As the Jewish nation stood at the door of Hashem’s home, the holy land of Israel, and Moses told them that the time has arrived for them to enter, a climactic incident took place.
“שְׁלַח־לְךָ֣ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים וְיָתֻ֙רוּ֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֥י נֹתֵ֖ן לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל”
“Send ahead men for yourself to scout the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel” (Bamidbar 13.2)
Twelve of the truly great leaders of the nation, one from each tribe, went ahead to spy out the land and returned with a report that weakened the people and caused them to lose faith in their ability to seize their Divinely ordained inheritance. As a result, Hashem condemned them and decided that their entire generation wasn’t worthy of entering Eretz Yisrael.
Where were they mistaken? What exactly did they report back and why was it so discouraging?
“וְהָ֨אֲנָשִׁ֜ים אֲשֶׁר־עָל֤וּ עִמּוֹ֙ אָֽמְר֔וּ לֹ֥א נוּכַ֖ל לַעֲל֣וֹת אֶל־הָעָ֑ם כִּֽי־חָזָ֥ק ה֖וּא מִמֶּֽנּוּ”
“We cannot prevail over these people, for they are stronger than we are” (Bamidbar 13:31).
1.The first area where they went wrong was that they forgot that they weren’t alone! They couldn’t imagine how they would be able to occupy the land and overpower these mighty nations all by themselves. One must never lose consciousness that Hashem is always with them and is all-powerful. Your life is so important to Him and only He wishes to help you achieve success. This is why the verse says “שְׁלַח־לְךָ֣” (“Send for yourself”), “for yourself” implying that a person is going solo, mistakingly thinking that he is all alone on his mission. However, every person’s undertakings, struggles, and entire life is a personal mission of God, only to bring them to triumph, success, and celebration. (1)
“וַנְּהִ֤י בְעֵינֵ֙ינוּ֙ כַּֽחֲגָבִ֔ים וְכֵ֥ן הָיִ֖ינוּ בְּעֵינֵיהֶֽם”
“—and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them” (Bamidbar 13:33).
2. The second area where the spies were at fault was their poor self-image and lack of belief in themselves. They didn’t acknowledge how much Hashem loves them and how truly great they really are. Therefore, they felt small in the Nephilim’s eyes and disheartened the entire Jewish nation. One of the reasons the spies urged Moses to grant them permission to investigate the land was to go and ascertain tactics on how to wage war against their enemies. Here, perhaps we could suggest that the words, “שְׁלַח־לְךָ֣” imply, “Send/release yourself.” The embarkment to go spy on the land of Israel out of fear, self-doubt, and a lack of faith in God is straying from one’s true self and a slight to one’s own being. One can’t survive if they don’t feel loved, let alone conquer an entire nation! By being close to Hashem and feeling His love, one could always know that they’re special, extremely powerful, and never be afraid to take upon something great.
All of this took place on the Ninth of Av, which became a time of national mourning. On this very date, both the first and second Beit Hamikdash were destroyed. The Sages taught, “Any generation in which the Temple is not built, it is as if it had been destroyed in their times” (Yerushalmi, Yoma 1a). R’ Ezriel Tauber zt”l explains that the only way the Beit Hamikdash could be rebuilt is through belief in oneself and their ability to build, knowing that they are a crucial partner with Hashem. Every single tefilla, mitzvah, and good deed one fulfills is an additional brick to the Beit Hamikdash.
Let’s try our best to always remember the 2 most crucial points every Jew must engrave on their hearts – “Hashem is with you, Hashem loves you!”
Be’Ezrat Hashem, may we soon see the great redemption and the rebuilding of the Temple, filling the entire world with honor and love of Hashem.
(1) Therefore, “שלח” (throw out) the “לך” – the mentality that you are alone and unattended!