In the
following essay we will discuss why the spies, who were leaders of the congregation
and distinguished personalities, did not want to enter the Land of Israel.
Almost
all mitzvot that involve deed are applicable only in the Land of Israel. This
is especially true of all the mitzvot that relate to agriculture and sacrifices.
(The sacrifices that were offered in the desert were a temporary phenomenon—Tzemach
Tzedek.)
We can understand this by explaining a perplexing
matter. Why is it that man receives sustenance from bread? The answer is because
the Divine energy that is present in the lower elements of reality—mineral, vegetable
and animal—contains sparks of holiness that transcend the root of man. [See our essay on Vayishlach.]
The
advantage of the lowly is seen also in the descent of the soul into this lowly
world for the purpose of suppressing the “other side.” This results in the increase
of light through the challenge of darkness.
This is similar to
a seed that is planted in the ground and through rotting and disintegrating in
the ground it is able to subsequently grow with great increase like the increase
of light, etc.
***
Elijah
says in the introduction to Tikunim [this section is read on Friday before
Mincha. See Tehilat Hashem Sidur p. 125]:
“You
are the One who emanated ten tikunim and called them ten sefirot
with which to conduct hidden worlds that are not revealed, etc.”
In
the Zohar, worlds are called heichalot (palaces; chambers)—the heichal
of Chesed (kindness), the heichal of Gevura (strength), the heichal
of Zechut (merit), etc.
These heichalot contain souls
that take pleasure in the splendor of the Divine presence as well as angels that
are standing with love and awe, etc. The camp of Michoel is in a state of love,
while the camp of Gavriel is in a state of awe, as our sages say (Chagiga
13b, end), “The river of Dinor emerges from the sweat of the beasts [i.e., the angels of Gavriel’s camp, who ‘perspire’ in
their trembling awe].” Each set of angels sings praise according to its
apprehension of the Divine.
The word heichal connotes
inclusion, since the heichal includes within it all of the particulars.
For example, the general spirit of the heichal of Chesed is Chesed,
while its particulars are chochma of chesed, chesed of chesed,
etc.—all of the ten sefirot. It is like a circle or a house, which includes
all the particulars within it.
This is the meaning of to conduct
worlds with them. Worlds are the heichalot—i.e., the “circle” or “house”
that includes within it all the particulars—while to conduct with them
refers to the particulars that exist within the heichalot.
Now the word for world, olam, connotes concealment, he’lem.
For the heichalot serve to conceal the Divine light from the particulars
and ensure that their existence is not eliminated by a revelation of the Infinite
that would nullify their finite being. The heichalot ensure that the revelation
exposed to the particulars is limited enough for them to retain their being even
as they apprehend this revelation.
This concealment is progressively
increased in the lower worlds until after much degradation, physical heaven and
earth come into being. On this level, Divinity is completely obscured. All one
sees is what appears to be something independent of the Divine reality.
The
soul descends into this environment for the purpose of an ascent. By suppressing
the “other side” and fulfilling Torah in the realm of “turn from evil” (as in
the verse, you shall not stray after your hearts and eyes)
the soul causes the heichalot to no longer conceal the Divine—they become
vessels to receive greater Divine revelation. This revelation is brought through
the soul’s fulfillment of Torah in the realm of “do good.”
Mistake
of the Spies
Now the spies were on a very lofty spiritual
level. They therefore did not wish to lower themselves to the level of physical
mitzvot, which would draw forth Divine revelation to the lower worlds. They said
that the land was one that “consumed its inhabitants,” i.e., if we fulfill the
mitzvot on the physical level in the Land of Israel, the Divine revelation that
will ensue will totally eliminate our existence. They wished for all the Divine
revelation to reach only the supernal Land of Israel and the supernal Jerusalem.
[In
the subsequent maamar in Likutei Torah, the Alter Rebbe cites
Rabbi Chaim Vital in Etz Chaim who states that the root of the spies
is the World of Thought, which is called Leah. For they were of the “desert generation,”
which is called a “knowing generation.” They therefore did not wish to lower themselves
to enter the land, which is the World of Speech and called Rochel. [Leah, the
older sister, is Binah; Rochel, the younger sister, is Malchut.
See our essay on Vayeitzei: Daughters of Laban.
The
spies therefore claimed that there was no need to enter the world of Speech and
that one could fulfill Torah on the level of Thought, since all that exists in
the realm of Speech exists in the realm of Thought, whence speech is derived.
So every physical mitzvah can be fulfilled in a spiritual way. As an example,
the Alter Rebbe refers to Abraham, who the sages say fulfilled the entire Torah
although it had not yet been given. The Alter Rebbe says that “it is impossible
to say that he fulfilled all of Torah in actual practice since there are many
mitzvot that would not have been possible for him to fulfill. Rather, he fulfilled
them in a spiritual sense.”]
Joshua and Caleb, on the other
hand, said that “the land is good me’od me’od (‘very very’).” Through fulfillment
of physical mitzvot in the terrestrial Land of Israel, the Divine light which
is without limit—me’od—will be revealed in the hidden and revealed worlds.
Hence the repetition, me’od me’od, corresponding to the two types of worlds,
concealed and revealed.
For in truth, G-d’s primary intention
is that there be a Divine dwelling in the lower worlds specifically. As our sages
say, “G-d desired a dwelling place in the lower worlds.”
He desires that Divinity be revealed to the eye of all flesh, and that the revelation
in the lower worlds be the same as it is above—even more, because of the increase
of light that emerges from the challenge of darkness.
For in
truth the highest levels are revealed specifically in the lowest level. We see
this in the fact that a brilliant genius is incapable of imparting his wisdom
to another through speech [alone], since
words are cannot contain the profundity of his thoughts. But through a physical
gesture he can express himself in a more powerful way, as our sages say, “For
the wise, a hint will suffice.”
We
see this also in the fact that the insignia of a brilliant jewel is obscured by
its very brilliance. The insignia can only be perceived and recognized by all
eyes when it is pressed into the wax.
We see this also in the instruction: and you will see [the
tzitzit] and you will remember all the mitzvot.
Again, it is through deed, namely, looking at the thirty-two physical strings
of the tzitzit that one comes to remember the mitzvot.
Thus
Moses who was on a lofty spiritual level offered five hundred and fifteen prayers
(the numeric equivalent of the word va’etchanan) that G-d allow him to
enter the Land of Israel,
since it is the primary purpose of creation.
Adapted by Rabbi Yossi Marcus