The primary focus of our Parsha is the sending of spies on a mission to scout Eretz Yisrael. As we well know, there are several significant differences between how the episode is written here in Parshat Shelach and how it is later recounted by Moshe Rabbeinu in Parshat Devarim.
אֲנָשִׁים וְיָתֻרוּ אֶת־אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִי נֹתֵן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ שְׁלַח־לְך אֶחָד אִישׁ אֶחָד לְמַטֵּה אֲבֹתָיו תִּשְׁלָחוּ כֹּל נָשִׂיא בָהֶם׃
Send, for yourself, men, and have them scout the Land of Cna’an, which I am giving to Bnei Yisrael; one man, one man each, for his father’s tribe you shall send them, each leader among them.
According to Rabbi Akiva says (Yerushalmi Sotah 7:5), there were not twelve, but twenty-four spies sent out on the mission, derived from the words לְמַטֵּה אֲבֹתָיו תִּשְׁלָחוּ אִישׁ אֶחָד אִישׁ אֶחָד, and the reason for only listing the names of twelve is that the second delegate from each tribe was merely an aid – tasked with assisting the lead spy from his tribe.
As we also know, the spies spoke negatively about Eretz Yisrael, and the result was Bnei Yisrael wandered and died out in the desert for forty years before the next generation was permitted to enter the land. While those who stood at Har Sinai were unable to enter into Eretz Yisrael, the flip side of that coin is that Moshe Rabbeinu was able to live an additional forty years. Were it not for the episode of this sin, the people were poised to enter Eretz Yisrael a mere few days later, and Moshe Rabbeinu would have died at the age of eighty-one, because he was told by Hakadosh Baruch Hu early on that he’d witness Yetziat Mitzrayim – עַתָּה תִרְאֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶעֱשֶׂה לְפַרְעֹה – but not the following battle with thirty-one nations as Bnei Yisrael entered Eretz Yisrael. The spies coming back with a slanderous report on the land, and the people crying over it, resulted in Moshe Rabbeinu spending an additional forty years teaching Bnei Yisrael and standing up a nation of Torah.
I would like to open with a question posed by Rashi, based on the Midrash. Why is the episode of the spies put in juxtaposition with the story of Miriam speaking negatively about Moshe Rabbeinu and being punished? He answers, it was to show the grievousness of the spies’ sin. Miriam was punished on account of the slander she uttered, “and these sinners witnessed it and yet they did not take a lesson from her.” A poignant question on this is posed by the Maharal and Maskil LeDavid. Why are we even asking why the two sections are placed one after the next? Did these episodes not take place in exactly that order? Did Bnei Yisrael not wait for Miriam to heal from her punishment before beginning the final leg of their journey to Eretz Yisrael, and were the spies not sent out immediately after she returned to the camp? The answer to this question of timing, according to Siftei Chachamim, is that the episode of Korach occurred before that of the spies. This opinion is based on the final pasuk of last week’s Parsha which states Bnei Yisrael traveled from Chatzeirot and camped in Midbar Paran, and us knowing the fiasco with Korach took place in Chatzeirot, and the spies were sent out from Midbar Paran. Putting two and two together, it’s clear that in between the episode of Miriam’s punishment and the spies being sent out, the episode of Korach took place. Thus, the question of why the first and third episodes are juxtaposed in the Torah.
Both the Maharal and Maskil LeDavid disagree with that approach of the Siftei Chachamim, stating the spies were indeed sent out on the day Miriam’s punishment ended. Their question is not just one of timing, but of greater significance.
As we mentioned earlier, there are portions of the episode with the spies that appear later in Devarim but not here in our Parsha. For example, Moshe Rabbeinu later recalls how Bnei Yisrael approached him and asked for spies to be sent out, whereas in our Parsha there is no mention of this request being made. Moshe stating it later is not because he made it up or because he is looking to pin the blame on others after the fact. The Maharal’s question of juxtaposition boils down to why the verbatim text of Shelach appears immediately after that of Miriam’s punishment, and why the extra elements of the story found in Devarim are not included here in Shelach.
The spies were sent out on the 29th of Sivan, a date which Chazal say is not under the control of the Samech Mem [Samech Mem Alef Lamed or the abbreviated Samech Mem is a name used for the Yetzer Hara or Angel of Death]. Thus, Rabbi Shimshon of Ostropola says regarding the pasuk וְהַיָּמִים יְמֵי בִּכּוּרֵי עֲנָבִים, if we take the letters that come before the letters of ם-י-ב-נ-ע (representing בִּכּוּרֵי, or the firsts), we find the word: ל-א-מ-ס. These days that the spies journeyed were under the control of the Samech Mem, except the day of Sivan was removed from that group of inauspicious days, meaning the spies were sent out while still kosher, and not under any negative influence.
While the spies set out on the 29th of Sivan, when did Bnei Yisrael leave Har Sinai prior to that? They left on the 20th of Iyar – בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בְּעֶשְׂרִים בַּחֹדֶשׁ נַעֲלָה הֶעָנָן מֵעַל מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת – as per last week’s Parsha. There are forty days between these two points, days in which the incidents recounted last week involving complainers, the demand for meat, etc. occurred. The distance between Har Sinai and Eretz Yisrael was one that should take only a few days to cover, but it required forty days for Bnei Yisrael to reach the doorstep of Eretz Yisrael due to all incidents and commotion along the way.
With all these dates, locations, and routes in hand, we can now understand the Maharal’s question even better. If upon leaving Har Sinai, Moshe Rabbeinu and Bnei Yisrael knew they were headed to Eretz Yisrael, why not tell us, somewhere back in Parshat Beha’alotcha, that the people approached Moshe and asked for spies to be sent out in advance? That detail told to us in Devarim – clearly accurate and not fabricated by Moshe Rabbeinu – could have easily been fit in exactly when and where it occurred, upon departure from Har Sinai. Why do we hear nothing about spies until after Miriam’s episode, at which point we jump straight to Hakadosh Baruch Hu instructing Moshe who to send and how they should proceed? This is the essence of the question of why the section of the spies is juxtaposed with that of Miriam speaking lashon hara and being punished.
The answer provided by Rashi is that the juxtaposition demonstrates to Bnei Yisrael the severity of speaking lashon hara and the grave punishment for this sin. It is for this reason nothing about the episode was written earlier, and no precursor steps – i.e., Bnei Yisrael asking for the spies – were recounted when they occurred. The presentation we find is in order for the message to be as sharp as possible.
I’d like to add an idea brought in sefer Minchat Ani, written by the Aruch La’Ner. The punishment for lashon hara becomes increasingly severe with each offense whose punishment is observed and noted. The first instance we find explicitly mentioned in the Torah is the case of Yosef HaTzaddik: וַיָּבֵא יוֹסֵף אֶת דִּבָּתָם רָעָה אֶל אֲבִיהֶם – Yosef brought back bad reports about them to their father. We don’t, however, find that Yosef was punished with Tzara’at for speaking lashon hara. He may have sat in jail for ten years as a result, but nobody saw or knew about that. Approximately 250 years passed from the time of Yosef’s lashon hara to Miriam’s incident, a period of time that puts memory of Yosef’s incident well out of the rear-view mirror (just as the idea of lashon hara being the first sin committed in Gan Eden being roughly 2200 years beyond human memory). As a result, Miriam got off light, receiving Tzara’at and being secluded outside the camp for a week. Examining her punishment more closely, we do see that it was more severe than that of the previous case of lashon hara. As we know, Moshe Rabbeinu, upon suggesting roughly a year earlier that Bnei Yisrael would not believe him, was afflicted with Tzara’at on his hand, albeit momentarily. He then made this incident known to Miriam and the people, so in fact Miriam had noted the punishment for lashon hara. As a result, her punishment was more severe, affecting her entire body and for a full week. The spies didn’t have to search long and hard for instances of lashon hara to learn from. They didn’t have to research Yosef, Adam HaRishon, or the snake of Gan Eden, and they didn’t have to rely on someone recounting to them an older incident. They witnessed Miriam’s case up close. What was their upgraded, or more severe, punishment? The Gemara (Sotah 35a) provides two opinions, with graphic detail, on their painful death:
“And those men who brought out an evil report of the land, died by the plague before the Lord.” Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says: They died an unusual death. Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa says that Rabbi Sheila Ish Kefar Temarta taught: This teaches that their tongues were stretched out from their mouths and fell upon their navels, and worms were crawling out of their tongues and entering their navels, and worms were likewise coming out of their navels and entering their tongues. And Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak says: They died of diphtheria (which causes one to choke to death).
The punishment the spies received, regardless of which opinion you follow, was clearly more severe than that of Miriam. This, according to Minchat Ani, is because the sin for lashon hara is progressively intensified as one sees and absorbs what took place but learns not from it. When we reach Korach and his entourage, they had plenty to witness and learn from, therefore their punishment was even more severe. They were swallowed alive by the ground and remain there today, crying out “מֹשֶׁה אֱמֶת וְתוֹרָתוֹ אֱמֶת” (Bava Batra 74a).
Before jumping into our main topic, there is another worthy question to raise, related to the spies having clear examples of lashon hara to learn from. Generally, when we learn by way of comparison, we do so by use of kal v’chomer – meaning from the stronger case, where we derive our conclusion from logic that compares two cases. How is such logic applied to the case of Miriam and the spies? Can we say that Miriam’s sin was relatively innocuous, and unintentional according to the Rambam, yet she received Tzara’at – therefore the spies, whose sin was graver and intentional, should all die? Miriam spoke about a human being, after all, whereas the spies only spoke about עֵצִים וַאֲבָנִים – trees and stones! How can a kal v’chomer be made between speaking lashon hara about the leader of Bnei Yisrael and greatest prophet to walk this earth, and coming back with a negative report about a land? Oznaim Latorah asks this excellent question.
The first answer he provides is that Moshe considered himself even lower than trees and stones. Whereas Avraham referred to himself as וְאָנֹכִי עָפָר וָאֵפֶר – dust and ashes, Moshe didn’t even say he reached that level or value. He said nothing. In his eyes and humility, he was nothing: וְנַחְנוּ מָה – But what are we? This supports the kal v’chomer holds, as punishment for speaking lashon hara about nothing resulted in Tzara’at, therefore speaking about the land was more severe.
The second answer of Oznaim Latorah is that Eretz Yisrael is not merely a land of עֵצִים וַאֲבָנִים. It is a living and breathing land, with the inherent ability to be pained and to inflict punishment. We see this clearly in the curses of the tochecha: אָז תִּרְצֶה הָאָרֶץ אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתֶיהָ and וַתָּקִא הָאָרֶץ אֶת־יֹשְׁבֶיהָ. As a result, speaking lashon hara about Eretz Yisrael is not like speaking poorly about trees and stones, nor is it like speaking negatively about the United States or France. The lashon hara spoken about Eretz Yisrael was even more severe than speaking lashon hara about a prophet of Hashem!
Another answer I found, but I do not recall where, is that Miriam sacrificed her life to protect Moshe Rabbeinu, and meant no harm in what she said about him. She did not know that Hakadosh Baruch Hu would speak to him face-to-face, or that he’d ascend Har Sinai three times. She did not know of these merits, only that Hakadosh Baruch Hu chose him to lead. Thus, Miriam honestly questioned why his stature was different and required him to leave his wife. When Hakadosh Baruch Hu punished her, he admonished her not for the actual words she uttered, but for not being afraid to speak about His servant, Moshe: וּמַדּוּעַ לֹא יְרֵאתֶם לְדַבֵּר בְּעַבְדִּי בְמֹשֶׁה. The punishment came as a result of speaking about one who Hakadosh Baruch Hu chose. Similarly, Hakadosh Baruch Hu chose Eretz Yisrael and designated it as the promised land for Bnei Yisrael. He did not choose Switzerland or Italy, nor Austria or Brazil. He chose Eretz Yisrael and presented it to Bnei Yisrael as the land that would be filled with blessings, even if the people did not yet see exactly why or what that would mean for them. In the same way Miriam asked a question regarding a chosen one – Moshe Rabbeinu – so too, the spies spoke about a chosen one – Eretz Yisrael. They had the audacity to speak negatively about the land chosen by Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Thus, the kal v’chomer makes perfect sense. Furthermore, we must recognize and take note how serious it is to speak negatively about Eretz Yisrael, while also recognizing the tikkun available to us – to go out and speak only positively about Eretz Yisrael, the greatest land there is!
One final point before we dive into the punishment of the spies relates to the idea that Bnei Yisrael witnessed the previous incident involving Miriam. Who said they needed to learn anything? Why? The Ba’al Shem Tov says, if you see something, it is because you’re meant to see it, internalize it, and learn from it. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is speaking to you through what you witness, and He wants to teach you. Even when it is someone else punished, there is a message and teaching in it for you. We see this in the juxtaposition of the sections of sotah and nazir last week, where we’re told that one who sees a sotah in disgrace should refrain from wine, because it can lead to such predicaments. Seeing the procedure the sotah undergoes at the Beit Hamikdash was intentional, as you could have arrived an hour earlier or later and missed it entirely. That you saw it was for a reason, and the timing of your arrival at the Beit Hamikdash was not coincidental. When Bnei Yisrael saw what happened to Miriam, they were to internalize what they saw and learn from it. “This is for you!” – Hakadosh Baruch Hu speaks to us individually through what we see and what we experience, with countless examples of this recounted in the Talmud (see Rav Baruch Rosenblum English Shiurim: Naso 5784).
I’ll bring up one such story found towards the end of Massechet Berachot (Berachot 60b). Rabbi Akiva was travelling alone and sought lodging in a certain town, but they refused to host him. Instead of growing frustrated or upset, he simply said: כׇּל דְּעָבֵיד רַחֲמָנָא לְטָב עָבֵיד – Everything that the Merciful One does, He does for the best. Lacking other options, he slept in a field. He had with him a rooster, a donkey and a candle. A strong gust of wind extinguished the lamp, a wild cat came and consumed the rooster, and a lion attacked and devoured the donkey. Once again, Rabbi Akiva exclaimed: Everything that the Merciful One does, He does for the best! The Ben Yehoyada asks, why did Rabbi Akiva not rekindle his lamp? He could not bring the rooster nor donkey back to life, but nothing prevented him from igniting a new flame!. He answers, Rabbi Akiva said to himself: “This is what Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants. If He wanted the lamp lit, He'd have left it lit.” That was Rabbi Akiva. There was a reason for everything he saw and endured (and he was saved as a result of it).
As an aside, when you’re next delivering a Dvar Torah at a Sheva Brachot, remember this story. The three items Rabbi Akiva lost – ר 'רְנְגוֹל , נֵ'מוֹר, תַ'חֲ – spell the word חָתָן. Even in the home, nothing is by chance. The donkey or expensive car you drive may get wrecked. One day, an unfortunate accident may send its engine into the trunk as your S-Class 400 automobile just became a S-Class 200. Or, the washing machine, oven, and two other appliances may decide it’s time for your breakers and electrical lines to cut out and fry. Or, the dinner planned may be burned to a crisp as the stove let out too much gaz, in the spirit of חִי שׁ וַנָּעֻפָ הגָז כִּי – They pass by speedily and we are in darkness. None are the fault of anyone specific and there is no reason for yelling or blaming in response. כׇּל דְּעָבֵיד רַחֲמָנָא לְטָב עָבֵיד – Everything that the Merciful One does, He does for the best. These are all messages direct from Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
Nothing we see comes before our eyes by chance. One of the stories told about Rav Papa involved him overlooking his obligations for tzedakah, yet when we see someone (and then another someone) enter shul in the morning with their hand outstretched, some have time-tested plans that spring into action. It could be in the middle of Pesukei Dezimra, but they’ll cover their eyes and cry out “Shema Yisrael,” peeking through their fingers to ensure Yisrael is gone. If he’s still there, they prolong their “Echaaaad,” until יָצְתָה נִשְׁמָתוֹ בְּאֶחָד – until the Neshama of this poor Yisrael is gone. If someone presents themselves to us, it is only because Hakadosh Baruch Hu has sent them, and we may not turn our eyes the other way. There is a story told of the Imrei Emes, who was approached by a Gerrer Chassid, owner of a rental apartment unit. His tenant, also a Gerrer Chasid, was delinquent in his rent payments, and the owner asked the rebbe to dip into the Kupat Ha’ir tzedakah fund to cover the outstanding balance. Why should he pay the price for the tenant’s financial struggles when the whole community can absorb the burden, he thought. The Imrei Emes turned to him and said, “If it’s your unit and your tenant, the file is clearly yours! You handle it!”
Taking this a step further, we must also use the gifts given to us by Hakadosh Baruch Hu for good. It is not by chance that one may have a beautiful voice. It is for them to help inspire the tefillot of the community. It is also not by chance that one assembles a large real estate portfolio and great wealth in chutz la’aretz. It is for them to support their brethren in Eretz Yisrael. One cannot overlook what they are given and chalk it up to mere chance or their doing. Just as Mordechai said to Esther: י יוֹדֵעַ אִם־לְעֵת כָּזֹאת הִגוּ עַתְּ לַמַּלְכוּת – And who knows, perhaps you attained a royal position for just such a crisis.
Let’s be honest here. Hakadosh Baruch Hu brought us a war nearly nine months ago on Simchat Torah because there was a direct message in it for us. The message was not that we needed more ammunition from the United States or more votes in the United Nations. The message was that our behavior in Eretz Yisrael was wrong, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu was not satisfied with us, our disregard for the Torah, and our disregard for one another. And we’ll continue to be hit from all directions unless we recognize this and correct it. One needs to be an absolute fool not to see and understand this.
The opening of our Parsha and the entire episode of the spies dovetails Miriam’s punishment and the seven days where she sat outside the camp as everyone patiently waited for her – all a clear message being delivered to Bnei Yisrael.
Advancing into the story, Moshe instructed the spies what to seek out and what to look for. I’d refer to them more as tourists than spies, though. We shouldn’t mistake their actions with the ‘spying’ of modern days, as these tribal leaders were not dressed as undercover agents, and they were sent to scout the land not to spy on it: וַיִּשְׁלַח אֹתָם מֹשֶׁה לָתוּר אֶת־אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן. Furthermore, they all entered together! The Malbim says, twelve (or twenty-four) men do not set out together on a clandestine operation! Two spies? Perhaps. Just like Moshe later sent to Yazer. But such a large group is more of a United Tours than a covert espionage mission. In any event, Moshe Rabbeinu sent them out, arming them with some questions to seek answers to.
וּרְאִיתֶם אֶת־הָאָרֶץ מַה־הִוא וְאֶת־הָעָם הַיֹּשֵׁב עָלֶיהָ הֶחָזָק הוּא הֲרָפֶה הַמְעַט הוּא אִם־רָב׃ וּמָה הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־הוּא יֹשֵׁב בָּהּ הֲטוֹבָה הִוא אִם־רָעָה וּמָה הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר־הוּא יוֹשֵׁב בָּהֵנָּה הַבְּמַחֲנִים אִם בְּמִבְצָרִים׃ וּמָה הָאָרֶץ הַשְּׁמֵנָה הִוא אִם־רָזָה הֲיֵשׁ־בָּהּ עֵץ אִם־אַיִן וְהִתְחַזַּקְתֶּם וּלְקַחְתֶּם מִפְּרִי הָאָרֶץ וְהַיָּמִים יְמֵי בִּכּוּרֵי עֲנָבִים׃
See what the land is; and the people living on it; are they strong or weak, if they are few or many; and how is the land in which they live, is it good, or bad? And how are the cities in which they reside; are they open, or are they fortified? How is the land, is it fat or lean, does it have trees, or not? You shall strengthen yourselves, and you shall take some fruit of the land.” Those days were the days of the first ripening of the grapes.
Rabbotai, what is the story with these questions? Why does he ask them to seek out if the land is fat or lean? What does that even mean? The Ibn Ezra writes, this question reflects the land’s ability to produce wheat and healthy fruit. The Seforno says it reflects whether the land possess riches and surpluses. He continues, וְהִתְחַזַּקְתֶּם וּלְקַחְתֶּם מִפְּרִי הָאָרֶץ
