Parshas Devarim - the sin of the meraglim and 9 b'Av

The passuk says in this week’s sedrah (דברים, פרק א', פסוק א' – ב')

אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן בַּמִּדְבָּר בָּעֲרָבָה מוֹל סוּף בֵּין פָּארָן וּבֵין תֹּפֶל וְלָבָן וַחֲצֵרֹת וְדִי זָהָב. אַחַד עָשָׂר יוֹם מֵחֹרֵב דֶּרֶךְ הַר שֵׂעִיר עַד קָדֵשׁ בַּרְנֵעַ.

“These are the words which Moshe spoke to the whole of כלל ישראל on the other side of the Yarden in the desert in the plain opposite Suf, between Paran and between Tofel and Lavan and Chatzeiros and Di Zahav. Eleven days journey from Chorev on a route that passes Har Seir, till Kadesh Barnea.”

The gemara says in Shabbos (דף פ"ט, ע"א)

והיינו דאמר ר' יוסי בר' חנינא ה' שמות יש לו מדבר צין שנצטוו ישראל עליו מדבר קדש שנתקדשו ישראל עליו מדבר קדמות שנתנה קדומה עליו מדבר פארן שפרו ורבו עליה ישראל מדבר סיני שירדה שנאה לעכו"ם עליו ומה שמו חורב שמו ופליגא דר' אבהו דא"ר אבהו הר סיני שמו ולמה נקרא הר חורב שירדה חורבה לעכו"ם עליו

“Rabbi Yosi the son of Rabbi Chanina said, the desert which the benei yisrael travelled through has five names. מדבר צין – because the benei yisrael received mitzvos in it, מדבר קדש – because the benei yisrael became holy in it, מדבר קדמות – because the Torah that was created before the world was given in it, מדבר פארן – because the benei yisrael increased and multiplied in it, מדבר סיני –because the umos ha’olam became hated in it (because they did not accept the Torah), the real name of the desert however is חורב.

Rabbi Yosi the son of Rabbi Chanina argues with Rabbi Avahu because Rabbi Avahu said that the real name of the desert is סיני and it is referred to as חורב because destruction came to the umos ha’olam in it (because they did not accept the Torah).”

• If the real name of חורב is סיני, then it must be that whenever the passuk refers to חורב this is because of the allusion of שירדה חורבה לעכו"ם עליו. Why does the passuk in the beginning of Devarim say אַחַד עָשָׂר יוֹם מֵחֹרֵב (to make the allusion of שירדה חורבה לעכו"ם עליו) and not use the ordinary name of סיני?

The medrash says (במדבר רבה, פרשה ט"ז)

אלא אמרו (דברים א') נשלחה אנשים לפנינו ויחפרו לנו וכו'. ר' יהושע אומר, למה היו דומין? למלך שזימן לבנו אשה נאה ובת טובים ועשירה. א"ל המלך, זמנתי לך אשה נאה ובת טובים ועשירה. א"ל הבן, אלך ואראה אותה, שלא היה מאמין לאביו, מיד הוקשה הדבר והרע לאביו. אמר אביו, מה אעשה? אם אומר לו, איני מראה אותה לך, עכשיו הוא אומר כעורה היתה, לפיכך לא רצה להראותה. לסוף א"ל, ראה אותה ותדע אם כזבתי לך, ובשביל שלא האמנת בי, קונם שאין אתה רואה אותה בביתך, אלא לבנך אני נותנה.

וכך הקדוש ברוך הוא אמר לישראל, טובה הארץ, ולא האמינו, אלא אמרו נשלחה אנשים לפנינו ויחפרו לנו. אמר הקב"ה, אם מעכב אני עליהם, הם אומרים על שאינה טובה לא הראה אותה לנו, אלא יראו אותה ובשבועה, שאין אחד מהם נכנס לתוכה, שנאמר (במדבר י"ד) אם יראו את הארץ אשר נשבעתי לאבותם וכל מנאצי לא יראוה אלא לבניהם אני נותנה.

Rabbi Yehoshua said, the benei yisrael were comparable to a king who found a beautiful wife for his son, she was from a good family and wealthy. The son said, “I will go and inspect her,” because he did not believe his father. The father said, “If I do not show her to him, he will say this is because really she was ugly.”

In the end the father said, “I will show her to you, but I swear that I will not give her to you, rather I will give her to your son.”

Similarly, Hashem said, “I told the benei yisrael that Eretz Yisrael is a good land, yet they said, ‘Let us send spies.’ If I prevent them from sending spies then they will say this is because it is not really a good land. Rather, the spies will see Eretz Yisrael but not one from this generation will enter Eretz Yisrael, instead I will give it to their children.”

• We find that the Torah is compared to the bride of the benei yisrael (מדרש רבה, פרשת כי תשא, בשעה שנתן הקב"ה התורה לישראל, היתה חביבה עליהם ככלה, שהיא חביבה על בן זוגה מנין שנאמר ויתן אל משה ככלותו) and that Shabbos is compared to the bride of the benei yisrael (בראשית רבה, פרק א', י"ח, אמרה שבת לפני הקב״ה רבונו של עולם לכולן יש בן זוג, ולי אין בן זוג. אמר לה הקב״ה כנסת ישראל היא בן זוגך), however we do not generally find that Eretz Yisrael is compared to a bride. Why does the medrash here compare Eretz Yisrael to a bride?

• Why was Hashem so particular because the benei yisrael did not trust Him that Eretz Yisrael was a good land?

The Chasam Sofer explains as follows:

The passuk says (בראשית ל"ב כ"ו)

וַיַּרְא כִּי לֹא יָכֹל לוֹ וַיִּגַּע בְּכַף יְרֵכוֹ וַתֵּקַע כַּף יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב בְּהֵאָבְקוֹ עִמּוֹ

And the sar of Esav saw that he could not defeat Yaakov, so he hit his thigh joint and Yaakov’s thigh became dislocated as he struggled with him.

The Zohar explains (חלק א', דף קע"א, ע"א)

ותקע כף ירך יעקב - שנגע בתמכין דאורייתא

And Yaakov’s thigh became dislocated, this means that the sar of Esav attacked the supporters of the Torah.

The Chasam Sofer explains that the sar of Esav was unable to deter Yaakov from his determination in keeping the Torah and mitzvos but he was able to attack the ability of someone who observes Torah and mitzvos to be naturally supported by olam hazeh in his endeavours. Subsequently, someone who devoted themselves to Torah and mitzvos would find that olam hazeh would tend to present obstacles to him. Additionally, the Chasam Sofer also explains that the day on which Yaakov struggled with the sar of Esav was ט' באב.

Had the מרגלים brought back a good report about Eretz Yisrael on ט' באב, then the benei yisrael would have been able to enter Eretz Yisrael effortlessly, because Eretz Yisrael itself would have become that part of olam hazeh which would have lent itself naturally and eternally to the observance of Torah and mitzvos. Thus, the dislocation of Yaakov’s thigh, representing the difficulties which can face someone who wants to keep Torah and mitzvos, would have been healed.

In other words, even though the benei yisrael may not have been at the level of Torah learning which would coerce olam hazeh naturally support the Torah, had they trusted in Hashem and accepted the gift of Eretz Yisrael, then their בטחון alone would have been sufficient merit for Hashem to provide Eretz Yisrael as that place that would naturally lend itself to the observance of Torah and mitzvos.

As Rashi explains on the passuk in Tehillim (36:7)

 אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה תוֹשִׁיעַ ה' - בני אדם שהם ערומים בדעת כאדם הראשון ומשימין עצמן כבהמה בענוה תושיע ה'

“People who are as clever as adam ha’rishon but in their humility they make themselves like a dumb animal in order to follow the Torah and mitzvos, these people Hashem will save.”

However, since the benei yisrael did not show such a level of trust in Hashem, they were unable to overcome the wound that the sar of Esav had inflicted on Yaakov and his descendants, since neither their level of Torah or their אמונה in Hashem provided sufficient merit for this to occur. Therefore even Eretz Yisrael did not become a place which would inherently and eternally lend itself to the observance of Torah and mitzvos, until mashiach comes.

Subsequently

• Hashem was particular that the benei yisrael did not go into Eretz Yisrael with simple אמונה, because their failure to do so meant they could now not rectify the wound that the sar of Esav had inflicted on Yaakov, on the same day on which he had struggled with him.
  
• The Torah refers to Har Sinai as חורב, because had the benei yisrael entered Eretz Yisrael after they travelled from Har Sinai with complete אמונה, then the downfall of the sar of Esav, who leads the umos ha’olam (who did not accept the Torah), would have been complete.
  
• Eretz Yisrael is compared to a bride in the medrash, because it should have become a naturally fitting place for the observance of the Torah, which is also compared to a bride. Even although Eretz Yisrael is the holiest land, we will not merit the full  קדושהof Eretz Yisrael till mashiach comes.