Do As I Do, Do As I Say – Shlach
שְׁלַח לְךָ אֲנָשִׁים וְיָתֻרוּ אֶת אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ אֶחָד אִישׁ אֶחָד לְמַטֵּה אֲבֹתָיו תִּשְׁלָחוּ כֹּל נָשִׂיא בָהֶם. (במדבר יג, ב).
What more appropriate parsha could there be this week than parshat Shlach, which deals with the מְרַגְּלִים. While you are reading these lines mamash, Mossad spies and commandos are busy dismantling Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities on the ground. The gematria of שְׁלַח is הַגַּרְעִין and also שַׁחַל, which is another name for a lion (תהילים צא, יג) - the codename of Am Israel's military operation in Iran is עָם כְּלָבִיא.
Nothing is random, HKB"H is communicating with us!
In this week's shiur we will be examining the חֵטְא הַמְּרַגְּלִים from a completely different angle, that will also hopefully give us greater insight into the exciting times in which we are currently living.
To understand the episode of the מְרַגְּלִים, we need to once again employ the principle of R' Tzaddok HaKohen of Lublin – "In order to understand a concept – you examine the first time it appears in the Torah".
R' Tzaddok derives this principle from the Gemara (Bava Kama 55a) אָמַר ר' יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, הָרוֹאֶה טֵי"ת בַּחֲלוֹמוֹ סִימָן יָפֶה לוֹ, if someone sees the letter ט in a dream, it is a good sign.
The Gemara explains why -
הוֹאִיל וּפָתַח בּוֹ הַכָּתוּב לְטוֹבָה תְּחִלָּה, שֶׁמִּ-"בְּרֵאשִׁית" עַד "וַיַּרְא אֱ-לֹקִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב", לָא כְּתִיב טֵי"ת
The first time the letter ט appears in the Torah is in the word טוֹב, therefore this reveals to us the essence of the letter ט.
Let us therefore examine the first time the word שְׁלַח (in its various forms) appears in the Torah.
וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֱ-לֹקִים הֵן הָאָדָם הָיָה כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ לָדַעַת טוֹב וָרָע וְעַתָּה פֶּן יִשְׁלַח יָדוֹ וְלָקַח גַּם מֵעֵץ הַחַיִּים וְאָכַל וָחַי לְעֹלָם. (בראשית ג, כב)
What does the sin of the מְרַגְּלִים have to do with the sin of the עֵץ הַדַּעַת?
In my shiurim, I have repeatedly referenced the sin of the עֵץ הַדַּעַת, because this was the forerunner of all sins. Every sin in the world since, was a derivative of this sin. Therefore, in order to understand the sin of the מְרַגְּלִים, we first need to understand an important aspect (there were many) of the sin of Adam and Chava with the עֵץ הַדַּעַת.
When HKB"H created humans, He created us in His image, וַיִּבְרָא אֱ-לֹקִים אֶת הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ (בראשית א, כז). The term צֶלֶם אֱ-לֹקִים comprises multiple components, it is not one, single characteristic. By creating us in His image, HKB"H is telling us "Do as I do", מָה הוּא מַלְבִּישׁ עֲרֻמִּים... אַף אַתָּה הַלְבֵּשׁ עֲרֻמִּים, מָה הוּא בִּקֵּר חוֹלִים... אַף אַתָּה בַּקֵּר חוֹלִים, מָה הוּא חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם... אַף אַתָּה הֱיֵה חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם וכו' (סוטה יד, ע"א). It is impossible to be like G-d, but HKB"H wants us to try (to the best of our abilities) to copy His attributes, as it says אַחֲרֵי ה' אֱ-לֹקֵיכֶם תֵּלֵכוּ (דברים יג, ה).
One of HKB"H's attributes is the ability to create, בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱ-לֹקִים. By creating us in His image, HKB"H gave us the ability to be partners with Him in creation תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן שְׁלֹשָׁה שֻׁתָּפִין יֵשׁ בָּאָדָם הקב"ה וְאָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ (נידה לא, ע"א). Not only did HKB"H make us partners in the creation of life itself, He also made us partners in the continued creation of the world.
Creation was not a once-in-history event, it is an ongoing event, every nano second, with HKB"H continually injecting renewed energy into our world. Similarly, HKB"H designed us humans to continually inject energy and be incessantly involved in the building of our world פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁהָ (בראשית א, כח). As the Sforno says (ibid.), "to use our intellect" to improve the world and make it a more inhabitable place.
HKB"H did not intend for us to be passive, He designed us to be active. Just as He is continually active in building the world, He demands from us that we be active in יִשּׁוּבוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם. The Maharal (תפארת ישראל) on the Mishna (Avot 6, 6) וְהַתּוֹרָה נִקְנֵית בְּאַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁמֹנָה דְבָרִים ... בְּיִשּׁוּב, says that בְּיִשּׁוּב means that a person must be involved in making a living (דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ), and also studying and practicing the natural wisdoms of the world.
When HKB"H created Adam HaRishon, He had the intention that Adam would be active וַיַּנִּחֵהוּ בְגַן עֵדֶן לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ (בראשית ב, טו). Not That Adam would be totally detached from the physical world, but that he be actively involved in יִשּׁוּבוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם. Just before HKB"H gave Am Yisrael the Torah on Har Sinai, the angels complained saying that the physical world was not the place for the spiritual Torah (Shabbat 88b).
Moshe responded to them and proved to them that the Torah was intended for this physical world. Why would the Torah discuss monetary matters if HKB"H did not intend for us to be involved with money? Agriculture, marriage, inheritance, war, etc. If all that HKB"H envisioned for humans was to sit and study Torah and perform chessed, then why does the Torah include all these diverse topics? (Maharal, above).
So, what went wrong with Adam HaRishon and the עֵץ הַדַּעַת?
Meir Panim (פרק טו) describes how Chava took the fruit of the עֵץ הַדַּעַת (wheat) and changed its form. She ground it into flour, mixed it with water into dough and made it into (chametz) bread. She ate from this bread and then gave Adam to eat from it as well. What is wrong with that? The Torah specifically states that when making dough, you need to separate challah רֵאשִׁית עֲרִסֹתֵכֶם חַלָּה תָּרִימוּ תְרוּמָה (במדבר טו, כ). If making dough was not permitted, then why is it in the Torah in the first place? Hafrashat challah - in our parsha!
The problem was that HKB"H told Adam and Chava that they may not eat from the עֵץ הַדַּעַת. According to the Ari z"l, HKB"H did not intend that they never eat from the עֵץ הַדַּעַת forever more, but rather that they wait for Shabbat. If they would have waited for Shabbat, they would have been permitted to eat from it.
When HKB"H created Adam and Chava in His image, He told them "Do as I do!", emulate My middot. HKB"H wants humans to be active and work to improve the world - making bread out of wheat is improving the world. It was not that HKB"H didn't want Chava to make bread out of the עֵץ הַדַּעַת, He simply wanted to manage the timing.
If Adam and Chava would have experienced Shabbat, which blesses the remainder of the week, they would have been permitted to eat from the עֵץ הַדַּעַת, which now acquired the holiness of Shabbat. HKB"H did not only tell them "Do as I do!", He also told them "Do as I say!" The two are not mutually exclusive, they are part and parcel of the same thing.
The עֵץ הַדַּעַת is a euphemism for the עוֹלַם הָעֲשִׂיָּה, active human participation in יִשּׁוּבוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם. Humans have an intrinsic need to feel that they are contributing to the world, improving the world. HKB"H does not want us to be freeloaders, He wants us to be active participants in this world, not only spiritually, physically as well. However, the active participation comes with a caveat - "I want you to participate with Me in partnership, שֻׁתָּפִין".
Partnership requires – partnership! It is not going solo. HKB"H wants us to actively participate in sync with Him, according to the partnership contract (the Torah). The partnership contract says "Do as I do, Do as I say". Humans are not free-agents, they are partners with HKB"H, according to His rules. Unlike a normal partnership where both partners need each other, in this partnership HKB"H does not need us – we need Him. His partnership with us is to benefit us, not the other way around.
The danger of active human participation without the "Do as I say" clause is that we humans may mistakenly come to believe that it is not really a partnership at all, that is all us, our intellect, our strength! כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי עָשָׂה לִי אֶת הַחַיִל הַזֶּה (דברים ח, יז). In fact our active participation is simply hishtadlut and nothing more, a show of good faith. In reality, our participation has nothing to do with it at all, it is all HKB"H!
A week has two parts (partners) – the שֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה, our active participation, "Do as I do", and also שַׁבָּת, absence of our active participation, "Do as I say". That is the partnership. The sin of Adam and Chava was not the active participation, it was disregard for the "Do as I say", thinking they were free-agents to do as they please, whenever they please.
The word שְׁלַח does not have positive connotations. We see this from the first time this root appears in the Torah, above, with Adam and Chava. The word שְׁלַח embodies disregard for the "Do as I say" clause of the partnership.
The next time humans use the word שְׁלַח is with Noach, וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת הָעֹרֵב (בראשית ח, ז). Why did Noach send the עֹרֵב? HKB"H didn't tell him to send it. HKB"H also didn't tell him to send the יּוֹנָה. What good did it do to send these birds? When the יּוֹנָה never returned, did Noach leave the ark? No, he waited for HKB"H to tell him he could leave צֵא מִן הַתֵּבָה (שם ח, טז).
When Noach boarded the ark the passuk says וַיִּסְגֹּר ה' בַּעֲדוֹ (שם ז, טז), HKB"H closed the door and told him "Don't get off until I tell you!"
Noach couldn't leave until HKB"H told him anyway, so what was the purpose of sending the birds in the first place? Simply wait patiently until HKB"H tells you and then leave.
You could say that sending the birds was Noach's own hishtadlut, his part in the partnership, but that was not the reason. Noach was impatient to leave - he didn't want to be on the ark a second more than he had to. Noach regarded being on the ark a punishment, like being in a prison! (מדרש תהילים, ל"ז).
HKB"H said to him "I saved you and your family in the תֵּבָה, which was equivalent to a floating Beit HaMikdash, and you are impatient to get off, prodding Me with 'hints' by sending not one bird but two – OK, get out! What does this remind you of? וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ ה' אֱ-לֹקִים מִגַּן עֵדֶן (בראשית ג, כג), chucking his predecessor - Adam out of Gan Eden.
The Torah continues to list other incidents with unhappy connotations that employ the use of the word שְׁלַח. Pharaoh kidnapping Sarah and then setting her free (בראשית יב:כ). The story of the destruction of Sdom, no less than four Shlach's (בראשית יח:טז; יט:י; יג; כט). Avimelech kidnapping Sarah and setting her free (בראשית כ, ב).
Avraham casting out Hagar and Yishmael (בראשית כא:יד). Twice with Avraham sacrificing Yitzchak (בראשית כב:י; יב). Four Shlach's when Lavan would not allow Rivka to leave and marry Yitzchak (בראשית כד:מ; נד; נו; נט). When Avraham sent away the sons of the concubines (בראשית כה:ו). And so on … you get the idea, most Shlach's in the Torah are associated with something negative (with a few exceptions).
Fast forward to our parsha.
What was the root cause of the חֵטְא הַמְּרַגְּלִים in parshat שְׁלַח? It all emanated from another שְׁלַח. Remember when HKB"H told Moshe to return to Egypt and redeem Am Yisrael, what was Moshe's response? וַיֹּאמֶר בִּי ה' שְׁלַח נָא בְּיַד תִּשְׁלָח (שמות ד, יג).
HKB"H said to Moshe "The second clause of the partnership contract is 'Do as I say', but you refuse? חַיֶּיךָ, just as you said to me שְׁלַח, there will come another שְׁלַח which will not end well, שְׁלַח לְךָ".
HKB"H told Am Yisrael umpteen times that He was leading them to an אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ. Why the need to send "people/אֲנָשִׁים" ahead? The request came from Am Yisrael, not Moshe וַתִּקְרְבוּן אֵלַי כֻּלְּכֶם וַתֹּאמְרוּ נִשְׁלְחָה אֲנָשִׁים לְפָנֵינוּ וְיַחְפְּרוּ לָנוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ (דברים א, כב). Didn't Am Yisrael believe HKB"H?
Yes, all the commentaries are correct – They knew Moshe was going to die and not lead them into Eretz Yisrael and they wanted to prolong his life. They wanted to remain in the spiritual "cocoon" that was life in the Midbar and not assume the mundane, physical life in Eretz Yisrael.
They wanted to map out the land for each tribe's inheritance. They wanted to do their own hishtadlut and make a חֲזָקָה on the land, like Avraham walked through the length and breadth of Eretz Yisrael, etc. etc. They are all correct.
Am Yisrael said "We want to be partners in this, 'Do as I do', our active participation, our hishtadlut". HKB"H said to Moshe "Doing your own hishtadlut is OK, it is commendable, but that is not what they want. They used the words נִשְׁלְחָה אֲנָשִׁים, the word Shlach is a potentially dangerous word. It means that they intend to disregard the second clause in the contract 'Do as I say". Why is this happening? It is mida keneged mida for you Moshe saying שְׁלַח נָא בְּיַד תִּשְׁלָח, instead of listening what I said to you! Now you are also going to get caught up in this debacle".
HKB"H said to Moshe "שְׁלַח לְךָ, I did not tell you to send them, but if you want to send them, you send them".
The end of the story is that the מְרַגְּלִים in parshat Shlach, basically repeated the sin of Adam and Chava - the first time the word Shlach appears in the Torah. There are hints to this throughout the episode.
Moshe directs them to check הֲיֵשׁ בָּהּ עֵץ אִם אַיִן (במדבר יג, כ). Only one tree? Why not tell them הֲיֵשׁ בָּהּ עֵצִים אִם אַיִן? No, one specific tree – the עֵץ הַדַּעַת. They ended up failing with that same "tree".
The מְרַגְּלִים brought back with them three types of fruit וַיִּכְרְתוּ מִשָּׁם זְמוֹרָה וְאֶשְׁכּוֹל עֲנָבִים אֶחָד וַיִּשָּׂאֻהוּ בַמּוֹט בִּשְׁנָיִם וּמִן הָרִמֹּנִים וּמִן הַתְּאֵנִים (שם, כג). What, there were no kiwi fruit growing in Eretz Yisrael, no mangos? You could say they wanted to bring back from the שִׁבְעַת הַמִּינִים only. OK, so what about dates? olives? Why only עֲנָבִים, רִמֹּנִים, תְּאֵנִים? Why davka those three?
The three fruits the מְרַגְּלִים brought back, were the same three opinions in the Gemara (Brachot 40a) of what type of fruit the עֵץ הַדַּעַת bore. Grapes, figs and wheat.
Hang on a second, if the third is wheat, then why does it say pomegranates רִמֹּנִים? Note that the word רִמֹּנִים here with the מְרַגְּלִים is written חָסֵר, without the vav, unlike אֶרֶץ חִטָּה וּשְׂעֹרָה וְגֶפֶן וּתְאֵנָה וְרִמּוֹן (דברים ח, ח). What is the difference between רִמּוֹן with a vav and רִמֹּן without a vav?
The gematria of רִמֹּן (without a vav) is לֶחֶם חָמֵץ מִיָּדֵךְ, the bread that Chava gave Adam to eat (Meir Panim, פרק טו). The word רִמֹּן (without a vav) is rashei teivot for רֹצֵחַ מַכֵּה נֶפֶשׁ [בִּשְׁגָגָה] (במדבר לה, יא) . By herself eating the bread and feeding it to Adam, Chava made them mortal, before that they were immortal. It was equivalent to murder!
The מְרַגְּלִים returned to tell lashon harah about Eretz Yisrael. We have another place that the word רִמֹּן (without a vav) is mentioned – on the מְעִיל of the Kohen Gadol פַּעֲמֹן וְרִמֹּן פַּעֲמֹן וְרִמֹּן (שמות לט, כו). What is the purpose of the מְעִיל? To atone for lashon harah. Just like in the sin of the עֵץ הַדַּעַת when נָחָשׁ spoke lashon harah against HKB"H. Just like here where the מְרַגְּלִים spoke lashon harah against Eretz Yisrael.
Do not mistake the above with רִמּוֹן (with a vav), which means pomegranate, which is associated with bracha and the שִׁבְעַת הַמִּינִים.
The sin of the מְרַגְּלִים, just like the sin with the עֵץ הַדַּעַת, related to the word שְׁלַח, was a blatant disregard for the second clause in the partnership contract between Am Yisrael and HKB"H, "Do as I say!" The מְרַגְּלִים should not have made their own calculations and should simply have trusted and followed what HKB"H told them.
Their failing resulted in the destruction of the two Batei Mikdash and the four exiles בָּבֶל, מָדַי, יָוָן, אֱדוֹם, just like Chava's sin of giving Adam to eat resulted in the four exiles (Meir Panim, פרק טו). The passuk says וַתִּתֵּן גַּם לְאִישָׁהּ עִמָּהּ וַיֹּאכַל (בראשית ג, ו), which in gematria is שׁוּבִי שׁוּבִי הַשּׁוּלַמִּית [שׁוּבִי שׁוּבִי וְנֶחֱזֶה בָּךְ] (שיר השירים ז, א). Shir HaShirim Rabba (ibid.) says the four times the word שׁוּבִי appears, refers to the four exiles (Taanit 29a).
The tikkun for the sin of Adam HaRishon and for the מְרַגְּלִים is not surprisingly based also on the word שְׁלַח. When HKB"H creates something, at the same time He creates the opposite זֶה לְעֻמַּת זֶה עָשָׂה הָאֱ-לֹקִים (קהלת ז, יד) . Rabbeinu Bachyei asks "What it is the source for the word Shulchan [Lechem HaPanim]?
And he answers שהקב"ה שׁוֹלֵחַ בִּרְכָתוֹ בַּלֶּחֶם שֶׁעָלָיו, וּמִשָּׁם הַבְּרָכָה מִשְׁתַּלַּחַת בְּכָל הַמְּזוֹנוֹת וְיָבֹא שֹׂבַע לְעוֹלָם (שמות כח, כג). To counteract the negative aspect of שְׁלַח, HKB"H created the שֻׁלְחָן (and also the few other positive associations with the word שְׁלַח in the Torah, like שַׁלַּח אֶת עַמִּי וְיַעַבְדֻנִי and וְשָׁלַחְתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ מַלְאָךְ וְגֵרַשְׁתִּי אֶת הַכְּנַעֲנִי הָאֱמֹרִי וְהַחִתִּי וְהַפְּרִזִּי הַחִוִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי).
It is impossible to end the shiur without tying it into current events.
We are currently experiencing a fast-action-replay of the story of Purim. Just like in the original story, the villain Haman the Amalekite tried to wreak a holocaust and wipe out Am Yisrael and the tables were turned on him, the modern version – Hamanei the Amalekite is having the tables turned on him as we speak. Same story, same characters, in the same country! Just separated by twenty-five centuries.
I never could truly understand the story of Purim until now - exactly where the boundary lay between the hidden hand of HKB"H behind the scenes and the overt events on the ground. Just like back then there were two layers, so it is today. Just as in the ancient story of Purim we can explain things on the overt level - related to politics, balance of power, etc. so too today.
There are two different "shades" of antisemitism in the world. The 69 nations who basically hate us because they know we are right and HKB"H is on our side, not theirs. And the 70th nation who does not suffice with simply hating us, they also work to physically and methodically eradicate us from the face of the earth – Amalek.
Throughout history, when the 69 nations had a chance to ally themselves with Amalek, they did so willingly. However, something deep inside still them balked at being directly associated with the sheer horror of a gory holocaust. It was like that with Achashveirosh and Haman the Amalekite.
Achashveirosh was just as much an antisemite as Haman, but he was a "feinschmecker" antisemite, unwilling to get his hands dirty, unlike Haman who had no qualms about stating and trying to execute his purpose with no veils or filters. It was like that with the rest of the world during the period of Hitler the Amalekite and the Nazis.
The rest of the world were "feinschmecker" antisemites, unwilling to reveal their dark intentions in the light of day, while Hitler had no qualms about stating and executing his dark intentions. It is like that today with the rest of the world and the Ayatollah regime in Iran. The rest of the world are "feinschmecker" antisemites, but they are afraid to reveal it publicly. Unlike Hamanei the Amalekite, who has no qualms about stating and attempting to execute his darkest intentions.
In the original Purim story Jewish Esther revealed the evil scheme of Haman and threatened to expose Achashveirosh as his ally. Achashveirosh trying to save face, did an about turn and publicly balked at Haman's evil scheme and instead got rid of him.
During WWII, world Jewry exposed Hitler's evil plot and the world, trying to save face, publicly balked at Hitler's evil scheme and got rid of him. Today it is the same thing. Jewish Israel has exposed Hamanei's evil plot and the world, trying to save face, are publicly balking and are not averse to getting rid of him.
This is the difference between the 69 nations and Amalek, the 69 nations will continue to exist in the Geulah, but Amalek cannot, he must be eradicated because his hatred of HKB"H and Am Yisrael is boundless, unlike the other nations who will eventually come to admit their error.
This is the overt level. However, just as in the previous episodes with Amalek, there is also the covert level (and I am not referring to the Mossad), the guiding hand of HKB"H, orchestrating Amalek's downfall, as always, beginning with Am Yisrael and finishing up with the rest of the world getting rid of him (or at least turning a blind eye, while we do it). If you are having a hard time identifying Amalek today, just look who is supporting Hamanei.
Just one short week ago, I wrote in a shiur how at a loss I was in the face of the senseless שִׂנְאַת חִנָּם within Am Yisrael. In one short week, how things have changed almost 180 degrees. Miraculously the entire nation has suddenly become united as one against a common enemy.
As I said in last week's shiur, this is HKB"H's work, not ours. It just appears on the overt, surface level to be us. There is no other force that can flip things to such a degree בְּהֶרֶף עַיִן.
Yes, we are rushing down to the bomb shelters at all hours of the night as ballistic missiles rain down upon us, but the feeling in Am Yisrael is not one of despair. It is an exciting feeling of wonder, of being part of something biblical that cannot be described by any other word than – Geulah.
All we have to do is to uphold both clauses in the contract – "Do as I do, Do as I say", achieve tikkun for Am Yisrael and the world. Then –
הָרַחֲמָן הוּא יִשְׁלַח לָנוּ אֶת אֵלִיָּהוּ הַנָּבִיא זָכוּר לַטּוֹב, וִיבַשֵּׂר לָנוּ בְּשׂוֹרוֹת טוֹבוֹת יְשׁוּעוֹת וְנֶחָמוֹת.
Just a short, nice gematria to end up. While we are on the subject of the good, blessed kind of רִמּוֹן (with a vav) - the gematria of רִמּוֹן is אוֹר לַגּוֹיִם and also פוֹרְדוֹ. What are the chances of that?
Shabbat Shalom
Eliezer Meir Saidel
Machon Lechem Hapanim
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