פרק יג

Question	Answer
What year does this story take place?	2449
What story does the torah tell us right before the meraglim?	The story of Miriam
What date were the Meraglim sent out? From what place?	On the 28th of Sivan from Midbar Paran
When did they return?	9th of Av
Why did BNY ask Moshe to send out spies? (4)	1. To find where the Canaanim hide their treasures. 2. To find out what idols they may keep. 3. To make a war strategy. 4. To learn their language.
What was their real reason which they didn't tell Moshe? (1)	1. They didn't have trust in Hashem 2. They weren't sure whether the land was actually worth fighting for 3. They were afraid the nations were stronger than them.
Why did Hashem let them send the spies? (Explain the Mashal)	There was a king who found a nice girl for his son but his son didn't really believe that she was that good and asked to see her. The king got very angry at him because he lacked faith but let him see her. However, the son wouldn't marry the girl, rather his son will marry her instead.
Which Shevet wasn't involved? Why not?	Shevet Levi, because they weren't going to receive a portion in the land anyway.
What is Rashi's Q & A on שלח לך?	Q: Why is Shelach right after the story of Miriam? A: Because even though the meraglim had seen what had happened to Miriam they didn't learn their lesson.
According to the Sifsei Chachamim, why is Rashi even asking this question? What does it come to teach us?	At the end of Parshas Baahaloscha it says they were camping in Midbar Paran and then at the beginning of Shelach it says again that they were in Midbar Paran. This teaches us that even though the meraglim had seen what had happened to Miriam, they still didn't take mussar.
How does Ramban explain שלח לך?	Send for yourself, by your own understanding.
Why did Hashem agree to send the meraglim?	Because they lacked faith in Hashem and weren't going to receive the land anyway.
According to the Sifsei Chachamim, what is bothering Rashi concerning the commandment of שלח לך?	Why was Hashem suddenly commanding Moshe to send the spies if He knew what was going to happen? A: It wasn't His idea.
Kli Yakar: Why was it beneficial for Moshe to send out spies?	If Moshe hadn't sent spies, he would've died within the 11 days before arriving in Eretz Yisrael. Therefore, since Moshe was sending spies, he lived for 40 more years.
Baal Haturim: What is the hint in the words שלח לך אנשים?	The last letters of שלח לך אנשים make out the word חכם, hinting that Moshe should only send chachamim and tzaddikim.
Sforno: Why shouldn't Moshe let BNY choose who to send?	Because they may choose simpletons who will come back speaking negatively against Eretz Yisrael, and BNY will think Hashem is mistaken, Chas V'shalom.
Sforno: Explain - כל נשיא בהם	Moshe should only send the most excellent people who really understand the land and could apply.
Rashi: Explain Al pi Hashem	Hashem didn't prevent Moshe from sending the spies.
What do we learn from the words כולם אנשים?	It shows us that the meraglim at that time were honourable men.
Sifsei Chachamim: Why doesn't it make sense that שלח לך would be a commandment of Hashem?	How can Hashem command them to do something if He knew that a great misery would be a result of this?
(pesukim ד-טו) Ramban: In what order were the meraglim named?	According to their virtues.
Rashi: ויקרא משה...יהושע... what did Moshe do?	He davened for Yehoshua
Where does Rashi learn this from?	From Avraham Avinu.
Kli Yakar: 2 reasons why Moshe davened for Yehoshua:	1. If Yehoshua went wrong, Moshe would be blamed. 2. Yehoshua was descended from Yosef who had spoken Lashon Hara.
Or Hachayim: Why did Moshe add the letter yud?	Moshe was giving Yehoshua strength to stand up against the TEN meraglim.
Toras Menachem: If Moshe felt that the spies were going to sin, why didn't he cancel the mission?	Because he didn't have any proof.
Why did they start spying in the south?	1. Like merchants who first show their cheaper wares before their better ones, Moshe sent the meraglim to the more inferior parts of the land before sending them to the more beautiful parts. 2. In the zechus of Avraham Avinu who also travelled there, they should be protected from harm.
עלו ...בנגב what are the Sifsei's Q&A on these words?	Q: How could you go UP to the south? A: North to the south of Eretz Yisroel.
וראיתם את הארץ מה היא: Explain according to Rashi.	Are the weak or strong? Are they small in number or large?
According to the Sifsei what is bothering Rashi?	Why did Moshe start with the land and the people?
How does the Sifsei answer this?	Moshe is asking what is the nature of the land, and what impact does it have on its people?
What is the sign Moshe gave them to determine whether the people are strong or weak?	If their cities are fortified it meant the are weak, and if the cities are not fortified it means they're strong, for they rely on their own strength.
What are Machanayim?	הבפצחין - exposed and unwalles cities.
Why does Rashi explain this first (before הטובה היא)?	Because it's connected with the previous possuk where we discussed the signs of how to determine whether the people are weak or strong.
How does Rash explain הטובה?	Does it have deep wells and springs that are healthy?
How does Rashi explain היש בה עץ?	Is there a tzadik who will protect the city with his merits?
According to the Sifsei - why can’t it be referring to plain old trees?	Because it says there are fruit, so obviously there are trees.
How does the Sforno explain השמנה?	Is it a rich land?
והתחזקתם why should they strengthen themselves? (Ramban)	They should strengthen themselves emotionally lest they are found out to be spies.
From where to where did they spy the land?	From Midbar Tzin to Chamas.
In what shape did they travel?	In the shape of an upside-down Gamma.
Who were Achiman, Sheishai and Talmai?	Three giants.
ויעלו בנגב ויבוא what seems not right?	ויבוא is in singular.
Who went to חברון what did he do there?	Kalev went to Chevron to daven by the kivrei avos in Meoras Hamachpelah
How was he rewarded?	He wasn't influenced by the meraglim.
וחברון שבע שנים נבנתה לפני צוען מצרים what doesn't make sense? (Rashi)	How can it be that Chevron was built for the younger son Canaan before Tzoan was built for Mitzrayim, who was the older one?
What is the answer?	It was 7 times more beautiful than Tzoan, which was the most beautiful city in Egypt, which is showing us the praise of Eretz Yisrael.
Who didn't carry anything and why not?	Yehoshua and Kalev didn't carry anything because they knew the whole intention was to use it negatively against the land.
לפי שכל עצמם להוציא דבה נתכוונו explain.	The intention of the other meraglim was to use the fruit for evil purposes against the land.
Why did they call the place Nachal Eshkol? (kli yakar)	Because usually grapes grow best in the mountains, but here in the nachal (valley), they're juicy and big and good; how much more so they would be in the mountains.
According to the Or Hachayim, who named the place Nachal Eshkol?	Hashem had named it.
According to Rashi what was the distance the Meraglim travelled in Eretz Yisroel?	800 parsa.
How long should it have taken them to travel?	80 days.
Why did Hashem perform a miracle for them?	Because He decreed that every day the meraglim travelled would be one more year for Bn''y before they entered EY.
וילכו ויבאו what is bothering rashi according to the sifsei?	The torah had already started to tell us in the previous possuk the story of their return.
What is Rashi's answer?	To compare the comings and goings, that just like they left with bad intentions so too they came back with bad intentions.
Didn’t Rashi teach us earlier that they were all אנשים - righteous men? How could they have left with bad intentions?	Before Moshe had chosen them their were anashim, but when they got together they started having bad intentions.
ישיבו אותם דבר According to the אור החיים why doesn’t it say “what” they said, but merely דבר?	First they told Moshe and Aharon and then they told the rest of Bn''y, since it says אותם and then it says ואת כל העדה - and to the rest of the assembly.
וגם זבת חלב דבש היא what is Rashi's Q & A?	Q. Why did they tell praise of EY if we know that they planned to tell negative? A. Because if they lied outright without a single bit of truth it wouldn't hold up in the end.
Explain כיון שכונתם אלא לרעה למה אמרו בראש דבריהם היפך כונתם.	Why would they say the opposite of their intentions?
Explain אפס כי עז העם.	They were saying "Moshe was wrong! See - the cities are fortified and there are giants living there and they don't fear anyone so they can't be weak.
What are הערים בצורות?	Fortified cities.
Didn’t Moshe tell them that if the cities are fortified the people are weak? What is their argument against Moshe?	The gianyts didn't fear anybody so obviously they weren't weak.
Amalek wasn’t even part of the territory they had to conquer: so why are they mentioned?	Bn''y had already been hurt by Amalek, therefore the meraglim mentioned them to scare Bn''y.
Explain ויהס כלב	And Kalev silenced the people
According to Rashi, how did he silence them?	Kalev shouted "Is this all Ben Amram has done for us?" which made Bn''y think he was going to say something negative.
Explain: רוח אחרת עמו משמע שתי רוחות אחת בפה ואחת בלב.	Kalev had two spirits one in the heart and one in the mouth. With his mouth he was with the meraglim but with his heart he was against them.
What does Rashi say about the words עלה נעלה?	If Moshe told us to make a ladder to the sky we would do it.
Explain according to Rashi כי חזק הוא ממנו.	They're talking about Hashem.
Explain the lashon of the Sifsei: דאי אפשר לומר .ממנו מישראל דהוה משמע שגם ישראל חזק	Saying they are stronger than us implies that we are both strong but they are stronger.
The Rebbe asks: How can the Meraglim present such a ridiculous argument? (2)	1) The giats were descended from Shamchazai and Azael, who were angels fallen from heaven. So if you're wondering how they're stronger than heaven, they came from heaven themselves, so they are an equal match for Hashem's angels. 2) They survived the mabul when Hashem had wanted to wipe out mankind.
Explain וכאן לא יתכן זה שבהרי המרגלים עצמן גחבים.	The meraglim felt very weak because they felt like grasshoppers compared to the giants.
Explain according to Rashi: ארץ אכלת יושביה	Everywhere they passed the peple were burying the dead and Hashem made it this way so that the giants wouldn't notice the spies, but they just used it against the land.
What's the simple translation of ארץ אוכלת יושביה.	A land that devours its inhabitants.
How was that for their own good?	So that the inhabitants wouldn't notice the meraglim.
Explain אנשי מדות:	Men of measure - big and strong.
Who were the nefilim?	The descendants of Shamchazai and Azael who were angels that fell from the heavens in the days of Enosh.
Translate ויהי בעינינו כחגבים	And we were in our eyes like grasshoppers.
What was Rashi's Q&A on the words וכן היינו בעיניהם - and so we were in their eyes.	Q: How did they know? A: They overheard the giants say that they saw grasshoppers in the shapes of people in the vinyards.
Where did we learn: (1) כל דבר שקר שאין אומרים בו קצת אמת בתחלתו, אין מתקים בסופו (2) שמחזי ועזאל	(1) All lies must begin with some truth or else it won't hold out in the end. (2) Shamchazai and Azael - two angels that fell from heaven in the days of Enosh. They were the ancestors of the nefilim.
You did it!	Two more Perakim to go!

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