Parshas
Shelach is primarily about the Maiseh Hamiraglim which caused Klal Yisrael to
remain in the Midbar for 40 years. One of the most difficult questions is how
10 people who were Anashim Roshei Yisrael could suddenly become such Reshaim.
I would
like to share with you a Ramban followed by a Steipler which when taken
together gives us a fantastic insight into what has taken place.
The
Ramban says that the Yesod of the Cheit of the Meraglim was the following. They
were sent into Eretz Yisrael to spy enough to see how Klal Yisrael should
conquer Eretz Yisrael. How they should do it B’derech Hateva. Since the battle
for the most part for the conquest of Eretz Yisrael would be B’derech Hateva (in
a natural way) therefore it would be normal for Meraglim to go in and see how
it should be done.
So their
job was a question of how. So the Ramban says instead of trying to answer how,
they went and answered if they should go in. They switched from
an understanding of the question being how they should go in to a question of
if they should go in. That Shinui from how to if was the root of their problem.
So even though they were good people, when they understood the job that it was
a question of if they should go in that was the first step that led them to a
disaster of the Cheit Hamiraglim.
The
Steipler in Birchas Peretz alludes to this Pshat, however, he doesn’t quote the
Ramban. He adds a Nikuda. He points out that it seems to be a Stira in Rashi.
Rashi 13:3 first says (כלם אנשים: כל אנשים
שבמקרא לשון חשיבות, ואותה שעה כשרים היו) Kulam Anashim, B’ose Sha’a Kishairim Hayu. Rashi says that
when they left they were Kishairim, they were good people.
On the
other hand Rashi 13:26 also says (וילכו ויבואו: מהו וילכו,
להקיש הליכתן לביאתן, מה ביאתן בעצה רעה, אף הליכתן בעצה רעה) Ma Biasan B’eitza Ra, Af Halichasan B’eitza Ra. Rashi says
they went out with a bad plan. As if to say that they were Reshaim when they
left and that is a contradiction between these two Rashi’s. (א"ה פנ"י קידושין סא: סובר
שי"ל מדרשים חלוקים על שני דברי רש"י)
The Steipler
explains beautifully. The Yesod is what are you going to investigate. Are you
going to see how to enter Eretz Yisrael or are you going to see if to enter
Eretz Yisrael. B’ose Sha’a Kishairim Hayu, before they were appointed they were
Kishairim. The moment they were appointed, a certain Gaiva came upon them. A
Gasas Haruach, a haughtiness. That haughtiness caused them to decide that they
were the experts, they were going to be the generals so to speak who were going
to decide if this conquest was feasible. That change from trying to investigate
how to enter Eretz Yisrael which is the job of Kishairim, of good people to the
decision to decide if to enter Eretz Yisrael, that change made them Yitziasan
B’eitza Ra. They went out with a bad Eitza. It doesn’t mean that at that moment
they were ready to destroy Klal Yisrael with their bad plans. But it means that
the root of the problem, their view of themselves as the experts of Klal
Yisrael, that image was a bad Eitza.
We can
all understand that Shinui that change taking place rather quickly. The change
from how should we enter Eretz Yisrael to if we should enter Eretz Yisrael.
That change of jobs L’gamri, totally, and therefore it ended up causing
something terrible to happen.
In Sefer
Yehoshua in Perek 2 we will see that Yehoshua also sends Meraglim and everyone
wonders how after the debacle that takes place in Parshas Shelach, how does
Yehoshua make the same mistake and send Meraglim.
The
Chasam Sofer at the beginning of the Parsha explains that the idea of sending
Meraglim was not a bad idea if they are going to see how to conquer. It was a
bad idea because they went to see if they should conquer. Yehoshua made the
point that Moshe Rabbeinu’s idea is not a bad idea and it was the people who by
changing it from the how decision to an if decision that was caused a
problem.
I think
it is fair to say that in life in general it is this way. Hakadosh Baruch Hu
puts many challenges in front of us and our question is how to navigate the
Matziv, the situation into which Hakadosh Baruch Hu places us. Very often our
mentality is an if mentality. Not an if decision to choose which Nisyanos will
come before us, however, an if only idea. A mentality that this shouldn’t be
happening when something difficult happens. That mentality pushes people down. The
idea that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is Hameichin Mitzadei Gover sets a person’s
footsteps. Whatever challenge comes before you in your life as unpleasant as it
may seem, is something that is put in front of you by the big Meichin Mitzadei
Gover, by Hakadosh Baruch Hu and the question is only how to navigate and deal
with the situation. When a person focuses on how, he can deal with situations
well. This is a lesson from the Parshas Hamiraglim.
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