One of the most consequential episodes in the Torah – which changed the course of Jewish History and whose effects continue to reverberate to this day – is the account of the 12 men that Moses sent to the Promised Land to spy on it. This narrative is related in the fourth book of the Torah, Bamidbar, in the Shelach portion.

The story of the 12 spies

When the Children of Israel were preparing to enter the Promised Land, they realized that it would be a good strategy to send some men to explore it on a reconnaissance mission. They presented the idea to Moshé Rabenu, who, in turn, asked G-d whether he should agree to the people's request. G-d did not give him a clear order, leaving this decision to him.

Moshé agrees to his people's request to send spies to the Promised Land. G-d gives him specific instructions on how to proceed: “Send in your place some men to explore the Land that I am giving to the Children of Israel. You must send a man from each of your tribes, a leader for each of them” (Numbers 13:2).

The military strategy of sending the 12 men to spy on the Earth – even though G-d had already promised it to the Children of Israel – was not intrinsically wrong; he did not demonstrate a lack of confidence in the Divine promise. This is because we see in the 2nd chapter of the Book of Joshua, Sefer Yehoshua – the book Tanakh which follows the Five Books that constitute the Torah – that Yehoshua bin Nun, successor of Moses and one of the 12 spies, sent two spies to the Promised Land before the Children of Israel entered it. In stark contrast to the episode of the 12 spies, the two spies sent by Yehoshua bin Nun were successful in their mission. Therefore, the decision to send men to reconnoitre the land was not inherently flawed.

The Children of Israel decided to send men on a reconnaissance mission to the Promised Land because they understood that they would have to fight to conquer it. Even though G‑d had repeatedly promised them the Land of Israel (then known as the Land of Canaan), they realized that they could not just rely on Divine miracles: G‑d would not defeat the 31 kings of Canaan in the way He had defeated them. Pharaoh and his army. In fact, we studied Book of Yehoshua that the Jewish war to conquer the Promised Land was arduous and lasted seven years. Although the Divine miracles that occurred throughout the war ensured Jewish victory, the military campaign was neither quick nor easy. 

Following Divine instructions, Moses sends 12 men to explore the Promised Land – each representing one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel1. All were distinct individuals, even if they were not the chiefs of the Tribes, as the tribal princes were probably too old for such a task. Among the 12 was Yehoshua bin Nun, general and loyal servant of Moshé who would later succeed him as Leader of the People of Israel. It was Yehoshuabin Nun who, almost 39 years later, would lead the conquest of the Land of Israel, then dividing it among the Twelve Tribes.

The 12 men traveled the Promised Land for 40 days. Upon returning, they immediately reported to Moses and his brother, Aharon, the High Priest, but they did so in the presence of the entire congregation. The fact that the spies presented their report to the entire People of Israel and not just before Moshé Rabenu and Aaron HaCohen indicates that they considered themselves not just emissaries of the two leaders of the People of Israel, but representatives of the entire nation.

Addressing Moses before the entire assembled Jewish nation, the spies recount details of their journey. They begin their report by confirming the abundant fertility of the Earth: “We went to the land to which you sent us, and, indeed, from that land flow milk and honey” (Numbers 13:27). However, they quickly change the narrative, warning the Children of Israel that the inhabitants of the land were formidable – powerful giants – and that they, the Jews, had no chance of prevailing over them.

Not all 12 spies made the same prediction. Two of them – Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev ben Yefuneh – disagreed with what the other 10 spies said. However, Yehoshua and Calev were in the minority. The Jewish People chose to believe the report of the 10 spies, who claimed that the inhabitants of the Promised Land would annihilate them.

It is important to note that the 10 spies were not lying or exaggerating. The inhabitants of Earth were powerful indeed, and the spies reported what they had seen. However, as G-d had promised the Land to the People of Israel, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that, even if the war was difficult, the Children of Israel would prevail. Moshé had sent the 12 men on a mission just to reconnoitre Earth – he had never given them the authority to decide whether conquest was possible. And they had no right to dissuade the Jewish People from entering the Land that G-d had repeatedly promised to them and their ancestors, starting with the three Patriarchs – Avraham, Itzhak and Yaakov.

One of the astonishing aspects of the behavior of the 10 spies – which had profound and lasting consequences for the entire future of Jewish generations – is the fact that they broke protocol by publicly reporting what they had witnessed in the Land of Israel. The spies had been sent by their leader, Moshé, on a mission, and they were responsible for reporting solely to him. Even though they were apprehensive about what they had seen in the 40 days they were on Earth, they should have confided their impressions and concerns only to Moshé. But, on the contrary, they shared this story publicly and made dire predictions for the entire nation, spreading panic among the masses.

Because the people trusted the spies – who were prominent tribal members – they believed their assessment. Upon hearing that the conquest of the Land would be impossible and that they would fall prey to its powerful inhabitants, the Children of Israel panicked. Desperation took over them and they began to share their fears with each other.

Calev ben Yefuneh tried to dissuade the people from accepting the disastrous assessment of the 10 spies. He silenced the already hysterical crowd by assuring them that, despite the power of the inhabitants of the Promised Land, the Jews would be able to conquer it. And he appealed to them not to fear. But the other spies – with the exception of Yehoshua bin Nun – contradicted Calev ben Yefuneh, saying to the Children of Israel: “We will not be able to go up (to the land) by going against the people, for they are stronger than us” (Numbers 13 :31). In addition to telling the Children of Israel that they had no chance of winning the war, the 10 spies even reversed their position on the Promised Land. They – who had begun their report by praising the Earth's fertility – now spoke ill of it. They said to the Children of Israel: “The Land we explore devours its inhabitants; all the people we saw there are very large in size. We looked like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same in their eyes” (Numbers 13:32-33).

In response to the dire report and prognosis of the 10 spies, the Jewish People fell into despair. The Torah says: “The whole congregation stood up and made their voice heard, and the people wept that night” (Numbers 14:1). The Children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, claiming that it would have been better to die in Egypt or even in the middle of the desert than to face what they imagined would be a much crueler death at the hands of the inhabitants of the Promised Land. The crying and general panic gradually increased the people's bitterness and resentment. And finally, almost in despair, they said to each other: “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt” (Numbers 14:4).

Yehoshua and Calev strove to combat the general despair that had befallen the Jews. Since they had also participated in the mission to reconnoitre Earth, they were in a position to be able to dispute the 10 spies' slanderous report. They reassured the Children of Israel: “The Land which we explore is exceedingly good” (Numbers 14:7). They dealt with people's fear by emphasizing that despite the power of the Earth's inhabitants, their success in conquering it depended solely on the will of G-d, who had repeatedly promised it to them. And they said: “If the Eternal is favorably disposed to help us, He will bring us to this land, giving it to us; a land flowing with milk and honey” (Numbers 14:8). And they warned the people: “But do not rebel against the Eternal (by refusing to enter the Earth). And do not fear the people of the Earth, for they are like bread (ie, we will triumph over them as easily as eating bread). The Eternal is with us. Do not fear them!” (Numbers 14:9).

Instead of paying attention to what Yehoshua and Calev were saying, the entire congregation preferred to stone them. At that moment, the glory of G-d was seen to all the Children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting – the Tabernacle. The Torah, which often makes use of anthropomorphisms – attributing human attributes to G-d so that we can more easily relate to Him – describes the way in which the Eternal burned with anger at the lack of trust that people demonstrated. have in Him and in His promise to give them the Earth. And G-d said to Moses: “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they still refuse to believe in Me, despite all the signs and miracles that I have performed in their midst?” (Numbers 14:11).

G-d threatens to annihilate the People of Israel, but, as in the incident with the golden calf, Moshé's prayers save them, and the Eternal forgives the nation. However, the reaction of the Children of Israel to the report of the 10 spies would have calamitous and long-lasting consequences. The immediate result was that the punishment was proportionate to the crime: all who objected to entering the Promised Land would see their wish fulfilled – they would never set foot on the Land. Only his children would have the merit to do so. G‑d said to Moses, “I swear that they will not see the land that I promised their fathers” (Numbers 14:23). There would be only two exceptions: Calev ben Yefuneh and Yehoshua bin Nun – the two spies who spoke well of Earth and kept their faith in the Divine promise.

Because the People of Israel believed the 10 spies' slanderous assessment of the Land of Israel, G-d decreed that all adults over the age of 20 would have to remain in the desert for a period of 40 years, which would include the year they they had already been on a trip. This punishment would correspond to the 40 days that the spies spent probing and examining the Earth – a year in the desert for each day of spying. As for the 10 spies who spoke ill of the Land of Israel, sowing panic and bringing catastrophe upon the Jewish People, they were the first to die, victims of a plague. They died a painful and unnatural death, which served as punishment for their actions.

The origin of Tisha b'Av

A central purpose of Torah narratives is to convey valuable immemorial lessons. The Five Books of the Torah – a work of Divine authorship – covers the past, present and future, as the events it records have profoundly impacted the Jewish People throughout history – and continue to do so.

Rabbi Moshé ben Nachman, also known as Nachmanides, was a renowned Kabbalist, Talmudist and Torah commentator, who wrote one of the classic commentaries on the chumash – the Five Books of the Torah. He taught that the experiences of our ancestors recorded by G‑d in His Torah constitute a sign for his descendants: Maassê Avot Siman L'Banim (“The acts of parents are a sign to their children”). According to this principle, everything that happened to our ancestors serves as a precedent for future generations of Jews.

The spies episode exemplifies how the actions of our ancestors affected future generations of Jews. As we mentioned above, the desperate reaction of the People of Israel to the sinister report of the 10 spies had consequences for their entry into the Promised Land. With the exception of Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev ben Yefuneh, all adults who belonged to the generation of the Exodus from Egypt would die in the desert. Even his children were affected by this decree, as they would have to wait practically another 39 years before setting foot in the Promised Land.

If the consequences had stopped there, the spies incident would have been tragic but limited in scope. However, its reverberations went far beyond what could have been imagined. In fact, it was the most negative consequential event in Jewish History – with repercussions much more serious than those of the sin of the golden calf.

The Torah reports that the report of the 10 spies plunged the Children of Israel into despair: “And the whole congregation lifted up their voice and wept, and the people wept that night” (Numbers 14:1). The Talmud states: “Rabba said, in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: That night was the night of the 9th of Av. The Holy One, Blessed is He, said to them: You cried unnecessarily (that night), and I (therefore) will establish for you (a true tragedy over which there will be) mourning in (future generations)” (Talmud Bavli, Ta'anit 29a).

The Children of Israel wept in Tisha b'Av – the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Menachem Avenue – and as “the acts of parents are a sign for their children”, this date has become a time for future generations to cry. Through the millennia, 9 Av This was when the most tragic events for the Jewish People occurred. And like the first Tisha b'Av took place around the Promised Land, this occurrence set the stage for significant catastrophes on that date that concerned the expulsion of the Jews from the Land of Israel or the consequences of their being exiled from there.

The First Holy Temple of Jerusalem, erected by King Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians in Tisha b'Av. The Roman Empire destroyed the Second Holy Temple also in Tisha b'Av. The fall of Betar – last stronghold of Bar Kochba's revolt against Roman power – also occurred in Tisha b'Av, marking the end of the Jewish struggle for independence at the time.

Other catastrophes in our history occurred on this sad date, including the expulsion of England in 1290 and Spain in 1492. But the one that had the most consequences was the beginning of the 1st World War, which occurred in Tisha b'Av of the year 1914. In addition to the immense suffering it caused to the Jews and to much of the world, the 1st World War led to the rise of Nazism and, thus, the 2nd World War and the Holocaust, the most tragic period in World History. 

Looking back, it is clear that the episode of the spies constituted the most significant tragedy in the Torah. It set a precedent and is associated with the saddest day in the Jewish calendar – the 9th of Av. This differentiation draws attention to its unparalleled impact among all the unfortunate incidents that occurred in the 40 years that the People of Israel spent in the desert. Not even the serious sin of the golden calf had such spiritual repercussions.

The essentiality of the Land of Israel

In view of the profound impact of the spies episode on Jewish History, it is not surprising that it is one of the most intensely commented on in the Torah. Our Sages confront the question of how the 10 spies – especially given the fact that they were top leaders – could make such a serious mistake. One of the interpretations, which sees them with good will, explains that these spies were deeply spiritual people who wished to remain in the desert, where it was unnecessary to get involved with material matters. In the arid desert, G-d miraculously supplied all their needs: manna fell from the heavens, water came from Miriam's well, the Clouds of Glory protected them and Moses Rabenu, the greatest prophet of all time, in addition to guiding them, taught them Torah. Entering the Land of Israel – waging war, cultivating the soil, and dealing with daily concerns – would certainly distract them from their spirituality.

But even the most generous explanation for the motivation of the 10 spies does not change the fact that their campaign to dissuade the Jewish People from entering the Promised Land had catastrophic consequences. The nation's reaction to the report of the 10 spies – weeping and panic all around – led to G-d's harshest response in the entire Torah. The Divine decree of Tisha b'Av as a National Day of Mourning for the Jewish People, which, in fact, would become a day of tragedy for future generations, was a direct consequence of the popular cry that shouted “that night” upon hearing the spies' report. Therefore, when analyzing this narrative, we have to ask ourselves why the popular reaction was so reprehensible in Divine eyes, resulting in such devastating and lasting consequences.

The simplistic answer is that despite the miracles they had witnessed – the 10 plagues in Egypt, the parting of the sea and the manna that fell from the Heavens, among many others – the generation of the Exodus did not trust in G-d's promise to bequeath to them the Promised Land. Therefore, they demonstrated a profound lack of faith in His Omnipotence and Word. However, the feeling of panic in response to the spies' report does not justify such a harsh Divine reaction, as it was neither the first nor the last time that they lacked trust in G-d. Furthermore, the people had trusted the report of 10 prominent men, whom Moshé Rabenu sent to explore Earth. It is difficult to blame the People for believing in men whose reputation was supposedly beyond reproach.

The people's regrettable mistake was not the fact that they despaired upon hearing the report of the 10 spies. Fear is a natural reaction, even in great prophets, as the Torah describes. It was simply human that the Jews reacted with fear upon hearing that the inhabitants of the Earth were powerful and seemingly invincible. The real sin of the 10 spies, and indeed of the entire people, was to reject the Promised Land. The 10 spies spoke negatively about the Land of Israel, calling it “a land that swallows its inhabitants”. By saying that the Earth was unconquerable and expressing their desire to remain in the desert or even return to Egypt, the spies – and the generation of Jews who showed agreement with them – refused to embrace the destiny and mission that D. 'us had established for them.

The Land of Israel has a central role in the Torah. Unlike all other lands, it is not a mere physical place, but a spiritual one. It is an eternal inheritance that G-d gave to the descendants of the three Patriarchs – Avraham, Itzhak and Jacob (whose name is also Israel). It is an eternal gift to the Children of Israel. Even though it is indisputable that the Infinite Gd transcends and permeates all Creation, the Torah makes us know that He chose the Land of Israel – especially Jerusalem and its Holy Temple – as the place of His Dwelling – that is, where He becomes His Presence more manifest. Many of the 613 commandments of the Torah are necessarily linked to the Land of Israel, Jerusalem and the Holy Temple. There are commandments that the People of Israel need to fulfill in the Land of Israel, but cannot fulfill outside of there. 

The following passage from the Talmud draws attention to the seriousness of the spies' episode. When discussing the commandment to live in the Land of Israel, the Talmud uses very strong language, beginning with “one who resides in the Land of Israel is considered to have a G-d, while someone who resides outside the Land of Israel is considered as someone who does not have a G-d.” To support this statement, he cites a verse from the Torah that narrates the pact between G-d and the People Chosen by Him, carried out through the fact that they inherited the Land of Israel: “...To give you the land of Canaan (the Land of Israel), to be your G-d” – Leviticus 25:38). The Talmud continues: Whoever resides outside the Land of Israel is considered as if he is engaged in idolatry (Talmud Bavli, Ketubot 110b).

This Talmudic passage speaks of Jews who established a permanent home in the Diaspora, severing their ties with the Land of Israel. The Talmud uses strong language, comparing a Jew who rejects the Land of Israel to someone who turns away from G‑d, for the Holy Land is where His Presence reveals itself most fully. Jews who demonstrate indifference to the Land of Israel, who dissuade other Jews from living there, or who deny that this Land belongs to the People of Israel are rejecting one of the central pillars of Judaism and are making the same mistake as the 10 spies and the generation that perished in the desert.

The Land of Israel – Eternal Home of the Jewish People

The Land of Israel represents approximately one-third of one percent of the total territory of the Middle East. It is a very small strip of territory with little rainfall. Based on its size or its natural riches, it has everything to be a piece of unknown territory ignored by the whole world. However, there is no territory in the world that generates more attention and emotion than the Land of Israel.

This small piece of land generates so much attention because it is unique. The Talmud teaches us that this territory constitutes the center of the world and is where the Shechinah, the Presence of G-d on Earth, chose to manifest Himself. In the Torah it is written that the Land of Israel is “a land that the Eternal your G-d seeks; that the eyes of the Lord, your G-d, are always upon it, from the beginning of the year until its end” (Deuteronomy 11:12). This verse emphasizes the unparalleled attention and care that G‑d has for the Land of Israel.

Unlike almost all other lands that changed hands through conquests and wars, without it being clear which nation had the right to which territory, the Land of Israel is an eternal inheritance that G-d gave to the People of Israel. It was no coincidence that since the Romans expelled a large part of the People of Israel from their Land, this territory has never become an independent country. And Jerusalem, having been conquered so many times, was never established as the capital of any other nation. The reason for this is that just as the Jews could never exchange the Land of Israel for any other land and Jerusalem for any other capital, the Land of Israel and Jerusalem – the holiest city of all – would never exchange the Jews for any other nation. .  

The spies episode, which determined the precedent of Tisha b'Av and of all the historical catastrophes that occurred on that date, it serves as a timeless warning about the consequences of defaming and rejecting the Land of Israel. Nothing the Jews did in the wilderness invoked Divine wrath more than their refusal to take possession of the Promised Land. Therefore, a Jew who does not support the right of the People of Israel to the Land of Israel demonstrates an absolute lack of understanding of the Torah and Jewish History. 

The connection of the People of Israel to the Land of Israel dates back around four thousand years. It began with our Patriarchs – Avraham, Itzhak and Jacob, to whom G‑d gave this land. We will never again repeat the mistake of our ancestors in the desert, who rejected the Land of Israel out of fear of our enemies. The return of the Children of Israel to the Land of Israel is the fulfillment of the words of the Torah and our Prophets. Our people returned to our only homeland, granted as an eternal inheritance by the Creator and Owner of the entire universe, and we will continue to live there forever and ever.

1    The 12 men sent represented the Twelve Tribes that would inherit territory in the Land of Israel. The Tribe of Levi, which did not receive a portion of the land, did not send a spy. But the Tribe of Yosef was divided into two: Menashe and Ephraim, who each inherited a territory in the Land of Israel and therefore a spy was sent from each of these subtribes.

REFERENCES

Steinsaltz, Rabbi Adin (Even Israel), The Steinzaltz Humash, Koren Publishers