DEDICATED IN LOVING MEMORY OF ISAAC GAMEL ז''ל BY HIS FAMILY

The sin of the meraglim is rooted in asking to send spies, not the lashon hara that they said about Eretz Yisroel when they returned. Bnei Yisroel were not comfortable with relying on Hashem so completely as they did in the midbar, and wanted to accomplish things independently. If Bnei Yisroel would have relied on Hashem completely, their entrance into Eretz Yisroel would have been with the open, revealed miracles, similar to those of Yetzias Mitzrayim. Although it is important nowadays to put in effort, we need to recognize that ultimately, everything that happens is from Hashem.

The meraglim (spies) brought back oversized fruits from Eretz Yisroel, and focused on the size of the people and the produce. Until this point, Bnei Yisroel had only seen two modes of existence: a completely physical one in Mitzrayim, and the spiritual sustenance in the desert. However, Eretz Yisroel in different, as Hashem’s presence is revealed within the physical, which can change the appearance of the people and the fruit! We daven to return to Eretz Yisroel when we will be able to partake of fruit that is enriched from the presence of Hashem, just like everything else in the land.

The second aliyah of Parshas Shelach describes the story of the spies’ report of the land. The failing in this story is not that they were afraid of what they saw; rather, it was that they undermined the desire to even enter the land. The tears of this original Tisha B’Av is that they ceased to want to enter the land, and so, the cry of Tisha B’av for the following generations is to correct this and rebuild the yearning. We learn the significance of desire and the impact it has on reality.

In the fifth aliyah of Parshas Shelach, we learn about the menachos and the nesachim, the bread and wine offerings that are given along with regular korbanos. This commandment is specifically for when Bnei Yisroel enter into Eretz Yisroel. Bnei Yisroel are making the transition from midbar life, when everything is obviously from Hashem, to life in Eretz Yisroel, when they need to plant and work to produce crops. Therefore, it is crucial to remember that even when we work with our own hands, we can only succeed if Hashem is with us.

At the end of Parshas Shelach, we are commanded with the mitzvah of tzitzis, and instructed not to follow after our hearts and our eyes. This is what happened with the sin of the meraglim—because if the desire of their hearts not to be completely dependent on Hashem, they did not allow their eyes to see the beauty of Eretz Yisroel. The mitzvah of tzitzis reminds us of the throne of Hashem, reminding us to accept the yoke of Heaven upon ourselves. We must be careful to direct our heart to the proper place so that our eyes will not be able to lead us astray.

The curious omission of zechus avos (the merit of our forefathers) in Moshe Rabbeinu’s defense of Bnei Yisrael is explained by exploring the direct parallel of zechus avos with the 13 Middos of Hashem. The covenant that Hashem made with the Avos creates a dual bond of dedication and is critical for all of our tefillos. Hashem’s covenant with the Avos is based on the bond of pure dedication that they share. This dedication is critical for all of our tefillos, and plays an important role in the tefillah of the 13 Attributes of Mercy as well. Therefore, it was not necessary for Moshe to invoke both.