In Chassidus we learn extensively that the root of the error of the meraglim was their unwillingness to descend into mundane activities. As the Possuk states: כולם אנשים, they were lofty neshomos living very spiritual lives, and they couldn’t contemplate exchanging it for Eretz Yisroel, where they would be required to preoccupy themselves with working the land, and, in general, with performing mitzvos begashmyus.
The meraglim, however, were wrong. The purpose of the world is the desire of the Eibishter for a dira batachtonim. To remain in the midbar, completely segregated from the world and detached from any mundane pursuits, although – perhaps – providing much spiritual satisfaction to the one so engaged, denies the Eibishter this pleasure.
The above is familiar to all of us, and we are all well aware of how the lesson of the meraglim negates the consideration of dedicating oneself solely to spiritual gratification, at the expense of working towards the goal of transforming the world into a dira lo yisborach.
We may overlook, however, the fact that there are, in fact, two basic aspects to achieving this goal: we need to engage with the world, with “tachtonim”, in order that it can be transformed, and (no less important) – we need to ensure that these “tachtonim” are a dwelling place for Hashem, in which He dwells in a revealed manner (in the same manner in which a person dwells in his own home), which can only be achieved through our retaining our connection with spirituality.
So, just as the lesson of the meraglim demands of us not to live as hermits, as perushim, but to engage in working with the physical world, so the does the same lesson demand of us to be – simultaneously - intensely immersed in learning and davening and nurturing our spiritual self, so that we achieve the ultimate goal of imbuing that physical world with G-dliness, - with revealed, experienced, G-dliness.
Some of us, at some times, are more focused on the first part of the lesson than on the second. We are always on guard not to allow ourselves (chas vesholom) to get too carried away by our spiritual pursuits, lest we be guilty of the sin of the meraglim, but instead to focus on shlichus, on mivtzoim and on dira batachtonim. But, in fact, often the second lesson may be as (or more) important.
As the Rebbe explains (in one of the sichos that addresses this topic very beautifully): In the gemoro Rabi Yitzchok says that the names of the meraglim express their error, but there is only one that is applicable to us in our avodas Hashem. Rabi Yochanan said to him:
אף אנו נאמר נחבי בן ופסי נחבי שהחביא דבריו של ה"הקב ופסי שפיסע על מדותיו של ה"הקב
Rabi Yochanan said that the lesson of the meraglim, as it is relevant to us (although in a different manner than the way it related to them), is contained in the name Nachbi ben Vofsi. The way we may be guilty of not properly carrying the goal of dira batachtonim is by lacking in “dvorov shel HKBH”, - in making the world be recognizable as a manifestation of the בדבר 'ה שמים נעשו, through our appreciation of Elokus. We may skip over, leave out מדותיו של ה"הקב, - the avoda with midos, ahavas Hashem and yiras Hashem, of properly developing and cultivating our feelings for ruchnyus, that enable the world to be a dwelling place for Hashem in a revealed manner.
Rabbi Avremel Levitansky, a”h, would often relate: One year, when he was a bochur in 770, he was approached by (tzu lange yorren) Rabbi Avremel Korf, of Florida, and asked to work as a staff member in the overnight camp that he was making in Florida. Rabbi Levitansky happened to have missed a significant amount of time of his learning during that year, due to health issues, and had therefore intended to make up for the lost time by learning through the summer. Therefore, he politely declined the offer.
