Parshas Sh'lach L'cha 5766

Commentary by Rabbi Ephraim Nisenbaum

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The most disastrous event to occur to the Jewish people in the desert was the sin of the spies. That was the reason the Jews had to wander for forty years, and why most of the generation that left Egypt was prevented from entering Israel.

Despite G-d’s promise that the land was beautiful and would be conquered easily, the people asked to send spies to scout the land. G-d reluctantly agreed to their request. Moshe appointed twelve spies, one from each tribe, each one a righteous person. Unfortunately, their righteousness did not survive the challenges of their mission.

When the spies returned from their mission, they brought back a dismal account. They claimed that the inhabitants were giants, and that the land destroyed its inhabitants. They felt that it would be impossible for them to conquer the land. A spirit of gloom and despair encompassed the camp. Although two of the spies, Joshua and Calev, strongly opposed the report of the other spies, the nation became disillusioned and cried that they did not want to enter the Promised Land.

G-d wanted to destroy the entire nation, until Moshe prayed on their behalf. Even then, they were not totally forgiven. G-d decreed that only the next generation, those who were under twenty years old at the time of the Exodus, would be allowed to enter the land. (The Midrash explains that the women were not swayed by the arguments of the spies. Their faith in G-d’s promise was stronger than that of the men, and they merited entering the land.)

As an assurance that the nation would still enter the Promised Land, G-d instructed them with a few mitzvos that would only apply after they would enter the land. They were given the mitzvah of wine libations to accompany different flour offerings, and they were also given the mitzvah of separating a portion of dough and giving it to the kohain. This is referred to as Challah.

The sin of the spies was that they allowed themselves to be distracted from seeing things with the proper focus. Even if the land seemed somewhat frightening, they should have remembered G-d’s promise to them that He would assist them.

This too is the purpose of tzitzis, the fringes placed on a four-cornered garment. The Torah says that the tzitzis prevent a person from straying after his heart and eyes. The fringes remind a person to live one’s life spiritually, tied to G-d as it were, rather than be distracted by one’s physical and emotional urges.

“The people wept that night...” (Num. 14:1)

The Midrash teaches that the night the spies returned and the people foolishly cried, was the ninth day of Av. This day would be designated for mourning throughout time. The destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem, and the expulsion of the Jews from England and from Spain, all occurred on the ninth of Av.

During the expulsion from Spain, Don Isaac Abarbanel and other leading rabbis encouraged the Jews to play music to boost their morale, despite it’s being such a sad day. They explained that tragic as the expulsion was, the fact that it was on this day proved G-d’s involvement in their destiny. As a matter of fact, had Ferdinand and Isabella realized how much faith they imbued in the Jewish hearts by expelling them on the ninth of Av, they might have had second thoughts!

Did You Know...

The mitzvah of tzitzis is considered very important, since it reminds a person of all his obligations to G-d. One should not walk even a few feet without wearing tzitzis.

The mitzvah of tzitzis is limited to daylight hours, thus a woman is not obligated in the mitzvah. Some authorities actually prohibit a woman from wearing tzitzis since it is considered a man’s garb.

A woman may not tie the knots on the tzitzis, since she is not obligated in the mitzvah. When tying the tzitzis (fringes) on the corners of a garment, one must express his intentions that the tying should be for the purpose of fulfilling the mitzvah of tzitzis.