Parshat HaShavua
Yeshivat Har Etzion

This parasha series is dedicated
in memory of Michael Jotkowitz, z"l.

PARASHAT SHELACH

Julie and David Fine in memory of Chemda bat Sara, z"l and Ziesel Rivkah bat Gitel Maryam, z"l

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Lack of Confidence, Lack of Faith

By Rav Yair Kahn

The "chet ha-meraglim," the sin of the spies, was not only the most catastrophic episode to befall the Jewish people in the desert, but also one of the most significant and influential occurrences in all of Jewish history. In analyzing this episode, our point of departure must be the events we read about in last week's parasha, since the "chet ha-meraglim" did not occur in a historical vacuum, but rather constituted a critical and dramatic link in the long chain of Jewish history. Therefore, it would be misleading to extract the "chet ha-meraglim" from the flow of events preceding and succeeding it, removing it from its historical context and treating it as the singular point of failure of the generation of the exodus.

In last week's shiur, we traced the process of the deterioration of "machaneh Yisrael." We focused upon three domains: the general population, the leadership and the stature of Moshe. In this week's parasha, we find that the decline in these three areas deepens, converging with tragic force as the structure of the "machaneh" collapses.

Our parasha begins with the divine command to send spies into Canaan on a fact-finding mission.

The midrash already noted the discrepancy between this account and Moshe's rendition transcribed in Sefer Devarim, according to which the people, not God, requested that spies be sent.

In addition, the gemara (Sota 34b) pointed to the oddity of the term "lekha" ("Send FOR YOU"), which indicates a personal objective and seems out of place within the context of a divine imperative. Based on these two observations, both the midrash and the gemara conclude that the idea of sending spies was initiated by the people. God merely consented to their whim. In the words of Rashi (Bemidbar 13:2):

This observation of our sages is important insofar as it highlights the sharpness of the transition that has transpired. The tension and excitement generated by the awareness that Jewish destiny was about to be realized have disappeared. Benei Yisrael are no longer consumed by the burning desire to enter Eretz Yisrael, but are now presented as hesitant and insecure, afraid to blindly follow the Almighty. They require an encouraging report from their peers and leaders in order to continue the campaign. Moreover, until this point, the delays in the journey were divinely imposed. Suddenly, separated by a mere eight-day march from the promised land, the people themselves engineer a postponement. One can sense a silent sigh of relief, as God agrees to their request and delays the journey an additional forty days.

Moshe selected one leader from each tribe to undertake this mission. At first glance, this is a perplexing choice. Communal leaders make for poor spies. Furthermore, a group of twelve foreigners is apt to attract attention. One gets the impression that Moshe intended a ceremony, not a clandestine operation. In fact, the Ramban notes that in their original request (Devarim 1:22), Benei Yisrael use the term "ve-yachperu," which denotes uncovering that which is hidden (i.e. spying). However, God assents by utilizing the verb "ve-yaturu" (Bemidbar 13:2), which suggests a more leisurely form of travel.

This observation indicates that the people's request was not fulfilled totally. Whereas the people, due to lack of confidence and imperfect faith, conceived an undercover mission, God revised the objective and granted permission for a triumphant pilot trip. Moshe's choice of tribal leaders was a clear indication of this new agenda. However, with the exception of Calev and Yehoshua, these leaders failed miserably in their mission. Instead of inspiring the people and instilling them with faith and confidence, the scouts acted as spies, not as tourists and aroused the fear that had lain dormant in the unbelieving hearts of the nation.

At this point we find the machaneh in total disarray. Overcome by grief and fear, the people are willing to reject the entire redemption process and return to slavery in Egypt. Even Moshe, who saved the nation from suffering and bondage with a spectacular display of miracles, stands powerless. His stature has been tarnished, and the nation's total confidence in him and absolute respect for him, displayed just one year ago at the shores of the Red Sea -

- is replaced by the mutinous call -

The voices of Yehoshua and Calev are drowned out by threats of violence, and only divine intervention prevents bloodshed.

The "machaneh" which was constructed with such precision at the beginning of "Chumash Ha-pekudim" has collapsed. The multi-colored social fabric has unraveled. The general population and the leadership - even Moshe Rabbeinu - is malfunctioning.

Directionless and shattered, the entire generation that had experienced redemption and witnessed God's miracles is now doomed to perish in the wilderness. The "machaneh" which was intended to reflect the incarnation of the ideal religious community, and realize the fulfillment of the messianic dream, will never enter the promised land. The 600,000 who were enumerated and enlisted as part of Kenesset Yisrael are now destined to be buried in the desert.

However, there is something strange about God's reaction. God's response contains a troublesome redundancy, seeming to repeat the divine decree that the generation that left Egypt will perish in the wilderness. First, we read:

This is followed immediately by an additional decree that doesn't seem to add anything of substance.

Why was this repetition necessary? Did the first account lack the required clarity? Let us focus on certain distinctions between these two versions. The first account refers to a religious crisis. It uses the term "yena'atzuni," which indicates a form of blasphemy, and it laments the people's lack of faith despite the fact that they personally had witnessed divine miracles. The second account, on the other hand, attacks the people's "telunot" (complaints), but makes no reference to a religious crisis.

In the second version, the decree is an expression of poetic justice. God will bring upon the people that which in actuality they brought upon themselves, by claiming that they would perish in the wilderness. However, according to the first rendition, the tone is punative. Initially, the blasphemers are faced with immediate annihilation. Following Moshe's passionate petition, the sentence is modified, and all those who witnessed the miracles in Egypt, but nevertheless lacked faith, are barred from entering the promised land. It is also noteworthy that the only exception to the first decree is Calev. Yehoshua is included in the exemption only according to the second version.

The commentators suggest various solutions regarding the dual decree. However, based on the above, it would seem that the separate decrees relate to independent aspects of the sin. On the one hand, the entire episode reflects a lack of religious faith. The apostasy reaches a climax when the spies return and proclaim:

According to the spies, the children of Israel cannot conquer Canaan due to the inhabitants' might. Although they are being subtle, their intent is revealed by one word - "Efes" (however), meaning that it is impossible! (See Ramban.) Only Calev catches the significance of this remark, and responds swiftly to the challenge.

However, the spies immediately cut him off.

This exchange revolves around the basic theological issue of faith in an omnipotent God. The spies' blasphemous argument finds a receptive audience and is countered only by Calev. Although Yehoshua neither joined with the spies nor identified with their argument, he nonetheless reacted haltingly and failed to join Calev.

The first decree attacks the theological aspect of the sin of the spies. It laments the blasphemy and threatens immediate punishment for the transgressors. This decree is modified due to Moshe's intervention, and the sentence is delayed, but will be carried out nonetheless on those who still lacked faith despite all the miracles that they had witnessed in Egypt. Only Calev is exempted explicitly from this decree.

A careful reading of the parasha reveals an additional issue that is not purely theological. Following this initial expression of apostasy, the children of Israel begin to cry and complain.

This reaction is not unique to the sin of the spies; it is characteristic of the Israelites' behavior from the time they were taken out of Egypt. However, we find that the volume of the complaint reaches new levels, as the people hysterically break into tears and reach the mutinous conclusion to overthrow Moshe and return to Egypt. At this point, Yehoshua joins forces with Calev, in an attempt at calming down the hysterical nation - but to no avail.

The second decree makes explicit reference to the people's complaints, but totally ignores the theological aspect. Not lack of faith, but a character flaw typical of the first generation, results in the need to wait for a new generation to take over in order to successfully complete the journey. Members of the first generation, who were raised as slaves, lack the self-assurance and resolve necessary to enter Eretz Yisrael.

From this perspective, we can trace the disastrous events of the spies all the way back to the exodus. God realized that Benei Yisrael were not ready to face battle, and led them on a circuitous route in order to avoid what in retrospect accurately describes the episode of the spies.

Ibn Ezra questioned why the Jewish people were so afraid of the Egyptian army, despite their own numerical superiority. He perceptively answered the following:

He continues with the shocking claim that this character flaw, not the sin of the spies, was the real reason that the first generation had to be succeeded by a new generation before entering Eretz Yisrael.

From all this we see that there is another aspect to God's decree in the wake of the spies episode, an aspect which is not rooted in the theological plane and is not necessarily to be viewed in terms of crime and punishment. The Israelites at this stage of development, recently freed from bondage, are simply not ripe to enter the Land of Israel. (This will be discussed in greater detail in the shiur on Parashat Chukat) Their immaturity is reflected by their strong emotional need to send spies before continuing on their journey, and their total loss of composure upon hearing the spies' report. It would take another forty years for them to be succeeded by a new generation - a generation raised as free men and driven by a passionate desire to fulfill their role in the continuing saga of Jewish destiny.