Today's parasha deals with the story of the spies who are sent into the Land of Canaan. The actual story takes place in today's parasha, but it is revisited in the Book of Deuteronomy. When looking at this story it is necessary to ask what was the purpose of sending the spies into the land? According to the Ramban, Nachmanides, whenever a nation wants to wage war in another land, it is important to be prepared for such an action, it is necessary to gain intelligence and know what the reality of the challenge will be. In other words, one shouldn't rely on miracles.
When Moses gathers the spies, he does so on the directive of G-d. Oddly enough, however, the 12 individuals he chooses are not spies that will be gathering information in a secretive manner. Each individual is a prince of a tribe, each is a leader well-known by the people. They are not individuals who are indispensable to the nation, nor are they being sent out secretly. If that's the case, were they really being sent out to gain intelligence?
Rabbi Meir Schweiger of the Pardes Institute theorizes that they were a group of leaders that represented all the tribes of the children of Israel because by walking the length and breadth of the land of Canaan they were in reality symbolically taking ownership of the land.
When Moses sends the spies out, he gives them a list of questions that he wants answered: Are the people strong or weak, few or many? Is the country in which they dwell good or bad? Are the towns they live in open or fortified? Is the soil rich or poor? Is it wooded or not? They are also given the instruction to bring back some of the fruit of the land.
The scouts returned after 40 days but they did not report back directly to Moses. They went straight to Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community.
Rabbi Schweiger theorizes that if they really had been gathering military information they would have reported back only to Moses and Moses would have evaluated the situation. Yet in the parasha, Moses is informed at the same time as everyone else in the community. The spies do answer all of Moses questions.
"We came to the land you sent us to; it does indeed flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who inhabit the country are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, we saw the Anakites there. Amalekites dwell in the Negev region; Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites inhabit the hill country; and Canaanites dwell by the Sea and along the Jordan."
It is important to notice the order of their report. It speaks of the goodness of the land but it adds...HOWEVER...before telling about the multitudes of people already living there. In other words, they end on a negative note in an attempt to make their audience understand that they do not think it is feasible to enter the Land and succeed in living in it no matter how good the land is. They don't only give a report that they were asked to give, but they add their own analysis of the situation. Their evaluation is that the land is worthless even if it is flowing with milk and honey because the individuals who live there will be impossible to conquer.
Caleb recognizes what is going on with the group of spies and responds emphatically, " Let us by all means go up and we shall gain possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it." The people are basically listening to a debate that will either convince them to continue with the vision of the redemption from Egypt or fall prey to the fear of wanting to return to Egypt.
The scouts crank up their language in an attempt to influence the Israelites. "We cannot attack that people for it is stronger than we." They even go so far as to spread lies in an attempt to influence the tribes. "The country that we traversed and scouted is one that devours its settlers." It is obvious that their statement is designed to keep the Israelites from wanting to go to the Promised Land.
Why would the spies spread lies. Why would they as the leaders of the people, resort to fear tactics? Why did they choose to use words of intimidation instead of words of hope? Perhaps, the answer lies in the the last sentence in chapter 13. "and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them." They had no sense of pride in their own ability to survive in difficult times and no ability to see beyond the challenges. They had lost sight of the destiny that G-d had promised them when they left Egypt and were not acting as visionaries.
The parasha reminds us that if we're given an opportunity to meet our destiny, we should not shy away from it. The Torah reminds us that our presence in the Land of Milk and Honey was the destiny given to us when G-d created his covenant with Abraham and when we were redeemed from Egypt. If the nation could have seen themselves as more than grasshoppers then they would have known they could have met the challenges and pursued their visions.
Even today, individuals tend to speak about Israel in the same manner that the spies did. They begin with the fact that it is a wonderful land BUT it is surrounded by enemies that want to devour her. The meaning of such words is that you can't possibly want to think about traveling there or living there...it is too dangerous. If the words were given in the reverse, the message would be seen differently. Israel is surrounded by neighbors who want to destroy her, BUT Israel is wonderful...the land is blooming, it is creative, productive, and it is full of the richness of a people who love life! Perhaps what we need to learn is that we can tell the whole story but put it into a proper context by first telling what is not positive and ending with the good! It is only by ending with the good news that we will continue to see ourselves as more than grashoppers in our own eyes and avoid feelings of being demoralized when we face challenges as a people. From a Torah view, we do have a destiny to fulfill!
Shabbat Shalom
(This d'var Torah was inspired by Rabbi Meir Schweiger of the Pardes Institute)
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