Fixing the sin of the spies

Parshah and its realization - Parshat Shlach Lecha - and the war of the 'Iron Swords' 5784

Rabbi Eliezer Haim Shenvald

With prayers for the success of the IDF soldiers so that no harm befalls them, for the healing of all the wounded and the return of the abducted.

The sin of the spies is a traumatic historical event that casts its shadow on the complex relationship between the people of Israel and its land throughout the generations. Therefore, we need a deep and wide study of its description in our Parasha and in Parashat Devarim. To correct the problem, we must understand what the roots of the problem are in every generation.

The spies were high-ranking men with a glorious past:

כֻּלָּם אֲנָשִׁים רָאשֵׁי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה

“…all of them men who were heads of the Children of Israel”. (Bamidbar 13:3)

כל אנשים לשון חשיבות הוא, ואותה שעה כשירין היו.

 All of them were men – Wherever the term אנשים, "men", is used in Scripture it is a term denoting worthiness. These men, [though they later sinned] but at that time [when they were appointed] they were worthy men. (Rashi ibid).

Sending them "to spy out the land" לָתוּר אֶת הָאָרֶץ (Bamidbar 13:16), and gather information in preparation for war to inherit the land was a necessary and correct act from a strategic and religious point of view:

כי הכתוב לא יסמוך בכל מעשיו על הנס אבל יצוה בנלחמים להחלץ ולהשמר ולארוב

“It was for this reason that [the people’s request to send out scouts] pleased Moshe, for Scripture does not [allow man] to rely on a miracle in any of its affairs. Instead, it commands those who go out to battle to arm themselves, to take [all necessary] precautions, and to set ambushes [if needed]”. (Ramban 13:2)

Sending the spies had a moral conscious reason as well; to raise the national motivation and fighting spirit among the people, so that they could bear the 'price' of the war:

…בעבור כן אמר להם שיתנו לב לדעת כן כדי שיגידו לעם וישמחו ויחליפו כח לעלות שם בשמחה … ויעלו בה בחפץ גדול

…that he told them to set their minds ascertaining this [fact], so that [upon their return] they would tell the people about it, and they would rejoice and gain renewed strength to go up there in joy… (Ramban ibid)

But something went wrong during the task’s execution. The spies arrived in Hebron and there they were exposed to the great challenge:

וַיַּעֲלוּ בַנֶּגֶב וַיָּבֹא עַד חֶבְרוֹן

“They went up by the South, and came to Hebron” … But there they saw the children of Anak, and the sight of the Anakites - and all the strangeness and the big dimensions of the construction in the city - made a strong impression on them; at that time their hearts were turned, and their minds began to change" (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch ibid. v. 22). The great challenge made them weak, afraid, caused them to lose faith in their ability to win, and to fear a defeat for the fate of the people.

Yehoshua and Caleb also understood the magnitude of the challenge, but they were people with a special spirit:

יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר רוּחַ בּוֹ

“Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit” (Bamidbar 27:18)

וְעַבְדִּי כָלֵב עֵקֶב הָיְתָה רוּחַ אַחֶרֶת עִמּוֹ

“But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him…” (Bamidbar 14:24)

Unlike the other spies, they were aware of the critical impact that 'fighting spirit' has on the strategic equation. "The fighting spirit is a force multiplier." By weighing it in the strategic equation, it will be possible to win by natural means, as Caleb said:

עָלֹה נַעֲלֶה וְיָרַשְׁנוּ אֹתָהּ כִּי יָכוֹל נוּכַל לָהּ

"Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it." (Bamidbar 13:30)

…ולא שמעו לדברי כלב שאמר עלה נעלה וירשנו אותה ר"ל שכח ישראל מספיק לנצח את הכנעני גם מצד הטבע ועז"א אנחנו נעלה ונלחמנו כי ננצח אותם בדרך מלחמה בכחנו:

… and they did not listen to the words of Caleb who said Let us by all means go up and we shall gain possession of it, it meant to say Israel forgot that it is possible to defeat the Canaanites even the natural way and therefore said we will rise up and fight, because we will defeat them by way of war with our strength.” (Malbim Devarim 1:41)

The spies denied the weight of the 'fighting spirit' in victory and embarked on a demoralization and persuasion campaign. They chose to present to the nation a trending image that on the one hand 'overestimates' the power of the enemy and its capabilities:

אֶפֶס כִּי עַז הָעָם הַיֹּשֵׁב בָּאָרֶץ וְהֶעָרִים בְּצֻרוֹת גְּדֹלֹת מְאֹד וְגַם יְלִדֵי הָעֲנָק רָאִינוּ שָׁם

"However, the people who inhabit the country are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, we saw the Anakites there". (Ibid 28)

And on the other hand, an 'underestimation' of the military ability of the people of Israel:

לֹא נוּכַל לַעֲלוֹת אֶל הָעָם כִּי חָזָק הוּא מִמֶּנּוּ

"We aren't able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we." (Ibid 31)

The campaign included demagogic measures of intimidation, about the large and unbearable number of casualties expected to be in the war:

הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר עָבַרְנוּ בָהּ לָתוּר אֹתָהּ אֶרֶץ אֹכֶלֶת יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ הִוא וְכׇל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר רָאִינוּ בְתוֹכָהּ אַנְשֵׁי מִדּוֹת

"The land through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature.” (Ibid 32)

Against them, Yehoshua and Caleb tried to balance the image and strengthen the spirit of the nation:

סָר צִלָּם מֵעֲלֵיהֶם וַה' אִתָּנוּ אַל תִּירָאֻם

“…Their protection is removed from over them, and Hashem is with us. Don't fear them." (Bamidbar 14:9)

אִם חָפֵץ בָּנוּ ה' וְהֵבִיא אֹתָנוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת וּנְתָנָהּ לָנוּ

“If Hashem delights in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us…”  (Ibid 14:8)

"And even though the people were brave, and the cities were large, with all of this, "Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it." (Mizrahi ibid).

Unfortunately for us, the spies were successful in their campaign:

אַחֵינוּ הֵמַסּוּ אֶת לְבָבֵנוּ

Our brothers have made our heart melt… (Devarim 1:28) and the result was a historical disaster:

"And they (the spies) turned בַּמִּדְבָּר הַזֶּה יִתַּמּוּ וְשָׁם יָמֻתוּ “In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die." (Bamidbar 14:35) into a reality as more than six hundred thousand people died, according to their opinion" (Mizrahi ibid).

And for generations: when the Israeli army is faced with a real and justified mission, people are called up and give their lives, out of a great spirit and faith in the righteousness of the cause:

משלו משל למה הדבר דומה לבני אדם ש יוצאי׳ למלחמה בשעה שהם יוצאים הם שמחי׳ וכל זמן שהם מתיגעי׳ ידיהם מתרשלות אבל ישראל אינו כן אלא כל זמן שהם מיגעים הם שמחים ואומרים נלך נירש ארץ ישראל:

“An analogy: It is the way of men who go to war, that when they start, they rejoice, and the longer they exert themselves the more they weaken. Not so, however, with Israel — the more they exert themselves, the more they rejoice, and they say, "Let us go and inherit Eretz Israel," (Sifrei Bamidbar 82)

For there is no impossible mission, and if the Israeli army wants to, it can make the unbelievable possible. Or as Ben-Gurion said: "In the Land of Israel, a person who does not believe in miracles is an unrealistic person" (Wikiquote).

Therefore, to win, we need to work in maintaining the 'fighting spirit' and the belief in the righteousness of the way, our right to the land, and to fix the sin of the spies.