Question of the Week - Parashat Shlach

June 15, 2008 · Filed Under Question of the Week, Shlach ·

Tzipiyah.com will be starting a new “tradition”.

Every week, I will be posting a question which I will call “Question of the week”. Sometimes, it will be linked to the weekly parasha. Other times to holidays coming up. Other times just not connected to anything specific to that week.

STARTING NEXT WEEK: We will be offering real prizes to one lucky winner, every week ,through a raffle of all the names of the people who posted an answer! Click here for more information!

Some questions will have been answered already by some mefarshim. Others will be new questions. The goal is to re-discuss those issues from our own perspective, with the help of the mefarshim and with a completely orthodox understanding, but through our own contemporary eyes. Hopefully, this will lead to some dynamic learning. I encourage everyone to participate, give their answer, and discuss other people’s answers!

This week’s question of the week:

The Meraglim were some of the greatest leaders in Jewish History. Some people even like insulting fellow jews by saying they are “just like the meraglim” - however, its hardly an insult. These people were the top of the leadership of the Jewish People.

If this is the case, how is it possible that such great leaders make such a fundamental sin and refuse to enter the land of Israel (and speak lashon hara on it)? What happened to them?

You liked this post? Here is a list of related posts:

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- Announcing the "Question of the Week"! Win Real Incredible Prizes! by Dan Illouz
- Question of the Week - Parshat Chukat by Dan Illouz
- Question of the Week - Parshat Balak by Dan Illouz
- And the Winner Is…. by Dan Illouz
- Big Project for Israel’s 60th Birthday by Dan Illouz
- 10 Questions with a Jewish Activist by Dan Illouz

Dan Says:
June 15th, 2008 at 11:53 am

Leave the answers to the Question of the Week over here!

Ethan Says:
June 15th, 2008 at 6:13 pm

because they thought that by leaving the desert they would have to bring themselves down from the pure untroubled state in which they were in in the desert, where they did not have to do any work and all was provided by Hashem, in thee desert they did not need to involve themselves in the real world, working/protecting the land ect…little did they no that the true essence of Judaism is best expressed by such actions such as working the land and living in this world…well at least in Israel

something along those lines

Ronnie Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 12:08 am

jews are stubborn even after witnessing crazy shtick from hashem, id probably run and freak out too after seeing huge giants, this is half joke half true

Gabriel Malca Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 8:59 am

You're right that they were some of the top spiritual leaders at the time. While they were in the desert, they were in direct contact with their spiritual beings. They would get food (manna) straight from g-d, and with lack of material existence, they had their whole lives dedicated to heightening themselves spiritually to get closer to g-d. When they were sent into Israel, like Ethan said, they spiritual would no longer be right in front of them. Instead, they would have to find the spiritual through material existence, working the land and creating receptacles for spirituality. It would be a completely different way of living. They realized that they could no longer learn all day and heighten themselves, instead they would have to protect, feed and fend for their families through hardship, it would be harder to find g-d. Maybe they were able to look into the future and realize that future generations would lose touch with g-d because of how hard it is to find g-d in both material and spiritual existence.

Aliza Perez Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 10:16 am

Something I've thought, ever since learning this parsha in school this year, has been that maybe the meraglim just didn't have the proper bitachon in Hashem. All they saw in the land was the bad, the danger, the enemies… What they failed to recognize was that despite those 'difficulties' they would be able to get past it with the help of Hashem, just like He had been helping them in the desert up until then…

Dan Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 10:46 am

Hey
Both Ethan and Gabriel are basically giving the same answer… a bit of the danger which comes with getting to such high levels, that you can be so high spiritually that you disconnect yourself from this earth.
Aliza and Ronnie, you both gave good answers also. The only question I have for you is that these answers make sense for the regular jew, but we're talking about the top of the top here! How can they make such sins?

miriyum Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 1:26 pm

My Thought: They didn't doubt G-ds ability to perform the miracles needed to conquer the land. However, when they saw the dangers they realized what they would be facing and perhaps doubted Bnei Yisrael's worothiness for these miracles.

Yakov Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 7:47 pm

Take a look at the Malbim - they failed as leaders because they did not believe that the people they were leading would be able to maintain their spiritual level in the Land.

Dan Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 8:01 pm

Thanks Yakov, you just give Miriam a source to rely on.

Avi Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 9:23 pm

Didn't Moshe Rabeinu, the greats of greats sin?
Didn't Shelomo Ameleh commit idolatry?
Didn't Avraham Avinu for one moment lacked faith in God in His promise?

No man is perfect…here is my answer with sources and quotes:

There can be no doubt that the tribal leaders and the entire nation as well, believe in God and the possibility of Divine assistance. Unfortunately, they are also well aware of the possibility of Divine punishment.
In other words, the meraglim are not doubting God's ability to assist them in battle, RATHER they are doubting their own ability to be WORTHY of that assistance.

Avi Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 9:24 pm

PART 2)
Where the meragelim sinned was in their lack of leadership!
Ideal leadership should have challenged the nation to raise their spiritual level - to become worthy of Divine assistance - to rise to that challenge!
Rather, they comprise a presentation of hysterical exaggerations made in a desperate attempt to shape public opinion. A land does not 'devour' its inhabitants, nor is it likely that the Canaanites perceived them as 'grasshoppers'! It is precisely this rebuttal that the Torah refers to as "dibah" - SLANDER.

Instead of confessing their true fear and lack of confidence in the nation's ability, they over-exaggerate the seriousness of the situation. Rather than encourage the people to prepare themselves for the task, they prefer to utilize populist politics and create fear in the camp.
Finally, note how the word "dibah" is central when the Torah summarizes their punishment:
"And those men - MOTZIEY DIBAT HA'ARETZ RA'AH - died in a plague before God."

Dan Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 9:58 pm

Thanks Avi for the incredibly relevant perspective. I'm glad you got the website working:-)

G Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 8:34 am

"but we're talking about the top of the top here! How can they make such sins? "

What kind of a question is that?
TaNaCh is replete with people of the highest order and whom we hold in the highest regard committing sins/making mistakes…some of them pretty basic and serious ones.

Dan Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 10:34 am

Very true G. I obviously agree that their actions were wrong. My question was with respect to what lead them to such action. If you think of other sins, lets take Yehudah and Tamar for example… ok, even the greatest have taavah. Those who say David sinned would say the same. But here, the greatest leaders of the Jewish people openly advocating rebellion against God's will… thats not just a sin, thats against everything which made them be held to such a high value. How did they get to that sin? Taavah? doesn't seem so… so, the answers here (and my question) try to look at what lead them to that sin.
Sorry for not being more clear in the begining.

Avi Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 11:36 am

what lead to the sin?…they were afraid of the consequences of a positive report!
Here are the points i bring with research done

What would have happened had all 12 people given a positive report?

1. The Jews would have gone directly into the land of Israel.
(According to the midrash, none of the major tragedies would befall the Jewish people on the 9th of Av — destruction of the Jewish Temples, and more.)**Side Note: the inquisition and Hitler's rise happened on 9 av.

2. The Beit Hamikdash would be built — without the need of a temporary mishkan

3. The immediate anointing of a king.

Avi Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 11:39 am

PART 2)
It was item #3 that worried these leaders the most. If a king would be anointed, then these leaders would no longer be leaders of the Jewish people. Their personal leadership status would disappear, and in today's language — they would be out of a job.

These 10 leaders of the Jewish people sacrificed the future of the Jewish people for thousands of years to come, indirectly causing the destruction of both Temples and countless deaths of Jews — all to support their own personal agenda of continuing to lead the Jewish people for the next 38 years in the desert. In the time of the spies, it was only 16% (2 out of 12) that knew how to do the right thing.
(DOESN'T THIS REMIND YOU OF THE CORRUPT LEADERSHIP WE HAVE NOW!! ;-))

Dan Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 2:09 pm

haha, yes Avi, but the problem I still have is that today's leadership is known to be corrupt lol They were known to be the greatest of Klal Israel.

G Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 2:22 pm

You lost me.

I understood the idea of the original question. Some answers were given (thoughtful ones, not that they simply "messed up") and then you responded with, "The only question I have for you is that these answers make sense for the regular jew, but we're talking about the top of the top here! How can they make such sins?".

You can use that response on any possible answer to this type of question until the end of time! At what point does an explanation become good enough for the "top of the top" and how does one make the assessment that something only makes sense for "the regular jew'?

That was what I meant by "what kind of a question is that?".

Dan Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 2:32 pm

Hey G
Thanks for clarifying your comment.
I think you're right. What I meant by the last comment I wrote was not a response for the comments given… I think they were very thoughtful. What I meant was that the usual understanding of the text is a bit hard to imagine for some of the greats of Israel.
However, that being said, your comment is well taken : "At what point does an explanation become good enough for the "top of the top" and how does one make the assessment that something only makes sense for "the regular jew'?"
I don't have an answer to that - I think your point is well taken. This argument gives way to an explicit approach to the text and makes it more readable, without the need for further explanations. Still, I think the explanations given here can help us better define what brought them to that sin.

Avi Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 7:33 pm

what brought them to sin is fear, lack of emunah. they got blinded by fear.
Fear is the greatest enemy of all human potential, and consequently people are held back by imaginary or real fears.
in this case, not only did they fear that GOD would abandon the jews, they feared the people but mostly feared the unknown of the mundane world.

in conclusion, and i will end it here. we can go about how these greats sinned and lacked the faith and discouraged the nation…but what is over all in this and all the other 7 worlds? GOD! …draw your own conclusions now…