[Eretz Yisrael] A "Very very good land"

 

"A very, very good land"

(Numbers 14:7)

Sivan 22, 5784/June 28, 2024

The sudden descent into an abyss of spiritual despair and nihilistic negativity of which we were witness to in reading last week's Torah selection, Beha'alotcha, continues unabated in this week's Torah reading, Shelach. "Shelach lecha - Send out for yourself men who will scout the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel. You shall send one man each for his father's tribe; each one shall be a chieftain in their midst." (Numbers 13:2) 

It is unclear whether HaShem was presenting a commandment or simply granting approval to an idea that arose from within the Israelite encampment, but clearly it seemed like a reasonable proposition. The nation was preparing to enter into and conquer the land that G-d had promised them, so why not first have a look at what awaits them? 

The fact that G-d has promised them the land of Canaan for an eternal inheritance, and has made it abundantly clear that taking Israel out of Egypt and bringing them to Sinai where they received Torah was all for the purpose of fulfilling His promise, conducting proper reconnaissance would appear to be the responsible thing to do in advance of entering the land. After all, the Torah which Israel agreed to at Sinai was a covenant in which Israel became an active partner in achieving HaShem's plans for humanity. Without personal and national responsibility there is no covenant.

Nevertheless, the spy mission proved to be an unmitigated disaster. Parashat Shelach presents us with many clues as to why the plan failed so miserably. Why were twelve people required to search out the land? This suggests a delegation and not a spy mission. Why twelve leading tribal figures, notables of prestige? Each had their own interests at play. Being well situated under their current circumstances perhaps they were intimidated by the idea of entering into Canaan where their elevated status might no longer apply? 

And why did Moshe ask them to evaluate what they saw, rather than to simply report on the facts and leave it to the military experts to analyze them? "You shall see what kind of land it is, and the people who inhabit it; are they strong or weak? Are there few or many? And what of the land they inhabit? Is it good or bad? And what of the cities in which they reside are they in camps or in fortresses? What is the soil like is it fat or lean?" (ibid 13:18-20) 

Clearly, the twelve notables, none of whom possessed any military credentials, with the exception of Yehoshua, were unqualified to answer these questions. Nevertheless, by posing these questions to them, Moshe was unwittingly inviting them to form their own opinions and then to vocalize them. And, finally, upon their return, why did they not first meet privately with Moshe and Aharon and deliver their thoughts to them. Moshe could have reminded them that G-d's promise was G-d's promise, that whatever challenges might lay ahead, G-d would see to it that Israel would emerge victorious. By delivering their evil report before the entire congregation of Israel the twelve spies incited a rebellious mob, rendering Moshe and Aharon unable to properly respond and turn the tide.

If the sin of the golden calf was an embarrassment and a stain on the nation of Israel, and a flagrant violation of not one, but two of the Ten Commandments that Israel had only recently received, its negative ramifications and its heretical implications were dwarfed by the sin of the spies. 

Casting aspersions as to G-d's ability to follow through on His explicit promise that He first promised to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, and later promised to Moshe before sending him to Egypt to free his people, was in itself, a horrific declaration of an utter lack of faith in HaShem as the deliverer of Israel. Calev tried to address this when he silenced the grumbling of the people and said, "We can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it." (ibid 13:30) 

But when his fellow spies countered, "The land we passed through to explore is a land that consumes its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of stature. There we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, descended from the giants. In our eyes, we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes," (ibid 13:32-33) 

Calev realized the situation was far more serious than he had suspected. Their underlying message was far more grave than questioning G-d's ability to fulfill His word. This is why Yehoshua and Calev's final appeal to the people's better judgment, began with simple statement, "The land we passed through to scout is a very very good land." (ibid 14:7)

"Very very good land," is not simply a re-emphasis of the spies original assessment of the land they had seen. It is a restatement of the very act of creation itself, and the very reason why G-d created our world. Seven times through the six days of creation G-d observed His work and declared it good. 

G-d's final reflection on all he had created, following the creation of man on the sixth day, was that " it was very good." (Genesis 1:31) By stating that "The land we passed through to scout is a very very good land" Calev and Yehoshua were reminding the people that the very purpose of creation was to place the children of Israel within the land of Israel to live by the Torah of Israel. 

While the lay of the land and the nature of its current inhabitants and the cities within which they dwelled may prove to be important information for Israel to possess before entering the land, it has no bearing on G-d's intention or ability to follow through on His plan for humanity, and His ultimate plan for creation.

Concerning the very first verse of Torah, "In the beginning of G-d's creation of the heavens and the earth," the eleventh century commentator, Rashi, states the following in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak:

"It was not necessary to begin the Torah except from “This month is to you,” (Exodus 12:2) which is the first commandment that the Israelites were commanded, (for the main purpose of the Torah is its commandments, and although several commandments are found in Genesis, e.g., circumcision and the prohibition of eating the thigh sinew, they could have been included together with the other commandments). 

Now for what reason did He commence with “In the beginning?” Because of [the verse] “The strength of His works He related to His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations” (Ps. 111:6). For if the nations of the world should say to Israel, “You are robbers, for you conquered by force the lands of the seven nations [of Canaan],” they will reply, "The entire earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it (this we learn from the story of the Creation) and gave it to whomever He deemed proper When He wished, He gave it to them, and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it to us."

"The land we passed through to scout is a very very good land" is not simply a reaffirmation that Israel is a land flowing with milk and honey. It is a reminder that G-d created the world and that He remains the master of the world. It is not the physical stature of our adversaries, or how well armed or fortified they are which determines who will win the battle and who will not, and who will inhabit the land and who will not. It is G-d's will, the same will that brought about creation itself.  Calev and Yehoshua's  statement of this fact was not enough to sway the crestfallen people of their day. 

But their message is every bit as relevant today as it was in the wilderness, and even more so. Israel, outnumbered and outgunned by a world that denies its Creator and seeks to confound G-d's very reason for creation, must never forget that the land of Israel is "very very good" and that "we can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed prevail."