Simply do as I say – Shlach
שְׁלַח לְךָ אֲנָשִׁים וְיָתֻרוּ אֶת אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ אֶחָד אִישׁ אֶחָד לְמַטֵּה אֲבֹתָיו תִּשְׁלָחוּ כֹּל נָשִׂיא בָהֶם (במדבר יג, ב).
If Israel wanted to send spies to sabotage the nuclear plant in Bushehr in Iran, or to eliminate a nuclear scientist in Natanz, they would send one or two, perhaps three covert operatives, each entering separately, incognito, under an alias. What Israel would not do, is send twelve well known government ministers to do the job, and hold a press conference on CNN announcing it beforehand! When Moshe later sent spies לְרַגֵּל אֶת יַעְזֵר and conquer the Emorites (Bamidbar 21, 32), it doesn't say how many spies there were and certainly not their names. Similarly, when Yehoshua sent spies to Yericho, he sent only two and the passuk does not mention their names (the Midrash has to tell us who they were, Kalev and Pinchas).
The Malbim asks this question – "What kind of spies were these?"
In this, the second of a three-part series of shiurim (Beha'alotcha, Shlach and Korach), I would like to examine who the Meraglim were and what their sin was. It is unlike any perush you have heard before and is based on principles from sefer Meir Panim (2nd ed.).
Rashi points out why the episode of the Meraglim immediately follows the incident in last week's parsha Beha'alotcha, of Miriam speaking lashon harah against Moshe. That the Meraglim saw what happened to Miriam and they should have learned from that not to speak lashon harah against Eretz Yisrael.
In previous years (Shlach, תשפ"ב) I discussed the enormous stature of the Meraglim and how we cannot possibly begin to fathom how great they really were, let alone judge them. However, the Torah specifically mentions their sin in order to teach us a fundamental lesson and we are obligated to try understand it and learn from their mistakes. The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabba 16, 20) says that the severity of their sin was such that it resulted in the destruction of the two Batei Mikdash!
In order to understand what prompted the episode of the Meraglim, we need to backtrack to last week's parsha. A few, short weeks before Bnei Yisrael were about to enter Eretz Yisrael, the אספסוף, the erev rav, began to complain about the Mann and demanded meat. As we know, it was in Moshe Rabbeinu's merit that Bnei Yisrael received the Mann, a spiritual food befitting Moshe's spiritual stature. When they asked for meat, Moshe was at a loss, because to supply such a "physical" form of food, was not his realm, so he turned to HKB"H and broke down. "I cannot bear all the load myself!"
As a result, HKB"H told Moshe to appoint 70 elders and transfer some of the responsibility of managing the nation to them. Moshe did not know how to select these 70 elders, because it did not divide evenly between the 12 tribes. HKB"H told Moshe to form a list of 72 candidates, 6 from each tribe and make 72 ballot cards concealed in envelopes. On 70 of them was written the word זקן and two were blank. Each of the 72 candidates would take an envelope and thus the 70 elders were selected by Divine ballot. HKB"H transferred some of Moshe's spiritual power to them to help them share the load of leading Bnei Yisrael.
These 70 elders were given the power of prophecy. The two who were not selected (according to the Malbim, they were so humble they decided to not even attend the ballot, thinking they were not worthy to begin with) also received the power of prophecy, not because of their eligibility to be an elder, but out of their merit of humility. Just as the 70 selected elders began to prophesize, so too did these two – Eldad and Meidad. Their shared prophecy consisted of 4 words משה מת יהושע מכניס. Chazal say that some prophecies are meant to publicized while others are revealed privately to the prophet for his own knowledge. Eldad and Meidad's prophecy was not meant to be made public, but it unfortunately was.
Yehoshua reported this to Moshe and suggested that Moshe throw them in prison. Moshe's response was "Are you (Yehoshua) zealous for me? If only all of Bnei Yisrael could be prophets!"
Think about this for a moment. It had just been revealed to Moshe that in a few days' time he would die! They were just about to enter Eretz Yisrael and Eldad and Meidad's prophecy revealed that Moshe would die and Yehoshua would lead Bnei Yisrael into the land flowing with milk and "honey" (more accurately – juice from fruit). Did this phase Moshe? Not in the least. Yehoshua was davka the one who showed indignation, not Moshe! Moshe was totally accepting - if that is what HKB"H says then that is what has to be. Moshe was totally שלם with it … but others were not and decided to do something about it.
Am Yisrael approached Moshe and said they wanted to send spies to Eretz Yisrael before they entered. HKB"H had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey, didn't they trust HKB"H's promise? Remember, this is Am Yisrael who witnessed HKB"H באספקלריא המאירה while crossing Yam Suf and again at Har Sinai.
The Meshech Chochma says that the reason Am Yisrael suddenly felt the need to send spies is davka because of Eldad and Meidad's prophecy. If Moshe would be leading them into Eretz Yisrael, they trusted him implicitly, but Yehoshua? Perhaps it was better that they have a contingency plan.
According to the Malbim there was no doubt in their minds that the land was as promised. It was not "spies" they wanted to send but "surveyors"! Each tribe would inherit a specific tract of land in Eretz Yisrael that correlated with Yaakov's brachot to his sons. Zevulun would be seafaring merchants, so they needed to live on the coast. Which part of the coast was the best to establish a port for ships? Asher's inheritance would be rich in olive trees. Which part of Eretz Yisrael was most suitable to grow olive trees? And so on. Am Yisrael wanted to send a representative from each tribe, who knew about ships, growing olives etc. to survey the land and map out each's inheritance. This is why twelve representatives were sent, not just two or three "spies".
The Mefarshim give many reasons why the Meraglim sinned - that they wanted Am Yisrael to continue living "cocoon" lives of spirituality in the Midbar, that they feared that in Eretz Yisrael they would no longer be Nesi'im of their tribes, that they acted out of love for Moshe Rabbeinu, attempting to prolong his life, etc.
Regardless of what their motivation was, the bottom line is that the ten Meraglim, before they even left on their "mission", had already decided the outcome. They began with a hidden agenda and nothing that they would see or experience in Eretz Yisrael would change that. This agenda was all their own, they did not consult with Moshe, they did not ask HKB"H (some of them were among the 70 elders, they had prophecy) – they acted entirely of their own volition.
Moshe knew that this would be the case, which is why he felt it necessary to give chizzuk to Yehoshua, adding a yud to his name before they left. Kalev, from the tribe of Yehuda, did not need extra chizzuk from Moshe, as we will see later. On the first passuk שלח לך, why does it say לך? Rashi explains that HKB"H was telling Moshe – if you want to send them, go ahead and send them, this is not from Me. In the passuk there is a subtle hint - לך, you will ultimately be the one to "benefit" from sending them, because the result will be that Am Yisrael will have to remain in the Midbar an additional 38 years and this means you will not die in a few days' time, but only in 38 years' time.
As we know the ten Meraglim returned to tell lashon harah about Eretz Yisrael. Only Yehoshua and Kalev did not become part of their scheme.
If you explore the names of the ten Meraglim, you discover an amazing chiddush that gets to the heart of matter and exposes the essence of their sin. The gematria of "שַׁמּוּעַ שָׁפָט יִגְאָל פַּלְטִי גַּדִּיאֵל גַּדִּי עַמִּיאֵל סְתוּר נַחְבִּי גְּאוּאֵל" is וַיַּעַשׂ אֱ-לֹ קִים אֶת שְׁנֵי הַמְּאֹרֹת הַגְּדֹלִים. What is the connection between the ten Meraglim and HKB"H creating the sun and the moon? The answer is simple, the first case of lashon harah in the Torah is when HKB"H created the sun and the moon.
The Yalkut Shimoni (Breishit 1, 16) says אמרה ירח לפני הקב"ה רבונו של עולם אפשר לשני מלכים שישתמשו בכתר אחד. "Can you have two kings sharing the same crown?" The question is, how does that constitute lashon harah? Where is the lashon harah in that statement? The דעת זקנים מבעלי התוספות says that the moon did not come to HKB"H and say "I cannot rule the skies if there is someone else with me", that is not what the moon said. The moon said "Two kings cannot share the same crown". Who made the moon spokesman for the sun? The sun did not also say "Two kings cannot share the same crown", it was only you – the moon alone who said that, not the sun. You cannot speak in the name of the sun – that is lashon harah! This, says the דעת זקנים מבעלי התוספות, is a case of הנעלבים ואינם עולבין. שומעין חרפתם ואינן משיבין. עושין מאהבה ושמחין ביסורין. עליהם הכתוב אומר - ואוהביו כצאת השמש בגבורתו (שופטים ה, לא).
What motivated the moon to bring this טענה in the first place? The Rambam (הלכות יסודי התורה, פ"ג, ה"ט) says that all the planets have a נשמה and intelligence. The moon obviously had some kind of logic that prompted its complaint. The moon was saying "In the כסא הכבוד you have four "legs", representatives, each a "king" over their own domain. An eagle – king of the bird kingdom, a lion – king of the wild animal kingdom, an ox – king of the domesticated animal kingdom, man (the face of Yaakov Avinu) – king of the mortal, living kingdom. Similarly, in the sky you should have only one representative, one king! Then, above all these, you have HKB"H sitting on His כסא הכבוד with dominion over all the other sub-kingdoms – this gives ultimate כבוד to HKB"H. It is a good טענה, no?
The problem is that despite its inherent logic, it is finite and limited. Contrasted with HKB"H's infinite "logic" that knows no bounds. HKB"H had a different plan. There can be only one "One", only one "singularity" and that is HKB"H Himself. That is why on the first day it says יום אחד and not יום ראשון. HKB"H is the only one "One", all the creations are more than one. That is why HKB"H split Adam Harishon into Adam and Chava (לא טוב היות האדם לבדו), it is not acceptable to have only one, singular "human organism". The fact is the Midrash tells us that the angels saw Adam Harishon for the first time and thought he was G-d. Adam said to them, no! There is only One G-d and it is not me. Let us all join in and give praise to the One and only G-d. And Adam proceeded to sing ה' מלך גאות לבש, the shir shel yom for יום ששי. Similarly HKB"H created a male and female eagle, lion, ox – so that there would not be another singularity in creation. Similarly, HKB"H wanted to create two luminaries in the sky, for the same reason. The moon's reasoning was sound, perhaps even well intentioned, but it was flawed. The result of the moon not simply listening to what HKB"H said, but rather relying on its own intelligence, great as it may be, led eventually to lashon harah.
Why this connection between the Meraglim and the sun and the moon? Moshe is compared to the sun and Yehoshua to the moon פני משה כפני חמה ופני יהושע כפני לבנה (בבא בתרא עה, ע"א).
The honest truth is that although the moon was the first who spoke lashon harah, it was not the first to make the mistake of relying on its own logic, in preference to what HKB"H said. A day before, on the 3rd day, the tree thought it was "smarter" than HKB"H and also brought a טענה - if the branches and the fruit taste the same, then both the fruit and the branches will be eaten and there will be no tree left. We discussed this in last week's shiur, that this tree was the עץ הדעת. Although the עץ הדעת itself did not speak lashon harah, it eventually led to lashon harah – the נחש speaking lashon harah against HKB"H. That is the unavoidable dynamic.
Why is it thus? It is such a "no-brainer" that if HKB"H tells us something, we should simply "do what He says" תמים תהיה עם ה' א-לקיך! Unfortunately, the truth is that it is not so "simple", there is a counterbalancing force of the yetzer harah to guarantee free choice. The two main "weapons" of the yetzer harah are וכי תאוה הוא, tempting us with our animalistic nature, and - ונחמד העץ להשכיל, tricking us into thinking we are so "smart" and rely on our own logic and intelligence.
The main טענה of the Meraglim centered around physical things relating to Eretz Yisrael. They said that indeed it was זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ. They brought the humungous fruit, a cluster of grapes, so large and heavy that it required two people to carry, enormous figs, pomegranates. That the people living in Eretz Yisrael were giants, so tall that we were like grasshoppers next to them, etc.
Have you ever noticed that in the Torah, all HKB"H's promises to Bnei Yisrael of how wonderful Eretz Yisrael is, all center around the physical attributes of the land. אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ, אֶרֶץ נַחֲלֵי מָיִם עֲיָנֹת וּתְהֹמֹת יֹצְאִים בַּבִּקְעָה וּבָהָר, אֶרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אֲבָנֶיהָ בַרְזֶל וּמֵהֲרָרֶיהָ תַּחְצֹב נְחֹשֶׁת, אֶרֶץ חִטָּה וּשְׂעֹרָה וְגֶפֶן וּתְאֵנָה וְרִמּוֹן אֶרֶץ זֵית שֶׁמֶן וּדְבָשׁ, etc.
Is that the עיקר of Eretz Yisrael, the scenery and the natural resources? What about the spirituality? Why doesn't HKB"H tell them about the holiness of Har Hamoriah, where Avraham did the Akeida? What about מערת המכפלה where Adam and Chava and the Avot and Imahot are buried? What about קבר רחל?
Couldn't HKB"H have found a better description than זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ? The imagery of a זב and a זבה do not exactly "stimulate the appetite". Why did HKB"H not rather say שופע חלב ודבש, from the lashon of שפע? And why davka חלב and דבש – are these the ultimate in culinary delights? Instead of bringing examples that conjure up images of things that are considered "forbidden", (honey is forbidden to bring on the mizbeach and it is forbidden to eat חלב, the forbidden fat, from the korban), why didn't HKB"H bring "positive" examples, like flowing with "spare ribs", "broccoli lasagna", etc.
The Torah is trying to teach us a fundamental truth about Eretz Yisrael. The Eretz Yisrael that Bnei Yisrael conquered in the time of Yehoshua and that persisted until the destruction of the 1st Beit Hamikdash, was a paradise – a true Gan Eden. Every natural, physical wonder in the world - every breathtaking scenery, every bubbling spring, every agricultural marvel, every luscious forest, valley, mountain, river, lake, etc. was all concentrated in Eretz Yisrael. When the Torah speaks of Gan Eden, that HKB"H created the Garden of Eden where He placed Adam Harishon - that place was Eretz Yisrael! A physical paradise, unparalleled on earth!
The Mefarshim say that when the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed and Am Yisrael went into exile, the beauty of Eretz Yisrael went into exile with them. The mountains and rivers were exiled to Switzerland, the lakes to Scandinavia, the forests to Europe, the vast tracts of agricultural land to Ukraine, Russia, etc. Sefer Baruch Yomeru says that when the Beit Hamikdash was shattered, the shards were also scattered to the far ends of the earth and where they landed, that is where Batei Knesset and Batei Midrash were subsequently built during the Diaspora. When the Geulah comes, all this natural beauty will once again return to Eretz Yisrael and all the shards of the broken Mikdash will again coalesce into the 3rd Beit Hamikdash (descend from the sky – according to Rashi).
The "barren" Middle Eastern desert and climate that is now Eretz Yisrael is but a faint shadow of the original and ultimate Eretz Yisrael (since Am Yisrael have returned it has begun to rejuvenate, but is still nothing compared to what it will be in the time of the Geulah).
When HKB"H created the world, He created Gan Eden, Eretz Yisrael – that was the intended domicile of mankind. It was overflowing in physical and natural beauty and abundance beyond compare. It was specifically physically beautiful and abundant – intentionally so. HKB"H wanted, He planned, that Am Yisrael would live surrounded by this physical abundance and beauty. The descriptions of Eretz Yisrael in the Torah reflect this. However, they also hint to something else. The term זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ contains a veiled intimation that all this "overflowing" physicality is deceptive, even a little "sickening"! On its own, it is sickening and even nauseating. The Meraglim's visual aids of the oversized fruits did not inspire wonder and awe, they were almost "repulsive" in a way – completely "over the top". Adam Harishon in Gan Eden, like Am Yisrael after him in Eretz Yisrael, were commanded לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ, to serve HKB"H by elevating the physical in spirituality and guarding against turning the physical, the עולם העשייה, into an entity on its own.
It was davka to this place that HKB"H brought Am Yisrael, because Am Yisrael had the secret ingredient that flipped all this sickening natural, physical abundance into something wondrous – זכות אבות. HKB"H repeatedly emphasized that Am Yisrael were not getting Eretz Yisrael on their own merit, it was בזכות אבות. The Avot had a special merit that takes all the "over the top" physicality of the world and flips it 180 degrees and makes it wondrous. They listened to what HKB"H told them, no questions asked. As simple as that.
When HKB"H said to Avraham – "Take Yitzchak and sacrifice him as an Olah!", Avraham didn't try to second guess HKB"H. It's not that Avraham was lacking in intelligence – he was the only human, aged three, that recognized the existence of G-d, from his observation of the natural world. Avraham had a depth of perception and intelligence, beyond any other human in his generation or in the thousands of years before him. It was not that Avraham was lacking powers of prophecy. When Yitzchak asked him "Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the sacrificial lamb?" Avraham replied "אֱ-לֹקִים יִרְאֶה לּוֹ הַשֶּׂה לְעֹלָה בְּנִי", the rashei teivot of אֱ-לֹקִים יִרְאֶה לּוֹ make up the word איל. Avraham saw before the Akeida that an איל was going to be sacrificed, not Yitzchak (Meir Panim). However, Avraham did not use his own logic "HKB"H certainly does not want me to sacrifice my own son – the whole premise of belief in HKB"H is against human sacrifice. I will take a ram along with me just in case. It is going to be a ram, I am sure!" Instead, Avraham took his own logic and reasoning, as great it may be, and "put it in a drawer". Avraham deferred to HKB"H's logic and reasoning and simply did as HKB"H said.
This is the tikkun olam. This is the answer to the עץ הדעת, the answer to the moon, the answer to Adam and Chava, who thought they were "smarter" than HKB"H and instead of simply listening to what HKB"H told them, used their own, limited reasoning, well intentioned as it might be. As it says –
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל הַחֵפֶץ לַה' בְּעֹלוֹת וּזְבָחִים כִּשְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹל ה' הִנֵּה שְׁמֹעַ מִזֶּבַח טוֹב לְהַקְשִׁיב מֵחֵלֶב אֵילִים (שמואל א, טו, כב)
This is what HKB"H requires of us, nothing more, nothing less. This was the זכות אבות, the merit by which we were given Eretz Yisrael, the land, more than any other in the world that is overflowing with physicality and חומריות. Only with this merit can we balance all the חומריות and elevate it in the service of HKB"H. To balance אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ with חַכְלִילִי עֵינַיִם מִיָּיִן וּלְבֶן שִׁנַּיִם מֵחָלָב (בראשית מט, יב), to serve HKB"H in simcha and elevate the physical in spirituality. HKB"H did not design the world to be a monastery – to block out the physicality. Judaism is not a religion of monks. It is a faith that understands the correct place that physicality has in the world and imbues it with spirituality.
The Ba'al Hatanya says that Meraglim looked around them and all they saw was spirituality. No temptations, just Mann, Clouds of Glory, Well of Miriam, shiurim by Moshe Rabbeinu from morning to night, watching Aharon perform the Avodah in the Mishkan. How could things get any better? This was already Olam Habah!
But this world is not Olam Habah, in order to merit Olam Habah, we have to work hard. We have to accumulate mitzvot, as many as possible and we do that by taking the physical and imbuing it with spirituality. We do that by davka living physical lives in the most physical land on the face of this earth and elevating the physical in spirituality. We do that by simply doing what HKB"H says – in the Torah. Then and only then, do we reach Olam Habah. That is the only route. This is why Chazal say (Avot 4, 17) יָפָה שָׁעָה אַחַת בִּתְשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה מִכָּל חַיֵּי הַעוֹלָם הַבָּא. This is why Moshe Rabbeinu begged to be allowed to enter Eretz Yisrael, even not as leader, so that he would have the opportunity to perform extra mitzvot that cannot be performed anywhere else except in Eretz Yisrael, Trumot and Ma'asrot, Hafrashat Challah (de'oraita), לקט, שכחה ופאה, bikkurim, etc. Even though he thought that in a few days' time he would die and Yehoshua would lead Am Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael, when the Meraglim returned, they found Moshe teaching Am Yisrael davka מצוות התלויות בארץ.
It is very simple. HKB"H repeatedly says אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ, וְהֵבֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם אֶל הָאָרֶץ, כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ, בְּבֹאֲכֶם אֶל הָאָרֶץ, etc. 38 times in the Torah the phrase אֶל הָאָרֶץ is used. HKB"H is simply telling us that our place is in Eretz Yisrael, not anywhere else. This is where our destiny lies, where we will fulfil our purpose.
Am Yisrael simply should have listened to what HKB"H (repeatedly) said to them and not try to second guess HKB"H (for whatever altruistic or non-altruistic motive – depending on which Mefaresh you follow). Instead, they relied on their own "intelligence" and logic, instead of simply listening to HKB"H. And the result of this, like every similar instance before it, resulted in lashon harah.
Only Yehoshua, who Moshe gave extra chizzuk to by adding a yud to his name, and Kalev who, first thing in Eretz Yisrael, went to Chevron, to soak up the זכות אבות, the raison de'tre for our existence in Eretz Yisrael – were saved from the lashon harah of the Meraglim and merited entering Eretz Yisrael.
It is easy to delude ourselves that the sin of the Meraglim was a one-off occurrence, but in fact it is a repetitive pathology in our nation, starting with Adam Harishon. The Tanach is rife with incidents when people, very smart, highly intelligent, spiritually elevated people, who should have known better were tripped up by the yetzer harah – davka with their intelligence ונחמד העץ להשכיל. We will read about it again in parshat Korach next week. We read about it with Shaul, Yerovam and many, many times throughout Tanach – too many times.
It is a pathology that persists even today. Thinking that we can second-guess HKB"H, relying on our own intelligence in preference to simply doing what He tells us. How many Gedolim, even iconic Gedolim in the Torah world have been tripped up by this wile of the yetzer harah?
Today we live a completely different reality to how the world was 150 years ago, in the 1800's. It is almost impossible to imagine the reality for a Jew in the world at the time. When the return to Eretz Yisrael began in the 1800's predominantly by the secular Zionist movement, how daunting that must have been. Today, all we need to do is book a plane ticket or contact a travel agent and a few hours later we are here in Eretz Yisrael, a modern, "civilized" country, with all the trimmings of Western civilization – transportation, technology, supermarkets, hotels, tourism, etc. Back then it was a journey by ship or by foot, sometimes many years journey, to a backward, perilous wasteland, fraught with poverty, disease and danger.
It is impossible, from the comfort of our modern reality, to judge those who opted to remain in the relative "cocoon" of their Ashkenazi communities in Europe or Sefardi communities in North Africa and the Mediterranean, rather than venture into the unknown, to an uncertain future, both physically and spiritually. Logic dictated that they stay put, where they were. That limited human logic proved to be wrong and resulted in our nation losing 6 million souls. One can only begin to imagine what would have happened if instead, Am Yisrael in the Diaspora would simply have listened to what HKB"H said in the Torah and followed the call of לֶךְ לְךָ and לֶכְתֵּךְ אַחֲרַי בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא זְרוּעָה, like the talmidim of the Vilna Gaon and the secular Zionists.
It is impossible to forget the lashon harah spoken during this period against Eretz Yisrael that it was an אֶרֶץ אֹכֶלֶת יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ and that any ben Torah who left the world of the Yeshiva in Europe would be swallowed up by the secular assimilative culture and lose their Olam Habah. In many cases it was true, but it was primarily true because the bnei Torah who did follow the call, were few in number and the minority. If, however, the entire Torah world would have uprooted and thronged to Eretz Yisrael in the hundreds of thousands, even millions, the situation would now be completely different, we would most likely already be post-Geulah. This failure was a modern day חטא המרגלים and I write these words with a shaking hand. It is impossible to judge those people from the comfort of an armchair and a computer and I am not, because I am not sure what I would have done in their place.
It is less impossible to judge those who at this very minute continue with the lashon harah against Eretz Yisrael, both those who live here and those who will not set foot here. It is the same age-old slander of אֶרֶץ אֹכֶלֶת יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ of the Mergalim, even today! And, if the sole requirement was logic and intelligence, they have what to base it on.
How many bochrim from Yeshivas in America made Aliyah to Israel and got swallowed up and lost their Yiddishkeit? Is there any doubt that in Israel we find the pits of חומריות – even more than in חוץ לארץ? I have a baking colleague from Holland who we invited to come do a gluten free baking workshop here (he is a world leading expert in the field). Holland! Not exactly like the tyrannical, Ayatollah society in Iran. The first thing you inhale when you step off a plane in Amsterdam is the smell of marijuana in the air. Holland is an extremely liberal country, perhaps one of the most liberal countries in Europe. My colleague arrived the week of the gay parade in Tel Aviv and even he was sickened to the core. It is not that there are no gays in Holland or that they are not out of the closet, quite the opposite, but even in liberal Holland they do not go to the sickening extreme that they do in the gay parade in Tel Aviv (and in Jerusalem, in Be'er Sheva, and any other place they possibly can get a foothold). Do you need a better example than that to tell your disciples and talmidim to stay away from the State of Israel, or from the city of Tel Aviv and "hide out" in Bnei Brak, Me'ah She'arim and Ramat Beit Shemesh?
But רבותי, that was the sin of the Meraglim, back then and still is today! HKB"H davka wants us to be in Eretz Yisrael, the pinnacle of חומריות and secularism, to imbue it with spirituality and do tikkun olam. You cannot do that in Lakewood or in Manchester! (don't get me wrong – the people who live there are wonderful people, אנשי מידות, but they are not doing the tikkun olam that HKB"H requires from us, they are not being mekarev the Geulah, they are postponing it even further by remaining in Lakewood and Manchester and not relocating to Eretz Yisrael).
Their logic is sound, but flawed! If the entire Lakewood Yeshiva with all its thousands upon thousands of talmidim and community would uproot and relocate to Tel Aviv, what impact would that have on those who live in Tel Aviv? What a tikkun that would be, in Tel Aviv, in Haifa, in Hertzeliya, in Kesariya, or in any of the other secular "strongholds". If overnight we would have an influx of hundreds of thousands of Bnei Torah from the Western countries – how that would change the political and educational demographic in Israel?
Those advocating against Eretz Yisrael today, many of them are enormous Gedolim and Talmidei Chachamim. But so were the Meraglim and like the Meraglim, their logic, even perhaps well-intentioned - still has the same result. It is not simply listening to HKB"H and doing what He says in the psukkim, 38 times and it results in the same result – lashon harah. Today there are less excuses, it is not a three-year journey on horseback, it is a three-hour flight, economy class. Yes, the prospects are uncertain – parnasa? Who is in charge of parnasa? Are we?
Chazal say about the generation before the coming of Mashiach, that פני הדור כפני הכלב. What does that mean? It means that the generation will be filled with lashon harah. Like פרעה, פה רע, was likened to a כלב. The punishment for someone who speaks lashon harah is משליכו לכלבים. In Egypt Am Yisrael fixed the sin of lashon harah, they came out lashon hara "free". The first case after יציאת מצרים of lashon harah was Miriam, in last week's parsha speaking lashon harah against Moshe. It precedes the episode of the Meraglim.
The Meraglim should have learned this lesson from Miriam, instead they spoke lashon harah against Eretz Yisrael and caused the destruction of the Batei Mikdash. Even today that same lashon harah continues and the third Beit Hamikdash has subsequently not been rebuilt, when it could have been a long time ago. It is all up to us, it is in our hands. All we need to do is to simply follow what HKB"H tells us and not to try second guess Him with our own reasoning and logic. To stop speaking lashon harah against Eretz Yisrael on all levels - how difficult it is to live here, how expensive, how much bureaucracy, how unsafe, how hot, how little derech eretz, [add your own list here]. To start becoming part of the tikkun olam in the place that HKB"H intended and to start listening to what HKB"H told us in the Torah.
