In this week’s parsha, Moshe Rabbeinu begins his farewell address to the Jewish people. He opens with words of rebuke, alluding to the various places along their journey where they angered Hashem (Rashi 1, 1), and goes on to recount the major events of their forty-year sojourn in the desert.
Moshe begins by recounting the episode of the spies, devoting 28 pesukim (1, 20 - 2, 1) to this pivotal moment. From standing on the brink of entering Eretz Yisrael, the people were suddenly condemned to wander in the desert for forty years, waiting for that generation to perish so that the next generation could finally enter the land.
It is striking that Moshe chooses to begin his rebuke with the episode of the spies rather than the sin of the golden calf, which was more severe and also occurred first. This cannot be attributed to Moshe avoiding the topic as he addresses it in great detail later in Parshas Eikev (chapter 9), emphasizing that the sin was grave enough to justify barring the Jewish people from the land (see Rashbam 9, 4). Why, then, does Moshe begin with the story of the spies rather than the golden calf? In fact, all the sins that occurred before the episode of the spies are not mentioned until Parsha Eikev (9, 22). Clearly the story of the spies weighed most heavily on Moshe’s mind and he regarded it as the most critical message to convey to the people who would finally be settling Eretz Yisrael (Abarbenel 1, 1 question #8).
A Shift in Emphasis
Commentaries highlight and explain various differences in the details of the story of the spies as it is told in Parshas Shelach vs. how Moshe Rabeinu retells it here. Beyond the specific details, there is a clear shift in emphasis. In Parshas Shelach, the false report that the spies brought back features front and center in the story (see commentaries to Shelach 13, 32) whereas in our parsha this element is nonexistent.
Moshe simply says: וַיֹּאמְרוּ טוֹּבָה הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶר ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ נֹּתֵן לָנוּ ... וְלֹא אֲבִיתֶם לַעֲלֹת, “they reported that the land which Hashem is giving us is good, yet you refused to go” (1, 25-26). There is no mention of a negative report by the spies. The emphasis is instead on the people’s unwarranted fear, their doubt in Hashem’s power, and their lack of confidence in their own ability to wage war. This is what Moshe chose to highlight as he began his address.
From Slavery to Bravery
The Rambam writes:
... it is unnatural for someone who has known nothing but backbreaking labor, such as making bricks and mortar, to suddenly cast it all aside and in an instant march off to battle against the ‘sons of giants’. Hashem therefore prepared the people gradually for their new life. He led them through the wilderness to build their courage and inner strength, for the hardships of the desert lifestyle naturally toughen a person and instill bravery. Over time a new generation arose in the desert, one that had never tasted humiliation or servitude and was ready to face the future with strength (Moreh Nevuchim 3, 32).
The Ibn Ezra echoes the same sentiment:
One may ask: How is it that a large camp comprising six hundred thousand armed men were afraid of those who pursued them? Why did they not stand and fight for their own and their children's lives? The answer is: The Egyptians were masters over Israel. The generation that left Egypt were trained from their youth to bear the yoke of the Egyptians. They were of humble spirit. How then could they now wage war against their masters? The Israelites were lazy and not learned in war. Hashem orchestrated the events such that all Israelite [adult] males who left Egypt died out, for they had no spirit to fight the Canaanites; and a new generation with a noble spirit, who had never tasted exile, arose after the generation of the wilderness (Beshalach 14, 13).
Chasiddic works explain, the root cause of the spies’ failure lies in their own words ונהי בעינינו כחגבים, ‘and we saw ourselves as grasshoppers’. Their deep-seated sense of inferiority was not just a passing thought; it was the very mindset that doomed their mission. Because they viewed themselves as small and incapable, they became exactly that.
Yirmiyahu authored the pesukim of the first four chapters of Eicha following an alphabetical acrostic, beginning with the 22 letters of the Aleph-Bais in order. However, in chapters two through four, the order of the letters ע and פ is reversed. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 104b) explains that this alludes to the sin of the spies (the precursor to the eventual destruction - see below) who placed their פ (mouth; spelled פה in full form) before their ע (eye; spelled עין), meaning they spoke before they saw. In other words, Yirmiyahu is telling us that their negative report was a forgone conclusion before they had observed anything. It was their underlying way of thinking that precluded the success of their mission.
As Moshe Rabbeinu turns his attention to the next generation, the ones who will finally enter the Land his message is clear. Though they were only children during the time of slavery in Egypt and played no major role in the sin of the spies, they were nevertheless shaped by those events and influenced by that atmosphere (Maharsha, Ta’anis 29a). If they are to succeed where their parents failed, they must shed the lingering fear and defeatism of the past. They must leave behind the slave mentality once and for all, and step into their mission with confidence and courage.
Misplaced Humility Can Cause Destruction
This parsha is always read on the Shabbos before Tisha B’av. The Gemara (Ta’anis 29a. Sota 35a) teaches that the spies returned with their fearful report on Tisha B’av, marking the day as one destined for destruction and mourning. But the connection between the two events runs deeper than just a shared date.
In connection with the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash, the Gemara (Gittin 56a) tells the story of Bar Kamtza’s attempt to frame the Jewish people making it appear as if they had insulted the Roman emperor. The sages explored various options of thwarting the threat but, for various reasons each proposal was ultimately rejected by Rabbi Zecharya ben Avkolas. Tragically, his decisions paved the way for calamity, leading to the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jewish people.
The Gemara goes on to criticize Rabbi Zekharya ben Avkolas, stating that עִנְוְותָנוּתוֹּ שֶל רַבִי זְכַרְיָה בֶן אַבְקוּלָס הֶחְרִיבָה אֶת בֵיתֵנוּ וְשָרְפָה אֶת הֵיכָלֵנוּ וְהִגְלִיתָנוּ מֵאַרְ צֵנוּ, his [misplaced] humility destroyed our Temple, burned our Sanctuary, and led us to be exiled from from our land.
The Ba’al Shem Tov applies this criticism to each of us personally. If we truly believed in the impact of our tefillah and Torah study, we would treasure every word, reciting each one with joy and focus. Often, it is our misplaced sense of unwarthiness that becomes the most destructive force in our individual bais hamikdash. This sense of unworthiness can lead to laziness and discouragement, convincing us that our efforts do not truly make a difference in the world (Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Eikev; Keser Shem Tov, 145).
Both the story of the spies and that of the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash convey the same message. To succeed in fulfilling our mission in this world, we must avoid falling into the trap of believing we are unworthy of having a meaningful impact.
In the first haftarah of the ‘Three Weeks’, we read the opening verses of Sefer Yirmiyahu, where Hashem appoints him as a ‘prophet to the nations’. Yirmiyahu responds, הִנֵה לֹא יָדַעְתִי דַבֵר כִי נַעַר אָנֹּכִי, ‘I do not know how to speak, for I am but a child’. He expresses to Hashem his sense of inadequacy for the task. But Hashem reassures him, saying,אַל תֹּאמַר נַעַר אָנֹּכִי, כִי עַל כׇּל אֲשֶר אֶשְלָחֲ ךָ תֵלֵךְ וְאֵת כׇּל אֲשֶר אֲצַוְּךָ תְדַבֵר, אַל תִירָא מִפְנֵיהֶם כִי אִתְךָ אֲנִ י, ‘Say not I am but a child for wherever I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not fear them, for I am with you.” Hashem further warns, אַל תֵחַת מִפְנֵיהֶם פֶן אֲחִתְךָ לִפְנֵיהֶם, Do not break down before them, lest I break you before them.”
As we observe the annual period of mourning for the galus in which we find ourselves, we may feel inadequate to fulfill the mission Hashem has given us. But we must remind ourselves that Hashem is with us, telling us not to fear and providing us with the wherewithal that we need to succeed (Likutei Sichos vol. 18 pg. 348).
