PERSON CONNECTED TO THE PARSHA
KEILEV
2410 (or 2416) – Keilev was born to Yefunah also known as Chetzron, the son of Peretz the son of Yehudah.
2479 - Nasi (prince) of the Tribe of Yehudah and was selected as one of the 12 Spies in the second year in the desert. Keilev was 40 years old.
2488 – Prior to entering Eretz Yisrael, Yehoshua sent two spies to Yericho which included Keilev.
2495 – At the conclusion of the seven years of conquest, Keilev (age of 85) offered his daughter as a wife to whoever conquers the territory of Kiryat-Sefer (home of the offspring of giants). This was a case of a non-proper request (since a person could have been unfit to marry his daughter) but HaShem answered him properly and allowed the Gadol haDor, Osniel (son of Kenaz) conquered the area and married his daughter, Achsah.
Keilev and Osniel were half-brothers sharing the same mother. Kenaz the father of Osniel was the stepfather of Keilev (according to the Radak).
Keilev married Efras. Chaza”l relate that this lady was actually Miriam, the sister of Moshe. Others say he married Basya, the daughter of Paroh.
Keilev’s daughter was called Achsah (עכסה) because anyone who looked at her would be Ko'es (get angry) at his own wife (Temurah 16a). Tosfos (Ta'anis 4a) said they were angry (jealous) due to her Tzeni'us. Others say there jealous since Achsah was so wise.
Keilev is buried in Caifel Haras in the Shomron. No one is sure of the date of his death. Therefore many observe the sixth day of the week of Parshas Shlach as his yahrzeit.
שמות יד, כד: וְעַבְדִּ י כָלֵב עֵקֶב הָיְתָה רוּחַ אַחֶרֶת עִּמּו
Ohr haChaim explains that the phrase “because a different spirit was with him” as referring to the spirit of the Evil Inclination that caused the other Spies to sin. Keilev was affected as were the other Spies and he was also not protected by Moshe. However, Keilev braved the dangers of Hebron (giants) to pray at the graves of the Forefathers and was able to overcome his Evil Inclination. Thus, Keilev had a “different” spirit from Yehoshua. Thus, according to the Ohr haChaim this verse comes directly after the story of the failure and the punishment of the other Spies.
'Is God amongst us or not?' (Shemos 17,4) “By your life! The dog (Amalek) will come and bite you and make you call out to Me, and then you will know where I am!" (Rashi)
A hero of the Jewish people was Keilev ben Yehuneh - one of the twelve spies who spied Eretz Yisroel, but only one of two who came back with a favorable report. His name is spelled the same as "kelev" (dog) though pronounced differently.
Keilev ben Yefuneh accessed to see the value of Eretz Yisroel, while the rest of the spies, other that Yehoshua himself, remained in doubt about the importance and wisdom of entering the land. In short, it is the light that forces away the doubt of Amalek and "silences the dogs," so-to-speak. In short, it is what turns the "kelev" into a "Keilev," and in a very real sense, that is precisely what Yaakov's family went down to Egypt to achieve.
There is one great Torah Tzadik whose name is dog, Keilev. He was the good spy who was faithful to Moshe. Moshe says ‘he is the faithful one’. He was ‘faithful to the faithful’ (נאמן לנאמן) = 312; also 6 x keilev (52) = 312. (Dog - כלב has 3 letters = 6 permutations of the letters that compose its name, also referred to as the full composition of the word). Thus Keilev equates to ‘faithful to the faithful’.
