Page 198 - BAMIDBAR

to Eretz Yisrael, whose very air makes one wise. Hashem wanted Moshe
to send forth men who had the trait of loving-kindness. They would look
at the Land with a good eye, instilling in the nation the desire to enter it
and become influenced by the air of wisdom there. This would enable
them to merit the zechut of their fathers.

How could the spies, men of repute, fall to the level of speaking
derogatorily about the Land, thereby demonstrating ingratitude toward
Hashem? Why didn’t they take an example from Calev ben Yefuneh, who
went to pray at the graves of his ancestors?
The spies were puffed up with pride. They felt that they had been chosen
to represent the nation in their own merit and did not accredit their high
positions to the people. In truth, it was the merit of the nation that earned
them this status. It was this false sense of pride, also, which prevented
them from prostrating themselves at their ancestral graves.

Calev ben Yefuneh was protected from this false pride in the merit of
visiting the graves of the Avot. He remembered their extreme humility.
He emulated it, and it was what rescued him from the machinations of the
spies. The ancestral graves, too, reminded him of the day of death, which
shows a person how empty conceit really is. The name can also be
read as (dog). A dog walks confidently before its master, wagging its
tail as if it is in the lead, yet its ears are pricked to hear its master’s
instruction, fully knowing who is really in charge. Calev constantly
remembered that he was merely a messenger of Hashem and Moshe
Rabbeinu.

We see that one sin leads to another. The Yetzer Hara causes a person to
stumble in small matters, sin by small sin, until eventually he dumps him
in the ditch of purgatory. If this was the end of that great generation, what
can we say for ourselves? # 26347-EYAL-6