ראשי בני ישראל המה אנשים וישלח אתם משה ממדבר פארן על פי ד' כלם
“Moshe with the command of Hashem sent them out from the wilderness of Paran, all of them being men of consequence, leaders of Bnei Yisroel” (Bamidbar 13:3)
The Torah refers to the men that Moshe sent to scout the land of Israel as אנשים. Rashi notes that the word אנשים connotes chashivus [a person of stature]. If so, why is it used in conjunction with the meraglim [spies], who slandered Eretz Yisroel and incited the Jewish people to rebel against Hashem’s plan for them to conquer the land of Israel?
Rashi explains that this term is used to teach us that at the time the spies were sent, they were still righteous and did not plan to speak negatively about Eretz Yisroel. However, Rav Eliyahu Mizrachi notes several places in Tanach (e.g. Bereishis 19:11, Shemos 2:13) where the word אנשים is used for people who were evil and were certainly not respected or important.
Rav Yisroel Reisman cites Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky, who points out that in many languages, the plural for “person” is not “persons,” but a new word – “people” – because an assembly of people can accomplish much more than they could on their own. Since a group is a new entity and not just a collection of individuals, it gets a new name, so the plural of איש is not אישים but אנשים.
Rav Reisman suggests that this insight can help us understand why the term אנשים signifies chashivus, as it signifies the power of the group. Even though the meraglim did not use their collective strength properly, they were still an assembly with more power than they would have had individually. This awareness of the enhanced abilities of those who work together should motivate us to associate with groups that inspire and uplift us. (R’ Ozer Alport)
