In Parshas Shlach, we witness one of the most devastating failures of leadership in Jewish history. Twelve distinguished men, described as "Anashim" - leaders of stature - were sent to scout Eretz Yisrael. Yet ten of them, returned with a report that would condemn an entire generation to forty years in the wilderness.
What went wrong? The Ramban offers us a penetrating analysis that reveals the subtle but destructive erosion of their integrity.
The Ramban provides a crucial psychological insight into the spies' failure. He explains that the spies' ultimate motivation was not concern for Bnai Yisrael’s welfare, but rather fear for their own positions of power. In the wilderness, they were princes and leaders, but once the nation entered Eretz Yisrael and would settle into a more permanent society, new leadership structures would emerge. Their current positions of prominence might be threatened.
The Ramban comments on Passuk 13:2 of this week’s Parsha as follows: "There are those who say that the spies sinned from the beginning in their hearts, for they feared lest they enter the land and other men would be appointed over them as leaders, for these were appointed only for the journey through the wilderness." This fear, he argues, corrupted their mission from the very beginning.
When we delve into the details of what transpired, we can make a number of observations. First, we see that the spies began their report with the truth. Their initial observations were accurate - the land was indeed flowing with milk and honey, and they did bring back magnificent fruits as proof. According to the Ramban above that said that they sinned from the start, it could be that perhaps on a subtle level, telling this truth was also sinful as it may have been told in order to lend credibility to their subsequent report which was not true.
Second, their report mixed in truth with falsehood. Yes, there were giants in Eretz Yisrael and the cities were fortified. However, they exaggerated the threat claiming, "We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so we were in their eyes." (BaMidbar 13:33). The first part of the statement was true, the spies could truthfully say how they felt about themselves being grasshoppers, however the second part of the statement was likely not true - there was no way they could know how they were viewed by others.
Third, they manipulated Bnei Yisrael. Rather than presenting a balanced assessment, they spoke to Bnei Yisrael's emotions and fears to create panic.
Finally, they forgot their higher purpose. Their mission was to serve Hashem and to help Bnei Yisrael, not to bring a false report to convince Bnei Yisrael that Eretz Yisrael could not be conquered, with the underlying motive of maintaining their own status as Bnei Yisrael’s leaders.
We should take these four observations to heart in our daily lives. When we relay information, we should, 1) Find out what is motivating us when we relay (even true) information and make sure that our intentions are pure. 2) Present information that is completely true without a spin or distortion. 3) Present a balanced assessment of a situation without appealing to emotions or fears. 4) Always remember our purpose which, as Rav Chaim Volozhin ZT”L writes in the introduction to his Nefesh HaChaim, is that we are here on earth to help others. We are not here to pursue power or status or to nurture our selfish desires.
