Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
When Moshe tells the story of the מְרַגְּלִים (meraglim, spies), he says that the people came to him with this idea (Devarim 1:22). But back in Parashat Shelah the Torah says that God told Moshe to send the meraglim (Bemidbar 13:2). So when did God agree to this idea?
כָּתוּב שֶׁהַשֵּׁם אָמַר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל "עֲלֵה רֵשׁ" וְהֵם אָמְרוּ "נִשְׁלְחָה אֲנָשִׁים" אָז אָמַר הַשֵּׁם "שְׁלַח לְךָ אֲנָשִׁים."
It is written that God said to Israel, “Go up and inherit” (Devarim 1:21). But they said, “Let us send people” (Devarim 1:22). Then God said, “Send people” (Bemidbar 13:2).
According to Ibn Ezra, there was a negotiation between God and the people. At first, God told them to go straight into conquering Eretz Yisrael. But the people wanted to scout out the land first. Then God agreed and commanded Moshe to send the meraglim.
אֲנִי אֵינִי מְצַוֶּה לְךָ, אִם תִּרְצֶה שְׁלַח.
God said to Moshe, “I won’t command you. If you want, send meraglim.”
Rashi is noticing that, in Bemidbar, God uses the words שְׁלַח לְךָ (shelah lekha, send for you). He thinks that “for you” shows that it wasn’t a commandment, and God never fully agreed with the people’s plan. God allowed them to do it if they wanted to, but didn’t command it.
- Why does it matter if God agreed to send the meraglim or not? What difference does it make to the story if it was God’s command or the people’s idea? (Think especially about how the story ends.)
- Sometimes you want to do something and someone in authority thinks it’s a bad idea and tells you, “Do whatever you want!” Are they really giving you permission to do it?
- Does a leader (like God or Moshe) sometimes need to allow their people to do what they think they need to do, even if the leader knows it’s a bad idea?
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