Parsha Paragraphs
Rabbi Naftali Kassorla
Parshat Shelach 5778
It's All From Him
The D’var Torah for this week is dedicated in honor of:
לע״נ גיסי ר׳ אלחנן יעקב בן מורי וחמי ר׳ שמואל פנחס זצ״ל
לע״נ גיסי ר׳ אלחנן יעקב בן מורי וחמי ר׳ שמואל פנחס זצ״ל
If you are interested in sponsoring a D’var Torah in honor or in memory of someone, or for any occasion, please email: ParshaParagraphs@gmail.com
This week’s parsha contains the episode of the spies. The Meraglim were sent to scout the Land of Israel, for the future settling of the Jewish People there. G-d comes to Moshe saying: “Send forth for yourself men, and let them spy out the Land of Canaan” (Bamidbar 13:2). Noting the interesting additional phrase לך (for you), Rashi quotes the Midrash Tanchuma which says that the idea to send out the spies was not a commandment from Hashem – rather it was a response to the people’s request to do so.
When the spies return, all of them (aside from Yehoshua Bin Nun and Calev Ben Yefuneh) deliver negative reports of Eretz Yisrael. Thoroughly scaring the Nation, the Meraglim cast doubt in the hearts of the people about entering the Land.
The Torah recounts the entire response of the Nation: “The people wept that night. All the Children of Israel murmured against Moshe and Aharon, and the entire assembly said to them, ‘If only that we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only that we had died in the wilderness! Why is Hashem bringing us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and young children will be taken captive! Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?’ So they said to one another נתנה ראש ונשובה מצרימה – ‘Let us appoint a leader and let us return to Egypt!’” (ibid. 14:1-4).
Distressed upon hearing the Nation's hysterical response, “Moshe and Aharon fell on their faces before the entire congregation of the assembly of the children of Israel” (ibid. 5).
When analyzing the verses, we see that there seem to be two parts, or stages, of the Nation’s reaction to the report of the Meraglim. The Nation first responds by speaking to Moshe and Aharon and questioning why G-d would bring them out to the desert to die. They also add “Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?” That is the first stage. In the second stage, they speak amongst themselves, and based upon their doubts “They said to one another ‘let us appoint a leader and let us return to Egypt!’”
Towards which stage was Moshe and Aharon’s reaction? One might have expected Moshe and Aharon to react to stage one – to the blasphemous statements hurled towards them. However, it seems from the verses that Moshe and Aharon “fell on their faces” only directly after B’nei Yisrael said, “Let us appoint a leader and let us return to Egypt.” The fact that B’nei Yisrael were doubting Hashem did not immediately elicit the great distress of Moshe and Aharon. Rather, only once the Nation expressed the desire to appoint a new leader did they respond in such a fashion. What was it about this second stage that so greatly distressed Moshe and Aharon more than the first?
I would like to suggest the following: One could reason that the initial fear of the people was not only understandable, but perhaps even justifiable. A response of hysteria to the terrifying reports would be natural. Their initial response, I believe, was not what triggered the distress of Moshe and Aharon.
Rather it was something much more damaging to the future of the Jewish people, something much more integral to their outlook which warranted such a response from their leaders. It was the suggestion of: נתנה ראש ונשובה מצרימה – “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.” This was the statement that broke the camel's back. The implication that the people can appoint leaders for themselves to carry out their bidding, that they could “call the shots,” was a shock to Moshe and Aharon.
Judaism traditionally has a unique system of leadership which differs greatly from other forms of governance. At its core, Judaism is a G-d-centered religion. This is expressed in the laws and commandments (though many can be understood or even deduced logically) which are unique in that their underpinning and authority is ultimately established by the omniscient G-d Who decreed them. They are infused with the unchanging wisdom of the the Creator of the Universe, thus making them applicable for all generations.
We can take this idea a step further. It would logically follow that the leaders and prophets would need to be “chosen” by G-d, rather than be elected or appointed by the people. And in fact, we see throughout the Bible that all the great Prophets in our tradition have been “called upon” to carry out their tasks. Beginning with Noach, continuing with Avraham and Moshe, all the way down to Yirmiyahu HaNavi, all were called upon from on High to their tasks.1 This shows us that the true leadership of the Jewish people is decreed by G-d himself.
Therefore, this suggestion נתנה ראש ונשובה מצרימה attacked the very foundation and future guidance of Klal Yisrael, and if carried out would be a corruption of the prevailing message that Judaism espouses: G-d is intimately and actively involved in this world and in our lives. From the laws placed upon us, to the leaders who guide us, all is under the auspices of G-d’s wisdom, which far exceeds that of any human being (to say the least).
The threat posed by the people’s suggestion required a vociferous and extreme response from Moshe and Aharon. The people’s fright – that could be dealt with later; minds could be cooled, and fears could be allayed. But, to let them act on those fears, and to allow worries to corrupt the central message of Judaism? No, that could not go unanswered; that needed to be addressed.
Though we live in times where the guiding light of prophecy has dimmed, and clarity of truth is scarce, we are bereft of direction. We are still left with this lesson for all times: to look for people of high spiritual caliber to guide us.
Let us pray for the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days, with the full return of Nevuah, to guide us properly on His path for all our days. Amen
Shabbat Shalom
(1) Even later, after the age of the Judges, where we find the Jewish people demand a King and are reprimanded for this request, the search for that worthy King was still done through the guidance of a Prophet and Divine direction.
As an aside, see Thomas Paine's’ famous polemic Common Sense (1776). In the pamphlet, Paine agitates for war against the British and the overthrow of the British Monarchy. Many credit Paine for inspiring public support in the American Colonies to join in the revolution. There he amusingly cites Shmuel Hanavi’s reprimanding of the Jews requests for a King as definitive proof that Monarchy is not just an unnatural state, but is actually against the will of G-d.
Obviously, Jewish scholars have their own explanations of the Jewish concept of Monarch, ואכמ״ל.
