The Land I Will Show You, sec. 5, chapter 5

Prophecy, Idolatry, and Rectifying the Sin of the Spies

Jan 04, 2024

5: Prophecy, Idolatry, and Rectifying the Sin of the Spies

Let's delve deeper into the dispute between Rabbi Yochanan and Resh Lakish. These sages discussed the question: Why didn't the Shechinah return to the Second Temple as expected? Why was the Holy Spirit removed from Israel? According to Resh Lakish, the reason is that not everyone returned, and ''the Shechinah only dwells among Israel when they number six hundred thousand'';[1] but according to Rabbi Yochanan, the reason is that the Temple was built by the Persians, and ''the Shechinah only dwells in the tents of Shem'.'

And a great question arises: Isn't the inspiration of prophecy dependent on the inclination towards idolatry, which was annulled by the Men of the Great Assembly? As the Vilna Gaon wrote on what we learned in Seder Olam: ''Until now, prophets prophesied with the Holy Spirit, from here on, incline your ear and listen to the words of the sages'' – ''when they killed the evil inclination, prophecy ceased.'' What then is the meaning of the question why didn’t the Shechinah dwell in the Second Temple? After all, they annulled the inclination towards idolatry, and with it, prophecy ceased?!

Before we address the answer, it is appropriate to briefly explain this seemingly strange connection – between prophecy and idolatry.

The essence of prophecy and its nature is the knowledge of Hashem, as it is written, ''And Shmuel did not yet know Hashem'' (1 Samuel 3:7). When the relationship with God is based on knowing Him, a person is close to God to the extent that he knows Him. Humanity seeks to know Hashem and to feel His presence; if a person does not fully grasp the knowledge of Hashem – to the extent that his knowledge is flawed, he gets entangled in the knowledge of other gods. This is the connection between prophecy and idolatry: Flawed consciousness of God is the consciousness of other gods. In other words: If you bring divinity into the world, there is a risk of materializing and deifying an un-god.[2] But when God is hidden and not revealed, such that the relationship to Him is not based on close knowledge – He is unrecognized and unknown, and also the danger of seeking the knowledge of other gods is nullified, for the person does not seek to feel God in the world.

The great mission of annihilating the inclination towards idolatry in the world, carried out by the Men of the Great Assembly, represents a shift in the overall approach to God. Instead of the prophecy that felt God, abstract and pure wisdom rules: ''From here on, incline your ear and listen to the words of the sages''. Wisdom serves as a substitute for prophecy, and accordingly, the sages said: ''From the day the Temple was destroyed, prophecy was taken from the prophets and given to the sages.”[3]

Now let's return to understanding the connection between the annihilation of the inclination towards idolatry and the reasons given by Rabbi Yochanan and Resh Lakish for the disappearance of prophecy. Why was this inclination annulled? Because they knew they could not withstand it. As it is told:

“They cried out with a loud voice” (Nehemiah 9:4). What did they say?... ''Baya, baya! This is what destroyed the Temple and burned the sanctuary and killed all the righteous and exiled Israel from their land, and still, it dances among us! Didn’t you give it to us only to receive reward for overcoming it? We neither want it nor its reward!''... They handed it over to them; it came out like a fiery lion from the Holy of Holies. The prophet said to Israel: “This is the inclination for idol worship.”[4]

That is to say, the sin of idol worship committed in the First Temple was not rectified. They did not fully repent from the sin, to the extent that they feared they might again stumble and worship other gods, leading to the destruction of the Temple, the burning of the sanctuary, the killing of all the righteous, and the exile of Israel from their land.

Why, in fact, did they not fully repent? What prevented them from rectifying the cause of their sin? Why would they forgo the tremendous struggle against this inclination? We will know the answer when we understand the root of the sin – what guarantees a barrier against idolatry, such that when it is missing, a person is likely to stumble. We have already mentioned in section 1, chapter 3 what is the root of all the sins of Israel: disdain for the desired land. The exile caused by the sins of idolatry, sexual immorality, and bloodshed was decreed already when the spies returned and spoke ill of the land and all the people wept. On that night, weeping was established for generations, because without the proper understanding of the essence of the Holy Land and without the correct appreciation of its significance, the children of Israel can never fully uphold the immense obligations of the Torah. ''Whoever resides in Eretz Yisrael remains free from sin ''[5] – it, and only it, constitutes protection from sin. The gift of the land is at the root of Israel's destiny, and when they rejected the land, they deviated from the path forever until they rectify it.

Without rectifying the sin of the spies, it is impossible to fully rectify all other sins, which are repercussions of this sin, and to return from them in complete repentance. Rectifying this sin is the root required for the complete repentance of the children of Israel. Was it possible for the people of the Second Temple to rectify the sin of the spies and to adopt the correct stance towards Eretz Yisrael? If the answer is positive, they had the ability to restore prophecy and withstand its danger, not to be drawn into idolatry; and if the answer is negative, they necessarily had to forgo the struggle against idolatry and end it – otherwise, they would certainly stumble again.

What is the possibility to rectify the sin of the spies? An opportunity to start anew. A flawed acquisition of the Land can only be rectified by a new acquisition, when the necessary circumstances for taking the Land in the right way that preserves from sin and all evil arise again. Then the people can start everything anew and adopt the correct stance towards the Holy Land, a stance that will anchor the entire Torah.[6] Was the period of the ascent from Babylon such a situation? Rabbi Yochanan and Resh Lakish disagreed on this. For the circumstances required to establish the settlement of the land in holiness in a way that it protects us from sin are the same circumstances required for the Shechinah to dwell among Israel in holiness: According to Resh Lakish – a complete ascent of the people to their Land; but according to Rabbi Yochanan – being free and independent in it. According to Resh Lakish, the land that is at the basis of all the Torah is primarily a place for the entire people of Israel. According to this, then, an opportunity for a new beginning was created, to reestablish the land of Israel anew as the Holy Land. If only all the children of Israel had returned, they would have achieved this, and would not have had to annul the inclination towards idolatry. But they failed to return and missed the opportunity to rectify their foundational sin, namely the sin of the spies. And according to Rabbi Yochanan, such an opportunity never arose. In his view, the desired land is a land where the children of Israel are free, and since the children of Israel were under Persian rule, they had no opportunity to start anew in acquiring the Land in the right way, and were necessarily forced to annul the inclination to avoid continuing to sin.

Thus, we learn that indeed the era of prophecy came to an end because they feared the tremendous danger inherent in it, did not want to risk it, and therefore annulled it. They did not want it because they could not withstand its danger, and this is because they did not repent from the ancient sin at the root of the danger, namely disdain for the desired land – according to Resh Lakish without good reason, and according to Rabbi Yochanan due to lack of ability. This is the point of their dispute.

Let's return to the words of Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi. He clearly asserts that our connection to Divine Providence depends on us, based on the approach of Resh Lakish. We asked whether this is a matter of dispute; now we know the answer – there is no dispute. Rabbi Yochanan and Resh Lakish only differed on a peripheral question: whether then, in the days of the Babylonian exiles, the circumstances allowed for a new beginning. According to Rabbi Yochanan, they were simply still stuck in the flawed situation caused by the sin of the spies, without a possibility of escaping from it. But no one disputes the fundamental assertion of Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi. Only a minor detail of his words is disputed, and regarding it, Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi adopts the view of Resh Lakish: what was then in the days of the Second Temple. But all agree that when the circumstances arise that are necessary to rectify the sin of the spies, to adopt the correct stance towards Eretz Yisrael and to restore the Divine Providence, then it depends only on us. In his time, Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi saw an opportunity and called upon his people to respond; in our times, there is no doubt that his holy call is valid: ''Were we prepared to meet the God of our forefathers with a pure mind, we should find the same salvation as our fathers did in Egypt.'' The only question is whether we will respond.

(For the next chapter of “The Land I Will Show You,” click here.)

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Ha'Aretz asher Areka

Unapologetics

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