במדבר יג,ב: שְלַח־לְךָ אֲנָּשִּים
Baal HaTurim notes that the final three letters form the word חכם, meaning wise. HaShem was warning them not to mistakenly believe that it would be impossible to serve Him properly in the Land due to the demands of everyday life (way of “teva”). Rather, the Jews could merit an everyday existence based on “Chachum” that their work would be blessed and they would not need to spend too much time dealing with worldly matters.
They are too strong
במדבר יג,לא: וְהָּאֲנָּשִּים אֲשֶר עָּלוּ עִּמוֹ אָּמְרוּ לֹא נוּכַל לַעֲלוֹת אֶל־הָּעָּם כִּי־חָּזָּק הוּא מִּמֶנוּ
In connection with this Pasuk, the Gemara in Sotah (35a) comments 'Quite something the Spies spoke at that moment. "Ki chazak hu Mimenu" - Do not read "Mimenu" (from us), but "Mimenu! (him)" In other words, the phrase does not mean 'stronger than us, but stronger than Him. Kevayachol, even the Master of the house is unable to remove his vessels from the house where they were placed.
Baal HaTurim suggests alternative interpretations of this statement 'Do not read "Mimenu", but "Mimenu!".
- As a play on words, since 'Mana' in Arama'ic means "vessel', in which case the Pasuk is hinting broadly at the explanation given by the Gemara that we just cited.
- Bearing in mind that all the hidden letters of "mimenu" possess the same Gematriyah as the revealed part of the letter (i.e., if we spell out the word in full, 'Mem' 'Mem' ... 'Mem' 'Mem' ... 'Nun' 'Nun' ... 'Vav' Vav', we will see that the ending of each letter (the part that completes the letter, but that is neither written nor read), is the same as the part of the letter that is. This hints that the word incorporates two explanations, the simple explanation and the deeper one.
Death in the desert
במדבר יד,לב: וּפִּגְר יכֶם אַתֶם יִּפְלוּ בַמִּדְבָּר הַזֶה :
"But your carcasses, you, shall fall in this desert" (14:32). Baal HaTurim suggests that the seemingly superfluous word "you" hints that (each year) they all had to lie down on the ground, in their perfectly healthy state, and the next morning, many of them did not get up.
The decree against the Jews in the desert (after the incident of the Spies) was that all the males between 20 and 60 were to die in the desert. HaShem arranged that they would normally only die once a year on the 9th of Av and they would die in their sleep (a portion each year).
Now we will go up
במדבר יד,מ: וַיַשְכִּמוּ בַבֹקֶר וַיַעֲלוּ אֶל־רֹאש־הָּהָּר ל אמֹר הִּנֶנוּ וְעָלִינוּ אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶר־אָּמַר יְהוָֹּה כִּי חָּטָּאנוּ :
Baal HaTurim notes that the same ward וְעָּלִּינוּ (and we will go up) appears in Shmuel 1 (in connection with Yonasan and his armor-bearer) "And if they will say to us 'Come up!', then we will go up (ve'olinu).”
This refers to what the Navi says in Shmuel 1, (14:6) "For there is nothing that can stop HaShem from rescuing, with many or with few". Here in our Parsha there were six hundred thousand people, and even though they were many they fell and were unable to save themselves; regarding Yonasan and his servant, were just a few, yet they vanquished the entire enemy! Everything is in the hands of HaShem.
Those that went up without the approval of HaShem
במדבר יד,מד: וַיַעְפִּלוּ לַעֲלוֹת אֶל־רֹאש הָּהָּר
"va'Ya'apilu la'alos ho'horoh (But they defiantly ascended the mountain)" (14:44). Baal HaTurim states that the Gematriya of ויעפלו "va'Ya'apilu", is equivalent to that of צלפחד 'Tzlofchad', who, according to some opinions, was among the Ma'apilim.
Tzlefchad’s daughters stated that their father did not die as part of Korach’s rebellion. Yet he already died when the daughters requested his inheritance. Chaza”l proposed a few explanations of why he had died.
