"Send out men for yourself to explore the Canaanite territory that I am about to give the Israelites. Send out one man for each patriarchal tribe. All of them shall be persons of high rank [anashim]." (Numbers 13:2-3)
Rashi explains, "In Scripture, the word anashim [literally 'men'] always implies importance." At that moment, they were reputable. Yet, after they sinned by slandering Eretz Yisrael and inciting the Israelites against it, they were no longer reputable. Quite the contrary, they were evildoers who had themselves sinned and caused the masses to sin. They caused the death of the Desert Generation and postponed Israel's entry into the Land by more than a generation. As Ba'al HaTurim writes (13:16): "The Hebrew for 'These are the men's names' has the same numerical value as 'Their names are unsavory.' The men went down in everlasting infamy."
Indeed, a person through his free will can at first be reputable, righteous and good, and then can change his views and become the opposite. He can become evil and dangerous for himself and for his people. As our sages taught: "Do not believe in yourself until the day you die. After all, Yochanan served as the High Priest for eighty years, and in the end, he became a Sadducee." (Berachot 29a)
Why did the spies betray their mission? Seemingly, they were being asked to provide an intelligence assessment of the nature of the land and its inhabitants, and they did that. Yet, they colored their information with their worldview, which in turn, was influenced by narrow personal considerations involving the pursuit of power and honor. They knew that they would lose their status and their honor in Eretz Yisrael, as our sages point out. For them, Eretz Yisrael was just a vehicle for achieving their personal goals. Once it no longer worked in tandem with their ambitions, they betrayed it.
They did not know and did not wish to know what Eretz Yisrael really is. Therefore, when G-d decreed that the people would die in the desert, He said, "You said that your children would be taken captive, but they will be the ones I will bring there, so that they will know the land that you rejected." (Numbers 14:31) G-d was saying: You do not know that the Land is. You do not know its essence, importance and worth. Yet, the generation that will follow you shall know the Land, and will not betray it the way you did.
The Torah was teaching us for all time how to improve ourselves, so that we would not sin the way our ancestors did in the desert. The spies, unaware of the value of Eretz Yisrael or the reason why they should endanger their children and fight for it, allowed themselves to weaken the nation's spirit. They said, "We cannot go forward against those people! They are too strong for us," (13:31) and "they began to speak badly about the land that they had explored. They told the Israelites, 'The land that we crossed to explore is a land that consumes its inhabitants.'" (Ibid.)
In our own generation as well, there are those who weaken and demoralize us using precisely the same arguments. They say that Gaza and Judea and Samaria consume their inhabitants, G-d forbid.
Therefore, we must say to Ariel Sharon and his entourage: Let's learn some Israeli geography! Eretz Yisrael is not a refuge or mere real estate. It's not the private business of one leader or party. They cannot sell it or give up even a single millimeter of it for anything in the world! They cannot do this for "peace" or honor or money or economic benefits from the United States, any more than someone would sell his mother for anything in the world. Our homeland is more than a mother. It is the life-source not only of the Jewish People, but of all mankind.
As Joshua and Calev said, "The land through which we passed in our explorations is a very, very good land." (14:7) Also Judea and Samaria and Gaza provide goodness and bounty to Israel and to the world when Israel dwells there.
When Joshua and Calev address the other spies, they say, "Don't rebel against G-d. Don't be afraid of the people in the land! They have lost their protection and shall be our prey. G-d is with us, so don't be afraid." (14:9) Quite the contrary, Calev says, "We must go forth and occupy the Land. We can do it!" (13:30)
My message to the brave pioneers of Gaza, Judea and Samaria is this: Be strong and courageous on behalf of our people and the cities of our G-d. And may the speedy fulfillment of G-d's promise to Abraham come through us: "For all the land that you see I will give you and to your offspring forever." (Genesis 13:15)
Rashi explains, "In Scripture, the word anashim [literally 'men'] always implies importance." At that moment, they were reputable. Yet, after they sinned by slandering Eretz Yisrael and inciting the Israelites against it, they were no longer reputable. Quite the contrary, they were evildoers who had themselves sinned and caused the masses to sin. They caused the death of the Desert Generation and postponed Israel's entry into the Land by more than a generation. As Ba'al HaTurim writes (13:16): "The Hebrew for 'These are the men's names' has the same numerical value as 'Their names are unsavory.' The men went down in everlasting infamy."
Indeed, a person through his free will can at first be reputable, righteous and good, and then can change his views and become the opposite. He can become evil and dangerous for himself and for his people. As our sages taught: "Do not believe in yourself until the day you die. After all, Yochanan served as the High Priest for eighty years, and in the end, he became a Sadducee." (Berachot 29a)
Why did the spies betray their mission? Seemingly, they were being asked to provide an intelligence assessment of the nature of the land and its inhabitants, and they did that. Yet, they colored their information with their worldview, which in turn, was influenced by narrow personal considerations involving the pursuit of power and honor. They knew that they would lose their status and their honor in Eretz Yisrael, as our sages point out. For them, Eretz Yisrael was just a vehicle for achieving their personal goals. Once it no longer worked in tandem with their ambitions, they betrayed it.
They did not know and did not wish to know what Eretz Yisrael really is. Therefore, when G-d decreed that the people would die in the desert, He said, "You said that your children would be taken captive, but they will be the ones I will bring there, so that they will know the land that you rejected." (Numbers 14:31) G-d was saying: You do not know that the Land is. You do not know its essence, importance and worth. Yet, the generation that will follow you shall know the Land, and will not betray it the way you did.
The Torah was teaching us for all time how to improve ourselves, so that we would not sin the way our ancestors did in the desert. The spies, unaware of the value of Eretz Yisrael or the reason why they should endanger their children and fight for it, allowed themselves to weaken the nation's spirit. They said, "We cannot go forward against those people! They are too strong for us," (13:31) and "they began to speak badly about the land that they had explored. They told the Israelites, 'The land that we crossed to explore is a land that consumes its inhabitants.'" (Ibid.)
In our own generation as well, there are those who weaken and demoralize us using precisely the same arguments. They say that Gaza and Judea and Samaria consume their inhabitants, G-d forbid.
Therefore, we must say to Ariel Sharon and his entourage: Let's learn some Israeli geography! Eretz Yisrael is not a refuge or mere real estate. It's not the private business of one leader or party. They cannot sell it or give up even a single millimeter of it for anything in the world! They cannot do this for "peace" or honor or money or economic benefits from the United States, any more than someone would sell his mother for anything in the world. Our homeland is more than a mother. It is the life-source not only of the Jewish People, but of all mankind.
As Joshua and Calev said, "The land through which we passed in our explorations is a very, very good land." (14:7) Also Judea and Samaria and Gaza provide goodness and bounty to Israel and to the world when Israel dwells there.
When Joshua and Calev address the other spies, they say, "Don't rebel against G-d. Don't be afraid of the people in the land! They have lost their protection and shall be our prey. G-d is with us, so don't be afraid." (14:9) Quite the contrary, Calev says, "We must go forth and occupy the Land. We can do it!" (13:30)
My message to the brave pioneers of Gaza, Judea and Samaria is this: Be strong and courageous on behalf of our people and the cities of our G-d. And may the speedy fulfillment of G-d's promise to Abraham come through us: "For all the land that you see I will give you and to your offspring forever." (Genesis 13:15)