La’aretz and sending their money to be buried in Eretz Yisroel.”
Iyov Died That Day:
Rashi explains that wherever they went, they saw funerals taking place, which made them believe that “the land consumes its inhabitants.” In truth, Hashem caused this to happen for their benefit – so that the residents should be busy with their mourning and they shouldn’t pay any attention to the spies.
Alternatively, the Gemara (Sotah 35A) explains that Iyov died that day and the meraglim were referring to this death when they said that the land “consumes its inhabitants.” We may ask on this explanation how the death of one man made them come to this conclusion.
The Chida zt”l (Sefer Devash L’Fi) answers that the custom of the Emori was that when one of their people died, they would not bury him right away. Rather, they would keep him in a coffin until a dignitary died, and they would then bury the other bodies together with him so that he could serve as their protector and take them to heaven. On the day that the meraglim came to Eretz Yisroel, Iyov died. As they took him to be buried, they took along the coffins of the other dead people who would be buried with him. The meraglim thought they had all died on the same day, which led them to say that this was a land that eats its inhabitants.
Not Measuring Tzadikim:
Sefer Imros Moshe relates that there once was a chasid who used to travel to the court of the Rebbe of Neschiz zy”a. Later, he began to go to the court of the Rebbe of Kobrin zy”a. When he went to Kobrin for the first time and attended the tish, he felt himself being suffused with a...
