Numbers 13
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The text of Numbers 13, begins, "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Send men to scout the land of Canaan . . . .'" Most commentators regard this event of the sending of the spies into the Promised Land to be a confusing part of Scripture. Indeed, Rashi's exegesis on Numbers 13:1 begins with the question: "Why is the section of the spies adjoined to the section of Miriam?" Nachshoni admits that "Hashem's command that spies be sent out is puzzling," and it is only later, when we read Deuteronomy 1:22-23, that we discover the whole episode was instigated by the Israelites: "Then all of you came to me and said, 'Let us send men ahead to reconnoiter the land for us and bring back word on the route we should follow and the cities we shall come to.' I [Moses] approved of the plan . . . ." Ginzberg writes that this "unseemly" desire was presented to Moses not in the customary way of the elders acting as spokesmen but, rather, it was the younger ones "crowding out the old, and these pushing away their leaders." So it becomes clearer that, as Rashi writes, even though the Lord spoke to Moses, His real meaning was: "As for Me, I do not command you; if you (so) desire, send." Ginzberg is a bit more demonstrative, surmising that God's reaction was one of incredulity: "What! When you went through a land of deserts and pits, you had no desire for scouts, but now that you are about to enter a land full of good things, now you wish to send out scouts?" And Nachshoni c
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against Hashem. . . . The spies did not answer Moshe's questions, but stated their opinion: ['ephec], However! It is impossible for us to conquer the land." The use of this single word caused an entire nation to deny the Lord's abilities.
But, according to Nachshoni's understanding of Akeidas Yitzchak, the word should not be held in such a negative light. Instead, he reasons, the spies were, without authority, simply offering Moses advice: "They had been sent as spies, yet rather than describing the situation, they became advisers, establishing themselves in place of Hashem and Moshe." And Weissman takes this line still further when he writes:
So far, the Spies told no overt lies. The Canaanite cities were, indeed, very well fortified, and their inhabitants truly mighty. It was also true that there were giants among them. However, the Spies' suggestion that the Land was unconquerable did not constitute a factual report, but rather a personal opinion. (They had not been asked to take a stand as to whether the Land was vincible or not. If they did wish to state their views, they should have mentioned them to Moshe in private.)
Interestingly, despite the absence of any details in our written Scriptures, the
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Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page)
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