The Land I Will Show You, sec. 7, chapter 10
Rectifying the Sin of the Spies
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10: Rectifying the Sin of the Spies
The purpose of sending the spies was to determine whether it was possible to realize the great vision, the dream of “I will show you,” as we have made clear. This is the deep meaning of this central story, the story of the root sin of the Children of Israel. Do not think otherwise. As is the way of the Torah, the story of the spies is written in a way that can be understood superficially and interpreted in several ways – which are beautiful and correct – without delving into the true depth of its subject matter. But if you desire to atone for the sin of the spies and to hasten the redemption, you will need to know the deep intention of the story, which is the matter made clear in the previous chapters, which will be further proven later.
The doubt that the spies were commanded to clarify is a very real and serious one: Is it indeed possible to achieve this ideal and to actualize the religion of Abraham our father, which is founded on it? It’s very possible that it’s not, a possibility hinted at in the parashah of Shelach. It is written: “And what is the land is... whether there be in it a tree or not” (Numbers 13:20). Rashi explains: “If there is a worthy man in it who will protect them with his merit.” Meaning, if there had been a righteous man in the land of Canaan, he would have protected the Canaanites against the invading and attacking Children of Israel. Who is this righteous man who would have protected them? It is Job; thus said the sages:
Job was in the days of the spies... This is what Moses said to Israel: “Is there that man whose years are long like a tree and who protects his generation like a tree?”1
Meaning, there was a serious possibility that the Children of Israel would not be able to conquer the land of Canaan – if Job had still been alive. The spies were commanded to ascertain whether Job was alive, and they would not be able to conquer Canaan, or if he had died. In fact, he died at the time the spies entered the land:
“It is a land that consumes its inhabitants” (Numbers 13:32)... Hashem said: “I intended it for good, and they thought of it for evil.” I intended it for good... Job passed away, and everyone was busy eulogizing; they thought of it for evil – “It is a land that consumes its inhabitants.”2
The intention of these statements, which place Job at the crux of the story of the spies, is that there was a competition, so to speak, between Job and Abraham, the recipient of the gift of the Land, over Hashem’s will, that is, the character of religion. The idea is explained in many sayings of the Sages comparing and contrasting between the two righteous individuals, among them this saying that points to a certain superiority in Job’s way:
Greater is that which is said about Job than what is said about Abraham, for about Abraham it is written “for now I know that you fear God,” (Genesis 22:12), and about Job it is written “a perfect and an upright man, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1).3
Furthermore, there was a time when Hashem was inclined toward choosing Job over Abraham, which brought Satan to incite Him against Job:
Satan and Peninah had good intentions; Satan, since he saw that the Holy, blessed be He, was inclined toward Job, said: “God forbid that He forgets His love for Abraham!”4
This teaches that in contrast to the religion of Abraham our father, that is, the Torah as it is, there once existed a different religious approach, that of Job. The course of events could have unfolded differently – there was a possibility that Job would have founded the Chosen Nation and the religion of the Torah, and there would have been a side book in the Scriptures, “The Book of Abraham,” about the life of the rival whose method was rejected. Then the character of religion would have been completely different, in line with Job’s way.5 The sending of the spies was a real test meant to determine whether Abraham’s way would prevail or perhaps Job’s alternative way. Abraham’s Torah is rooted in Hashem’s call to him “Go forth... to the land I will show you,” and the spies, too, were commanded to go through the land and determine whether Abraham’s vision is alive and well, or whether there is no chance for its realization: Perhaps the land of Canaan would not be sanctified by bringing Abraham’s progeny there and continuing his unique way in it.
These elements are also hinted at in this saying of the sages about Job and Abraham:
“One day, the sons of God came to present themselves before Hashem, and Satan came also among them. And Hashem said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ Then Satan answered Hashem, [and said, ‘From roaming the earth and walking about in it’]” (Job 1:6-7). He said before Him: “Master of the Universe, I have roamed the entire world and have not found a faithful one like Your servant Abraham, whom You told: ‘Rise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you’ (Genesis 13:17), and even so, at the time when he found no place to bury Sarah until he bought it for four hundred shekels of silver, he did not question Your attributes.” “And Hashem said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, for there is none like him in the earth?’” (Job 1:8)… Greater is that which is said about Job than what is said about Abraham, etc.6
From this remarkable statement we learn three things: We learn from this that the promise of the Land to Abraham was not fully realized; we learn from this that the story of buying the Cave of Machpelah illustrates this; and we learn from this that the difference between Abraham and Job revolves around Abraham’s stubborn holding onto the land of Canaan, that he did not give up on the great vision of “I will show you” – exactly like all that was explained.
This is the question of the spies: Can this vision be realized? This is a good question, because the vision was never fully achieved, the evidence being that even the inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael were immersed in sin, contrary to the wonderful and glorious description: “Blessed are the inhabitants of the land of Israel who have neither sin nor iniquity, neither in life nor in death.”7
The old question about the land “what is it” and the mitzvah to see “the land, what it is” arise again in our days. When will we be able to determine that the time has come to correct the sin of the spies, to explore the land and this time properly, like Joshua and Caleb? The answer is: every time the root question arises. If you, dear reader, understand well the aspects of the question whether it is possible to adopt a divine perspective and to establish such a land, and also seriously consider the possibility of achieving this level of sanctity for the people of Israel in its land today – then you, by definition, are engaged in the mitzvah of “and you shall see the land, what it is.” You are a spy. And then, if after careful consideration you decide that all this is but dreams and remote fantasies that will never be achievable, you are at the level of Sesur ben Michael, Nachbi ben Vophsi and their companions. Yet, this is a completely reasonable conclusion, undoubtedly. It is hard to blame someone who reaches this conclusion if it comes after extensive examination and deep thought about the condition of the masses of the Children of Israel. And if you determine that it is possible to achieve this approach, you are a companion to the good spies, Joshua and Caleb; but whoever does not strive to delve into the matter and to weigh whether this achievement is possible, is truly not even among the “heads of the Children of Israel”8 who were sent to explore the land.
The story of the spies repeats itself in every era in which these issues can be seriously considered. How will a leader of the Children of Israel reach the level of Joshua and Caleb? Indeed, as mentioned, it is more likely to conclude that the realization of “I will show you” is not realistic and practical. The answer, in my opinion, is through faith. For the sin of despising the desirable land is described as a lack of faith, as it is written: “And they despised the pleasant land, they did not have faith in His word” (Psalms 106:24); “And in this thing you did not have faith in Hashem your God” (Deuteronomy 1:32); “And when Hashem sent you from Kadesh-Barnea, saying, Go up and take possession of the land which I have given you; then you rebelled against the commandment of Hashem your God, and you didn’t have faith in Him, and you did not heed His voice” (ibid 9:23). That is to say, it is true and correct that based on careful and cautious consideration, the conclusion that would be reached is the approach of the ten spies, that this achievement is beyond our capability – but this does not mean that we will never reach it. There are very precious things that can only be achieved by first committing to them, that is, by having faith. We must be stubborn and have faith that it is possible and attainable, and only with such a stubborn and unshakable approach will we eventually reach our seemingly unattainable goal, and obtain “the land I will show you.”
All who follow in the footsteps of Abraham our father must believe in their father’s vision and start training themselves in seeing with the vision of Hashem – and then they will succeed.
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This is not the place to explain the different ways of Abraham and Job along with the connection between this and the question of the holiness of the land and its being granted to humans. The matter is explained at length in Oros Yaakov, essay “And Abraham Approached,” sections 4-5, and ibid, essay “Abraham and David” (A), section B, and in Mishnas Yaakov, essay “Pure from Impure,” section D.