Parshas Shelach: The Plot of the Spies

This is gonna sound a little bit like a conspiracy theory

So, hear me out.

This week’s parsha is (mostly) about the sin of the spies, who were sent to scout out the land and came back saying it was unconquerable, a sin that doomed b’nei yisrael to 40 years in the desert.

Why’d they do it? Were they genuine in their belief it was unconquerable? If so why were they punished. Were they lying? If so, why’d they do it?

The Zohar has an interesting idea worth exploring.¹

וַיִשְׁלַח אוֹתָם מֹשֶׁה וְגוֹ', כֻּלָּם אֲנָשִׁים. כֻּלְּהוּ זַכָּאִין הֲווֹ, וְרֵישֵׁי דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל הֲווֹ. אֲבָל אִינּוּן דִּבְּרוּ לְגַרְמַיְיהוּ עֵיטָא בִּישָׁא. אֲמַאי נַטְלֵי עֵיטָא דָּא. אֶלָּא אָמְרוּ, אִי יֵיעֲלוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל לְאַרְעָא, נִתְעֲבָר אֲנָן מִלְּמֶהֱוִי רֵישִׁין, וְיִמְנֵי מֹשֶׁה רֵישִׁין אַחֲרָנִין, דְּהָא אֲנָן זָכֵינָן בְּמַדְבְּרָא לְמֶהֱוִי רֵישִׁין, אֲבָל בְּאַרְעָא לָא נִזְכֵּי. וְעַל דְּנַטְלֵי עֵיטָא בִּישָׁא לְגַרְמַיְיהוּ, מִיתוּ אִינּוּן, וְכָל אִינּוּן דְּנַטְלָן מִלַּיְיהוּ.

All of them were successful men, and they were chieftains in Israel. But they spoke among themselves an evil counsel. Why did they take this counsel? They said, if Israel will go up to the [promised] land, we will be stripped of our being chieftains, and Moshe will institute chieftains after us, because in the desert we merit to be chieftains, but in the land we will not be of [such] merit. And because they took between themselves this evil counsel, they themselves died, and all those who received their words.

According to the Zohar, the reason why the spies did what they did was to hold on to the power they had. They felt that if they would enter Eretz Yisrael, they would lose their authority. In other words, this was a conspiracy of the powerful to hold their authority over the masses. Certainly a serious charge!

So…why did they think that? What was it about entering the land that made them think they would lose power?

First of all, let’s talk about who these chieftains were. Let’s go back to a Rashi in Sefer Shemot, on 5:14:

ויכו שטרי בני ישראל. הַשּׁוֹטְרִים יִשְׂרְאֵלִים הָיוּ וְחָסִים עַל חַבְרֵיהֶם מִלְּדָחְקָם, וּכְשֶׁהָיוּ מַשְׁלִימִים הַלְּבֵנִים לַנּוֹגְשִׂים שֶׁהֵם מִצְרִיִּים, וְהָיָה חָסֵר מִן הַסְּכוּם, הָיוּ מַלְקִין אוֹתָם עַל שֶׁלֹּא דָּחֲקוּ אֶת עוֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה; לְפִיכָךְ זָכוּ אוֹתָם שׁוֹטְרִים לִהְיוֹת סַנְהֶדְרִין וְנֶאֱצַל מִן הָרוּחַ אֲשֶׁר עַל מֹשֶׁה וְהוּשַׂם עֲלֵיהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: "אֶסְפָה לִּי שִׁבְעִים אִישׁ מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ'" – מֵאוֹתָן שֶׁיָּדַעְתָּ הַטּוֹבָה שֶׁעָשׂוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם – כִּי הֵם זִקְנֵי הָעָם וְשׁוֹטְרָיו (במדבר י"א), (שמות רבה):

ויכו שטרי בני ישראל AND THE BAILIFFS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL … WERE SMITTEN — These bailiffs were Israelites and they spared their fellow-Israelites, not urging them on to their work. When they handed over the bricks to the taskmasters who were Egyptians and something was deficient in the total they used to beat them because they had not urged on the Israelitish workmen. On this account these bailiffs were privileged to become members of the Sanhedrin later on, and there was taken some of the prophetical spirit that was upon Moses and it was placed upon them, as it is said, (Numbers 11:16) “Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel [whom thou knowest]” — of those about whom thou knowest the kindly acts which they did in Egypt, “for they are the real elders of the people having been their bailiffs” (Exodus Rabbah 5:20).

So, they were these Hebrew bailiffs that were supposed to make sure the Hebrews did their quota of bricks, and when they failed to do so after Pharaoh spitefully doubled it, they were beaten on behalf of their fellow Hebrews.

This, says Rashi, is why they merited to become members of the Sanhedrin. He’s being a bit anachronistic here; they became the “זקנים, the elders of Israel”, referred to in the story immediately prior to ours.

במדבר י״א:כ״ד-ל׳

(כד) וַיֵּצֵ֣א מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַיְדַבֵּר֙ אֶל־הָעָ֔ם אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיֶּאֱסֹ֞ף שִׁבְעִ֥ים אִישׁ֙ מִזִּקְנֵ֣י הָעָ֔ם וַֽיַּעֲמֵ֥ד אֹתָ֖ם סְבִיבֹ֥ת הָאֹֽהֶל׃ (כה) וַיֵּ֨רֶד יְהֹוָ֥ה ׀ בֶּעָנָן֮ וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלָיו֒ וַיָּ֗אצֶל מִן־הָר֙וּחַ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָלָ֔יו וַיִּתֵּ֕ן עַל־שִׁבְעִ֥ים אִ֖ישׁ הַזְּקֵנִ֑ים וַיְהִ֗י כְּנ֤וֹחַ עֲלֵיהֶם֙ הָר֔וּחַ וַיִּֽתְנַבְּא֖וּ וְלֹ֥א יָסָֽפוּ׃ (כו) וַיִּשָּׁאֲר֣וּ שְׁנֵֽי־אֲנָשִׁ֣ים ׀ בַּֽמַּחֲנֶ֡ה שֵׁ֣ם הָאֶחָ֣ד ׀ אֶלְדָּ֡ד וְשֵׁם֩ הַשֵּׁנִ֨י מֵידָ֜ד וַתָּ֧נַח עֲלֵהֶ֣ם הָר֗וּחַ וְהֵ֙מָּה֙ בַּכְּתֻבִ֔ים וְלֹ֥א יָצְא֖וּ הָאֹ֑הֱלָה וַיִּֽתְנַבְּא֖וּ בַּֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃ (כז) וַיָּ֣רׇץ הַנַּ֔עַר וַיַּגֵּ֥ד לְמֹשֶׁ֖ה וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֶלְדָּ֣ד וּמֵידָ֔ד מִֽתְנַבְּאִ֖ים בַּֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃ (כח) וַיַּ֜עַן יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ בִּן־נ֗וּן מְשָׁרֵ֥ת מֹשֶׁ֛ה מִבְּחֻרָ֖יו וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֲדֹנִ֥י מֹשֶׁ֖ה כְּלָאֵֽם׃ (כט) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה הַֽמְקַנֵּ֥א אַתָּ֖ה לִ֑י וּמִ֨י יִתֵּ֜ן כׇּל־עַ֤ם יְהֹוָה֙ נְבִיאִ֔ים כִּי־יִתֵּ֧ן יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־רוּח֖וֹ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃ (ל) וַיֵּאָסֵ֥ף מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה ה֖וּא וְזִקְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Numbers 11:24-30

(24) Moses went out and reported the words of יהוה to the people. He gathered seventy of the people’s elders and stationed them around the Tent. (25) Then, after coming down in a cloud and speaking to him, יהוה drew upon the spirit that was on him and put it upon the seventy participating elders. And when the spirit rested upon them, they spoke in ecstasy, but did not continue. (26) Two of the participants, one named Eldad and the other Medad, had remained in camp; yet the spirit rested upon them—they were among those recorded, but they had not gone out to the Tent—and they spoke in ecstasy in the camp. (27) An assistant ran out and told Moses, saying, “Eldad and Medad are acting the prophet in the camp!” (28) And Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ attendant from his youth, spoke up and said, “My lord Moses, restrain them!” (29) But Moses said to him, “Are you wrought up on my account? Would that all יהוה’s people were prophets, that יהוה put [the divine] spirit upon them!” (30) Moses then reentered the camp together with the elders of Israel.

To recap this story:

-Moshe gathers 70 elders.

-The spirit of God rests upon them, and they all prophesy

-It also rests on people not in the tent, Eldad and Medad

-Moshe is told about it and Yehoshua says to imprison them

-Moshe is cool with it, and says “Would that all יהוה’s people were prophets, that יהוה put [the divine] spirit upon them!”

Anyway, Rashi goes ahead there and follows up on his comment in Shemot

Stuff I wanted to get to but I’m not sure it makes sense so I’m presenting it in bullet form and sending it out to paid subscribers to get maybe some feedback