This week’s Parshah, Parshat Shelach, contains the seminal event that shaped Jewish History–the sending of the Spies to scout the Land of Israel. The Jews immediately prior to the disastrous mission of the Spies stood at the precipice of eternal grandeur; all that was left was to enter the Land of Israel as per the explicit instructions of G-d. Instead, the Jews chose the path of lesser faith and elected to allow ten leaders of the people to represent the Jewish Nation in scouting out the Land of Israel. When the scouts returned on the NInth Day of the Hebrew month of Av, with their blasphemy of G-d and His land, the results were tragic, and all males above the age of 20 [at that time] were sentenced to death in the desert. The Ninth of Av from then on became a day of National tragedy and mourning which we still commemorate to this day.
Rashi’s perspective on the spies themselves is unclear; initially Rashi writes [Bamidbar 13’ 3’ ]:
“...The Torah uses the term “Anashim\Men of Stature” to describe the spies, for at the moment of their initial departure to spy out the Land of Israel they were still pure and innocent of sin.”
The above Rashi highlights that the Spies were not sinners at the onset of their mission. However, later on, upon the Torah’s description of the Spies return, Rashi comments [Bamidbar 13’ 26’]:
“...Why does the Torah write that the Spies “Went” and “Came” to Moshe? Does the Torah not appear redundant by writing both? Rather, the Torah is alluding to the fact that the “Going” of the Spies was just like their “Returning”---for just like they reported to Moshe with evil intent, so too, their initial outlook was only to see the negativity of the Land of Israel.”
Rashi over here clearly writes that the Spies, even at the onset of their mission, were already taken with their evil machinations! Thus, these two Rashi’s appear to contradict each other.
The answer to this question can be found in the writings of the Holy Maharal of Prague, in his supercommentary “Gur Aryeh”, as explained by Rabbi Noach Weinberg of Blessed memory. R’ Weinberg elucidates that in truth, the Spies were great people, and were sinless at the time they were appointed. However, once they were chosen to represent the tribes to scout the Land of Israel, they sensed the pressure of the Jews in the desert who felt great anxiety and trepidation about conquering Israel; and rather than face that pressure head-on and report back the truth about the great beauty and majesty of the land of Israel, they—perhaps even subconsciously— were influenced immediately upon the start of their mission to perceive whatever negativity they could about the Land of Israel, so that they could validate the fears and anxieties of their brethren awaiting their report in the desert.
The conclusion of this narrative that would serve eventually as the harbinger of all of our Nation’s turmoil and tragedies, was the Spies [except for Yehoshua and Kalev] relating their evil report about the Land of Israel to the Jews. Hence, although up to the moment of their being selected as agents to scout the land, they were in fact men of great stature [as Rashi writes], simultaneously with their being appointed, they accepted upon themselves to relay only negativity in order to condone the trepidation that the Jews remaining behind in the desert felt. Therefore, Rashi comments [as quoted earlier] “...their initial outlook was only to see the negativity of the Land of Israel.”
The lesson of this episode is completely apropos for those of us witnessing the current world climate of both Anti-Semitisim and Anti-Israeli sentiment—for we can glean from the actions of the Spies, that the appropriate Jewish response is not to shirk away from the pressures of a confused and hate filled world, who ignore the realities of an entire population that would happily murder any Jew they can, and instead fret over whether or not Israel’s hostage rescue operations are justified. Our response must not be timid and fearful, for we cherish our homeland, the Land of Israel, and its centricity to our Religion, and challenge directly anyone who would say otherwise.
May we merit witnessing the complete redemption speedily in our days, when the sin of the Spies will finally be completely atoned for!