HaRav Dov Begon is the Head of Yeshivat Machon Meir.
On Tisha B'Av, it was decreed that our forefathers would not enter the Land of Israel. That decree and its cause left their mark upon all generations, as our Sages taught concerning the verse, "And the people wept that night" (Numbers 14:1). That night was Tisha B'Av. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: "You have wept a baseless weeping, and I will establish for you weeping for generations" (Ta'anit 29a). On every Tisha B'Av throughout the generations until this very day, the people of Israel sit upon the ground and recite lamentations with tears and profound sorrow over the destruction, the Exile, and the afflictions that continually befall our nation.
Why is the infamous weeping of the generation of the wilderness called a "baseless weeping"? Because in truth they had no reason to weep. The Holy One, blessed be He, loves Israel. He brought us out of Egypt with signs and wonders and gave us the Torah at Mount Sinai. We are likened to a beloved bride, while the Holy One, blessed be He, is a loving husband and father. "With an everlasting love You have loved us." Out of His abundant love He leads us to the Land of Israel, the chosen and beloved nation to the chosen and beloved Land. "For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling. For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel as His treasured possession."
But the Spies, through their betrayal of the Land of Israel, sowed discord between the lovers. They were so successful in stirring up strife that the generation of the wilderness said, "Because the Lord hated us, He brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us" (Deuteronomy 1:27). Concerning this it is written, "Yet in this matter you do not believe in the Lord your God" (ibid. 1:32).
"In this matter" - that the Holy One, blessed be He, loves us and will fulfill His promise to bring us into the Land - you do not believe (see Rashi, there). Where there is no love, there is certainly no faith. It is therefore no wonder that the people wept that night a baseless weeping. They imagined that the Holy One, blessed be He, hated them, while in truth He loves them, and us, forever.
This may be compared to a woman who imagines that her husband hates her, is unfaithful to her, and seeks to harm her. Surely she will weep bitterly. What caused the Spies to slander the Land and bring death upon themselves and their entire generation? The Ramchal explains: "They feared that their honor would be diminished upon entering the Land" (Mesillat Yesharim, chapter 11, end of the section on Cleanliness). Pride and the pursuit of honor caused the Spies to separate themselves from the Land and to sow discord between Israel and their Father in Heaven.
As of now, we must rectify the Sin of the Spies and of the generation of the wilderness by removing the very cause of our forefathers' groundless weeping - that is, by increasing love for Hashem and our faith in Him, which is expressed by our willful desire to live in the wonderful Land He gave us back then and for all generations. We must strive to implant in our hearts the unwavering belief that the Holy One, blessed be He, truly loves us, as we pray every day: "And He brings a Redeemer to their children's children for His Name's sake, in love."
Not only must we believe in Hashem's love for us, but we must also remove the root cause of the people's weeping - the Sin of the Spies, who drove a wedge between us and our Father in Heaven because they wished to separate themselves from the Land of Israel out of their desire for power and honor.
Even today we must weep bitterly that there are people among us who wish to disconnect the nation from portions of our Land of Life, and others who still choose to live in foreign pastures. The Land of Israel is like a mother to us, and one does not surrender one's motherland.
We must reject every thought of separation by strengthening our faith and our love for our People, our Land, and our Torah; by holding fast with all our strength to every part of our Land; by expanding its conquest; and by defending it with self-sacrifice. This is a great rectification for the Sin of the Spies.
Then the day will surely be close when we will merit to see the prophecy of Zechariah fulfilled (Ch.8) when the days of fasting and weeping shall be transformed into "joy and gladness and cheerful festivals for the House of Judah."
With prayers of yearning for the complete Redemption.