Shelach: See Good, Be Good

By Judah Graber

One can not speak about Parshas Shlach without discussing the implications of the Cheit

HaMeraglim. We are all aware of Rav Taragin’s mehalech, but I believe it’s kedai to review his

basic point, and I would like to possibly add something new. Chazal link three major sins to each

other: 1) Cheit Adam HaRishon 2) Cheit HaEgel and 3) Cheit HaMeraglim.

Regarding the original sin of Adam and Chava, Chazal say that eating from the forbidden fruit produced a zuhama, a filth which entered into humanity. Chazal also tell us that this zuhama was washed away from klal yisrael when we stood at har sinai, but it returned when klal yisrael committed

the cheit haegel. The fact that this very same zuhama came back, indicates that the cheit haegel

must have grown from the same root as the original sin. Chazal, based on the pesukim, then blur

the lines between the cheit haegel and the cheit hameraglim. There are numerous proofs to this,

but for now I'll mention just a few: First, רש”י (Devarim 14:33 D”h “ ”ארבעים שנה) quotes chazal saying: “When the Jews did the cheit haegel, this punishment[wandering in the desert until the nation

died out] was already appropriate, but He waited until it was full [at the meraglim]."

Moreover, there is a huge blurring of the lines between the conversation between Hashem

and Moshe by the cheit haegel and their conversation by cheit hameraglim. We say in selichos:

אֵל הוֹרֵיתָ לָנוּ לוֹמַר שְׁלשׁ עֶ שְׂרֵה. וּזְכָר לָֽנוּ הַיּוֹם בְּרִית שְׁלשׁ עֶ שְׂרֵה. כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוֹדַֽעְ תָּ לֶעָנָו מִ קֶּ דֶֽם. כְּמוֹ שֶׁ כָּתוּב וַיֵּרֶד יְהוָֹה בֶּ עָֽנָן וַ יִּתְיַ צֵּב עִמּוֹ שָׁם וַ יִּקְרָא בְ שֵׁם יְהוָֹה: וַיַּעֲב֨רֹ יְהוָֹ֥ה ׀ עַל־פָּנָיו֮ וַיִּקְרָא֒ יְהוָֹ֣ה ׀ יְהוָֹ֔ה אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת׃ נצֵֹ֥ר חֶ֙סֶד֙ לָאֲלָפִ֔ים נשֵֹׂ֥א עָוֺ֛ן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה וְנַקֵּה֙ לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֔ה }פּקֵֹ֣ד ׀ עֲוֺ֣ן אָב֗וֹת עַל־בָּנִים֙וְעַל־בְּנֵ֣י בָנִ֔ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִֽים׃

The aforementioned pesukim were originally said in the context of the cheit haegel.

However, we then quote the response of "וַיּאֹמֶר יְהוָֹה סָלַֽחְתִּי כִּדְבָרֶֽךָ" which comes from the story of

the meraglim (Bamidbar 14:20). Some mefarshim say this response was really said at the eigel and the Torah is just referencing it here, while others keep it in it’s place, but either way, these two sins are decidedly linked together and are unmistakably connected.

What is the connection between these three sins? Why do Chazal see them as intrinsically

linked? Rav Taragin answers that all three of these major sins stemmed from low self esteem.

Adam Harishon eats from the eitz hadaas because he feels insecure about himself. He tries to be

like God instead of accepting the goodness of what he already is. The cheit haegel was the

opposite; klal Yisrael looked for something greater than themselves because they couldn't rely on

themselves. They couldn't rely on humanity anymore! Moshe disappeared! And the cheit

hameraglim is where klal yisrael attributed to God the problems they had with themselves. In

Parshas Devarim (Devarim 1:27) Moshe recalls how the people claimed that God hated them and that's why they were scared to enter eretz yisrael. If a nation or person cannot be confident enough in

themselves when God is with them, when it's clear that God is with them, then that lack of

confidence will lead them to attribute that hatred they feel towards themselves, to God Himself!

The Cheit Hameraglim, more than any other cheit (even the cheit of the eigel) had great

implications for the future. The gemara tells us that the cheit hameraglim happened on Tisha

B'av and it is the source of all future suffering on that day throughout the generations:

"ותשא כל העדה ויתנו את קולם ויבכו העם בלילה ההוא" אמר רבה אמר רבי יוחנן אותו היום ערב אותהלילה ליל תשעה באב היה אמר להם הקדוש ברוך הוא אתם בכיתם בכיה של חנם ואני קובע לכם בכיה לדורות

“And all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried and the people wept that night”(Bamidbar 14:1). Rabba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: That night was the night ofthe Ninth of Av. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them: You wept needlessly that night, and I will therefore establish for you a true tragedy over which there will be weeping in future generations (Taanis 29a).

The root of galus is when we attribute our own insecurities onto other people. If we are

nervous about the next stage in life, we are not to blame. Rather, it's everyone else’s fault, or a

result of the situation. This is what leads us astray.

I believe this idea can help answer a question Rav Schachter once discussed in shiur. The

Torah (Devarim 29:4) commands us ׃ זָכ֕וֹר אֵ֧ת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֛ה יְהוָֹ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לְמִרְיָ֑ם בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶ֥ם מִמִּצְרָֽיִם -"Remember what your God יהוה did to Miriam on your journey from Egypt." Many rishonim, including the Ramban, count this as a bonafide mitzvas aseh deoraysa just like remembering amalek and kiddush on Shabbos. The question is, what’s the big deal about remembering what Hashem did to Miriam? Other zechiros make sense. By Amalek, one of the ikarei emunah is being tested. Amalek

represents happenstance while the Jewish people represent the hashgacha of God in the world.

But what’s so important about the story of Miriam that we remember it?

Rav Soloveitchik answered this question stating that an ikar emunah is at play by remembering the story of Miriam as well. The sin of Miriam and Aharon was that they did not understand how Moshe Rabbanu and his nevuah were fundamentally different than theirs’ or any other navi’s. We are told to remember this story to concretize for ourselves that Moshe was qualitatively different from any

other navi and always will be. This is an ikar emunah.

Rav Kook though gave another answer. He says that we are told to remember what Miriam did because it shows us the importance of lashon hara. On a superficial level this is difficult to understand. There are many mitzvos in the Torah. Why should lashon hara get a special mention? With Rav Taragins mehalech in the cheit hameraglim though, we can understand Rav Kook’s answer. The medrash tanchuma asks why the story of Miriam is next to the story of the meraglim and answers that it is meant to show that they saw what Miriam did, and did not learn from it. When we remember the sin of Miriam, we are not just talking about the technical aveirah of “loshon hara.”. Miriam failed to see the good in Moshe, so she slipped. Klal Yisrael too failed to see the good, choosing to focus on the bad in eretz yisrael, putting in place a pattern of suffering for generations. Both stemmed from a lack of self esteem, and remembering this is certainly worthwhile and could warrant a mitzvah min

Hatorah. As David HaMelech writes in Tehillim (34:13-15):

יג) מִֽי־הָ֭אִישׁ הֶחָפֵ֣ץ חַ יִּ֑ים אהֵֹ֥ב יָ֝מִ֗ים לִרְא֥וֹת טֽוֹב׃

יד) נְצ֣רֹ לְשׁוֹנְךָ֣ מֵרָ֑ע וּ֝ שְׂפָתֶ֗יךָ מִ דַּ בֵּ ר֥ מִרְמָֽה׃

טו) ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲ שֵׂה־ט֑וֹב בַּ קֵּ֖ שׁ שָׁל֣וֹם וְרָדְפֵֽהוּ:

We are told that the person who desires life, is not only one who guards his tongue, but

one who actively tries to see the good. May we all internalize this message this shabbos, and may

our living a life with self-esteem, be a tikkun for the cheit hameraglim and bring us closer to

Hashem.