Page 249 - BAMIDBAR

bamidbar
scouting Eretz Yisrael, they would have found other ways of rebelling
against Hashem, but then their sin would have proven unbearable.
Moshe Rabbeinu added the letter , which, combined with the letter of
Yehoshua’s name, numerically equals the word (pride). Moshe
prayed that only Hashem’s pride should stand before him, and not the
false pride of the spies.
How did Moshe not fear for Yehoshua’s safety in sending him along with
the rest of the spies? Moshe knew that the addition of Hashem’s Name to
his would stand on his behalf. Furthermore, it was to the ultimate benefit
of the spies, as well as of the entire nation, that there was one who spoke
well of the Land. Had this not been the case, Hashem’s wrath would have
been increased manifold. Moreover, Yehoshua was the one appointed to
eventually lead them into the Land. Remembering his glowing report
about Eretz Yisrael allowed the nation a measure of confidence in
following him there.
Moshe added the letter to Yehoshua’s name. This is the smallest of all
the Hebrew letters, alluding to humbleness and subservience. This teaches
that a leader must be the servant of his people. “Nothing stands in the way
of desire.” Moshe blessed only Yehoshua, for he discerned the true desire
of the spies. His blessing would hold no power to influence them.
Additionally, were they to sin while containing the Name of Hashem
within their own, their sin would have been all the greater.
One opinion is that the spies sinned due to not understanding Hashem’s
plan. The Wilderness was a temporary setting for the nation; Eretz Yisrael
was their ultimate destination. Hashem supervises this Land in a special
way, the Land itself makes its inhabitants wise, and there are specific
mitzvot relevant only there. It was their arrogance that clouded their
intellect, blinding them to Hashem’s desire, and causing them to rebel
against Him.
Regarding Calev, the pasuk (Bamidbar 14:24) states, “A different spirit
was with him.” He visited the ancestral graves only out of the desire to
bring honor to Hashem’s Name, and not to eventually become king of the
#26347-EYAL-6BOOKS - 26347-Bamidbar-EYAL | 8 - A | 18-08-19 | 13:48:23 | SR:-- | Yellow 26347-EYAL-6BOOKS - 26347-Bamidbar-EYAL | 8 - A | 18-08-19 | 13:48:23 | SR:-- | Magenta 26347-EYAL-6BOOKS - 26347-Bamidbar-EYAL | 8 - A | 18-08-19 | 13:48:23 | SR:-- | Cyan 26347-EYAL-6BOOKS - 26347-Bamidbar-EYAL | 8 - A | 18-08-19 | 13:48:23 | SR:-- | Black
Tishah b’Av, the day the spies brought back their evil report, became a
day of weeping for generations. Why did Hashem forbid Torah study on
this day, when this would seemingly mend the breach that had been
formed by the spies’ evil report?
Mourners are forbidden from Torah study, which gladdens the heart. The
reason for this is that one should concentrate on his personal loss and pay
his last respects to his loved one. For this reason, too, Torah study is
forbidden on Tishah b’Av. It is a day of mourning for all, and Torah study
has no place then. With the sin of the spies, Bnei Yisrael damaged the
mitzvot of the Land, included in the Torah. It is appropriate, then, that
their punishment includes the ban on Torah study on that day. 8
The forty days which the spies spent touring the Land correspond to the
forty days and nights in which Moshe received the Torah. The number
forty alludes to the days in which a fetus is formed, after which it is
considered viable. Hashem emphasized the number forty in order to
awaken Bnei Yisrael to the fact that Matan Torah was when they were
created.
The sin of the spies removed the vitality from our nation. They were
therefore decreed to wander in the Wilderness for forty years, in order to
renew their contract with the Torah, gaining once more the gift of life.
Hashem was more severe regarding the sin of the spies than He had been
concerning the sin of the Golden Calf. The day of the sin of the spies,
Tishah b’Av, likewise, is more serious than that of the day of the sin of
the Golden Calf, the 17th of Tammuz. When they sinned with the Golden
Calf, the nation had not yet received the Torah. Therefore, they were less
accountable for that sin than for the sin of the spies.
#