Shlach
The parsha of the spies is one of the least understood in the Torah and also one of the most commentated. In this shiur I would like to explore an interesting analysis of this tragic episode and hopefully obtain a deeper insight into the parsha.
If I were to ask you “Which other parsha in the Torah most resembles parshat Shlach?” What would you say? (The answer is parshat Noach, and we will soon see why).
Am Yisrael were just days away from entering Eretz Yisrael, the land given by Divine promise to our Forefathers. The debacle began as an initiative from Am Yisrael to send ahead “spies” before the rest of the nation entered.
The Mefarshim go into this aspect in great length. What kind of “spies” were they? Spies enter secretly, undetected, one or two (like the spies Yehoshua sent to Jericho), incognito. Not 12 (some say 24) and not by first holding a public “press conference” to announce their names.
The Mefarshim give different answers. It was not spies it was “surveyors,” to survey the inheritance of each tribe. Where it is best to grow olives (Asher), where it is best to build a port (Zevulun), etc. Some say it was to acquire a “Chazakah,” a claim to the land, by walking through it, “Shlach Lecha,” like HaKadosh Baruch Hu said to Avraham “Lech Lecha.” Also, by taking fruit of the land, thereby demonstrating ownership over it. Some say it was to “tour” the land and bring back souvenirs of the bounty … All the answers are correct.
Whichever opinion you follow, however, none were necessary in the first place. The land was later to be parceled out by Divine ballot. What good would it do to survey the land? HaKadosh Baruch Hu knew exactly which region to give to each tribe, that best suited their needs and their purpose. Why was it necessary to send ahead people to get a Chazakah? HaKadosh Baruch Hu promised the land to us; all we needed to do was enter it and thereby directly acquire the Chazakah. Bring back fruits? What was the need for that? Did we not believe HaKadosh Baruch Hu when He told us that it was a land flowing with milk and honey?
Perhaps the most perplexing question is “Why did Moshe allow them to go in the first place?” Moshe knew what the outcome might be if he sent them (that is why he added a letter to Yehoshua’s name, to try prevent it). When Am Yisrael came to Moshe and asked to send people ahead, why did Moshe not refuse and rebuke them for making such a request?
Another question is why Moshe needed to strengthen Yehoshua, but not Kalev? What was the difference between Yehoshua and Kalev?
The punishment for the sin of the spies was that the two future Batei Mikdash would be destroyed. What does the sin of the spies have to do with the Beit HaMikdash?
The answer to all the above questions is related to the Redemption.
At numerous times throughout history HaKadosh Baruch Hu tried to bring about the final Redemption but repeatedly man sinned. First in Gan Eden, but that ended in disaster.
Then, in the generation of Noach, HaKadosh Baruch Hu created a reality that was equivalent to Gan Eden. There was no illness, humans possessed superhuman strength, there was such natural bounty that people sowed once in forty years and reaped the miraculous, oversized fruits and produce for the entire forty years. HaKadosh Baruch Hu wanted to give the generation of the Flood the Torah and begin the Redemption, but that generation also sinned.
The next attempted Redemption was when Am Yisrael left Egypt and received the Torah. The similarities between our parsha and parshat Noach are unmistakable. We have references to giants in our parsha (Bamidbar 13:33) and in Noach (Bereishit 6:4). The spies brought back miraculous, oversized fruit that required multiple people to carry, like the produce in the generation of Noach. The spies toured the land for forty days – in the Flood it rained for forty days.
The planned Redemption was imminent. Moshe would lead Am Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael, build the Beit HaMikdash which would be eternal and the final Redemption would commence. But Moshe also saw that the angel Satan was going to do his best to hamper things by sowing disunity. When Am Yisrael were united in their request to send spies, Moshe perceived the danger, but he also saw the unprecedented unity and instead of disrupting the unity in Am Yisrael, he tried to preserve and fortify it by giving them strict instructions, by strengthening Yehoshua by adding a letter Yud to his name.
Kalev did not require extra fortifying by Moshe. Kalev was made of sterner stuff, from the Tribe of Yehuda, the tribe of kings. Kalev, of his own initiative made a detour to Hebron to reconnect with the Avot. Kalev tried his best to preserve unity between the twelve spies.
Despite Moshe, Yehoshua and Kalev’s efforts, the Satan managed to sow discord in Am Yisrael and the result is as we know.
Why was the punishment for the sin of the spies that the two future Batei Mikdash would be destroyed? What does the Beit HaMikdash have to do with anything? The answer is that the Beit HaMikdash is the ultimate symbol of unity and peace within Am Yisrael.
When the Nesi’im, the heads of the tribes, brought their sacrifices during the inauguration of the Mishkan – each brought exactly the same korban, total uniformity and unity. The twelves loaves of Lechem HaPanim sit on the Shulchan in total unity. The purpose of the Ketoret (with eleven ingredients) is to reestablish unity lost between the eleven brothers and Yosef. The first to build the Beit HaMikdash was Shlomo HaMelech. The name Shlomo is derived from the word Shalom, meaning peace. During Shlomo’s reign, total peace and unity prevailed.
The spies sowed the seeds of the destruction of the future Batei Mikdash, by dooming Am Yisrael to another 38 years in the Midbar and entering Eretz Yisrael without Moshe. If Moshe would have built the Mikdash, it would never have been destroyed and the final Redemption would have commenced.
We now pray and yearn for this final and eternal Redemption that has not yet taken place. With G-d’s grace we will hopefully merit it in our generation.
Parshat HaShavua Trivia Question: What portion of dough does one separate for Hafrashat Challah?
Answer to Last Shiur’s Trivia Question: What was the physical appearance of the Mann? It looked like white coriander seeds (Shemot 16:31) and its “eye” (center) looked like “Bedolach” (Bamidbar 11:7), which some say is crystal, others say pearl.