The Spies – Where Did They Tour/2

The Spies – Where Did They Tour?

Exegetical Approaches

Overview

Scouted Entire Land

The twelve men scouted the entire land from Midbar Zin until Rechov Levo Chamat. This position subdivides as to whether the spies traveled together or whether they divided the mission amongst themselves.

Joint Endeavor

All twelve tribal leaders toured the land together.

Sources:TanchumaShelach 6Shelach 7Shelach 8About the Tanchuma, RashiBemidbar 13:17,21-22,25About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, ChizkuniBemidbar 13:17,21-22About R. Chizkiyah b. Manoach, AbarbanelBemidbar 13About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, R. S"R HirschBemidbar 13:21-22,29About R. S"R Hirsch, MalbimBemidbar 13:17-18Bemidbar 13:21-22About R. Meir Leibush Weiser, Hoil MosheBemidbar 13:22Bemidbar 15:39About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi¹

"מִמִּדְבַּר צִן עַד רְחֹב לְבֹא חֲמָת" – According to this approach, these words constitute the path taken by the spies.

• Diagonal – Chizkuni and R. Hirsch suggest that the spies crossed the country on a diagonal, from the southeast to northwest.
• Along the border – Rashi on verse 21 suggests that they followed the western border northward,² while Hoil Moshe proposes that they began in the south and then followed the eastern boundaries.³
• The entire land – From Rashi's comments on verse 25, it sounds as if the spies covered every square meter of the country. Malbim also emphasizes that the scouts toured individual cities in the middle of the land, and did not just walk along the borders,⁴ while Abarbanel writes that they walked in all four directions.

Moshe's instructions –

• Begin with the worst – According to most of these commentators, although Moshe wanted the spies to traverse the entire land, he told them to begin in the mountainous region of the Negev for tactical reasons:
  • Tanchuma and Rashi assert that Hashem wanted them to first see the worst of the land, and to end with the praiseworthy sections.
  • Chizkuni, instead, proposes that Hashem wanted them to figure out how to conquer the most difficult region (the mountains) and then the rest would seem easy.⁵
• Cover the whole land – Abarbanel, in contrast, maintains that Moshe's words were actually an explicit directive to visit the entire land. They were to go from the Negev, in the South, to the mountain, Hor HaHar, which is located at the very north of the country.⁶

Narrator's focus on Chevron – This approach might suggest that the narrator chooses only to tell the details of the time spent in Chevron and Nachal Eshkol as that is what the spies touch upon in their speech.⁷

Bemidbar vs. Devarim – These commentators might suggest that in Devarim Moshe only mentions the visit to the hilly region and Nachal Eshkol due to the specific agenda of his speech there.⁸

Singular form of "וַיָּבֹא" –

• Rashi and Hoil Moshe, following Bavli SotaSota 34bAbout the Bavli, suggests that only Calev⁹ entered Chevron.¹⁰
• The other commentators point out that from the report of the spies to Moshe regarding the giants, it sounds as if everyone had visited the area. Thus, Chizkuni and R. Hirsch explain that Torah sometimes uses a singular form to describe a group acting together as one unit¹¹ while Abarbanel and Malbim suggest, that to avoid detection, the scouts had arrived in the city one by one.¹²

Purpose of mission – Malbim asserts that the mission was a scouting one, meant to measure the quality of the land, and not to evaluate strategies of conquest.

Doubling of Return – These commentators do not address the issue explicitly but might suggest that there is a "כלל ופרט" with verse 25 introducing the return of the spies and verse 26 providing the details.

40 days – Whether it is possible to travel from Midbar Zin to Rechov Levo Chamat and back in forty days depends in large part on where each of those places are located.

• For Hoil Moshe who suggests that the spies traveled just along the eastern perimeter of the land, it is probably a doable feat.¹³
• Tanchuma and Rashi, who suggest that the spies passed through the center of the country as well,¹⁴ solve the problem of the longer route by suggesting that Hashem miraculously aided them and quickened their way.¹⁵

Undetected?

• Miracle – Tanchuma and Rashi again suggest that the spies had Divine aid. Hashem ensured that a plague befell the inhabitants of Canaan, preoccupying them with their dead so that the spies could travel undetected.
• One by One – Malbim asserts that when traveling through areas where they might arouse suspicion, the spies split up. Abarbanel, similarly, asserts that the spies entered the land one by one and not as a group of twelve.

Understanding the sin –

Crux of the position –

Divide and Conquer

The twelve princes divided the land to be scouted, with each visiting a different section.

Sources: NetzivBemidbar 13:17, 21-22Bemidbar 13:24, 27-28About R. Naftali Z"Y Berlin, Hoil MosheBemidbar 13:22About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi¹⁶

"מִמִּדְבַּר צִן עַד רְחֹב לְבֹא חֲמָת" – This position also views these words as a description of the area traveled by the spies.

Moshe's instructions – Netziv asserts that Moshe directed the spies to scout the entire land, as suggested by the narrator's words "וַיִּשְׁלַח אֹתָם מֹשֶׁה לָתוּר אֶת אֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן", but that he also instructed them to begin in the mountainous Emorite region of the Negev.¹⁷

Narrator's focus on Chevron – Netziv asserts that this is just one detail of the larger scouting mission.¹⁸

Bemidbar vs. Devarim –

Singular form of "וַיָּבֹא"

• Hoil Moshe suggests that the spies had split the land amongst them and thus only one arrived in Chevron.
• Netziv agrees that the spies divided the labor, but suggests that they traveled in pairs. Thus, he proposes that Calev's pair was frightened away by the fortification and giants of Chevron and so he entered alone.

Purpose of mission – Netziv views the mission as a military one in which the spies were supposed to see which cities should be attacked.¹⁹

Doubling of return – Netziv asserts that the phrase "וַיָּשֻׁבוּ מִתּוּר הָאָרֶץ" relates to the spies gathering together after their individual expeditions to one preset spot in the land. Only afterwards did they together walk back from that site to the Israelite camp ("וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל מֹשֶׁה").

40 days – As the scouting was divided amongst the various men, forty days should have been sufficient time to traverse the country and return to Moshe.

Undetected? – The princes traveled alone or in pairs, making them much less conspicuous.

Understanding the sin – If only one person visited Chevron in person,²⁰ the spies' fear and the negative report which revolved around the city does seem not to be warranted.²¹

Crux of the position –

Scouted Just the Negev

The spies did not check out the entire country, and only visited the Negev area.

Sources:Olam HaTanakh, R. Yoel b. Nun

"מִמִּדְבַּר צִן עַד רְחֹב לְבֹא חֲמָת" – This phrase is a parenthetical statement telling the reader the borders of the land, not the area toured by the spies. The verse should read as if written "וַיַּעֲלוּ וַיָּתֻרוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ [שגבולותיה] מִמִּדְבַּר צִן עַד רְחֹב לְבֹא חֲמָת."

Moshe's instructions – Moshe directed the leaders to the southern region of the land since this was the only place they were supposed to scout.

Narrator's focus on Chevron – The text does not choose just one of many stops of the spies' mission to detail, but the only one.

Bemidbar vs. Devarim – Both Bemidbar and Devarim only focus on Nachal Eshkol, the site checked out by the spies.

Singular form of "וַיָּבֹא" – This position does not relate to the issue. It might answer, as Chizkuni above, that the Torah at times uses a singular form of the verb when speaking of one unit of people.

Purpose of mission – This position is most logical if one assumes that the mission was mainly military in nature. Moshe asked the spies to explore the Negev since that was the first area they would need to conquer. There was no need to look elsewhere if the mission was not aimed at affirming the land's quality.²²

Mention of settled nations – The spies' report in 13:29 is somewhat difficult for this approach as it suggests that the scouts traveled throughout more of the land. The men explicitly mention not just the nations living in the Negev and hilly regions but also that "וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי יוֹשֵׁב עַל הַיָּם וְעַל יַד הַיַּרְדֵּן".

40 days – If the spies only visited the southern part of Israel one wonders what took forty days?

Undetected? – This approach does not relate to the issue.

Understanding the sin – If the spies spent almost all of their time in the Chevron region, their report, and fear, is much more understandable. They were very heavily influenced by the sight of the strong fortifications and giants since that is all they saw. They were not unfairly harping on just one city and ignoring all the rest, but expressing concerns based on the totality of their experiences.

Crux of the position –

Combination

Two Missions

The spies had two missions, a military reconnaissance mission which was to be focused just on the Negev and a scouting mission to check out the tribal inheritances which necessitated visiting the whole country.

Sources:R. Meidan²³

Purpose of mission – R. Meidan proposes that there were two missions, a "holy" one to determine the tribal inheritances, and a "secular" one to determine military strategy. The former required that all 12 tribal princes join, that they scout (לתור) the entire country and check the quality of the land and produce. The military mission, on the other hand, only necessitated a couple of men to spy (לחפר/לרגל) on Chevron and its surroundings, the first area to be conquered. According to R. Meidan, Moshe erred in combining the two very different tasks into one.

Bemidbar vs. Devarim – Bemidbar focuses on the scouting mission while Devarim highlights the military one. Thus, in Bemidbar there is mention of traveling throughout the country, while in Devarim Moshe speaks only of the visit to Chevron.

"מִמִּדְבַּר צִן עַד רְחֹב לְבֹא חֲמָת" – This was the area scouted by the princes.

Moshe's instructions – Moshe told the people to scout the whole land, but suggested that they begin in the Negev.

Narrator's focus on Chevron – R. Meidan does not address this issue but might suggest that the gathering of fruit was a crucial element in the scouting mission, and was thus highlighted.

Singular form of "וַיָּבֹא" – R. Meidan asserts that this refers to Calev, who alone was not fearful of entering the fortified Chevron and facing its giants.

40 days – This approach does not address whether the spies could have realistically crossed the country and returned in forty days.²⁴

Undetected? – R. Meidan asserts that in combining the two missions, Moshe encouraged its failure, in large part because in so doing the men were much more conspicuous.²⁵ He suggests that the spies were met with suspicion as they neared Chevron and thus panicked at the site of the giants' questioning eyes.²⁶

Understanding the sin – R. Meidan puts much of the blame for the mishap on Moshe for mismanaging the mission. He suggests that had there been two separate delegations, with appropriate men chosen for each task, and each traveling to the locations relevant to them, the spies would have likely returned with a very different report.

Crux of the position –

General and Specific

The spies traversed the entire land but focused their attention on the Negev area.

Sources:

"מִמִּדְבַּר צִן עַד רְחֹב לְבֹא חֲמָת" – These words depict the area that the spies explored.

Moshe's instructions – Moshe instructed the spies to look at the whole land but to concentrate their efforts on the South, the potential entry point into the land during the imminent conquest.

Narrator's focus on Chevron – Since Chevron was the main focus of the reconnaissance mission, the narrator highlights this part of the trip.

Bemidbar vs. Devarim – This position might suggest that in Devarim Moshe only mentions the travels in the South because that was the most important part of the trip. Moshe is recapping the event for the next generation and thus omits the less crucial details.

Singular form of "וַיָּבֹא" – This approach would suggest, as above, that the singular form is not significant and really refers to the group of spies as a whole.

Purpose of mission – The mission had a dual purpose - to prepare for the upcoming conquest, and secondarily to see the overall quality of the land and affirm its goodness. The former required focusing much attention on Chevron, its inhabitants and fortifications. For the latter, it was important that the spies visit a variety of sites, but not to comprehensively cover the whole country, or to study any place in depth.

40 days – Since the spies did not tarry in most of the areas they visited, they should have been able to return within 40 days.

Undetected? – This position does not address the issue.

Understanding the sin – The fear of the spies and their emphasis on the incidents in Chevron is more understandable given that this was the focal point of their visit.

Crux of the position –

¹ See below that Hoil Moshe also raises a second possibility that the spies split up, each scouting a different are of the land.

² He asserts that they begin in the southeast, moved westward and then traveled along the sea towards רְחֹב לְבֹא חֲמָת.

³ He points out that in the spies' report (verse 29) they make no mention of the Philistines on the west nor do they mention any details regarding the middle and north of the country. He further supports his claim from the choice of verb, "לָתוּר", which he claims relates to the root "תאר" which mean to surround.

⁴ He emphasizes that the mission was not a military one, and thus they were not supposed to just look at the borders for an easy entrance into the land. Cf. Hoil Moshe above who suggests the exact opposite.

⁵ It is likely that had the nation not sinned, they would have entered the country from the south (not the east as they eventually did). This would have been the logical entry point given their present location, and thus, it makes sense to scout out the first area to be conquered. Cf. the "maapilim" who similarly try to enter from the South, going "up the mountain".

⁶ Abarbanel is drawing on the description of the northern borders of the land mentioned in Bemidbar 34:7-8 In this he differs from most other commentators who assume that the mountain mentioned here is the hilly region in the southern part of the land, and thus, that Moshe is only speaking about the Negev area.

⁷ They speak of the giants seen in Chevron and bring of the fruit of Nachal Eshkol. The verses thus form a "כלל ופרט", starting with the general statement that the scouts traveled throughout the land, then discussing only one specific part of their trip in detail.

⁸ Perhaps, he wanted to emphasize the bringing of fruits and the initial positive report. See N. Leibowitz, Iyyunim BeSefer Devarim (Jerusalem, 1995):16-22, who suggests that in Devarim Moshe tried to minimize the role of the spies themselves, and instead emphasized the sin of the nation so that the people would take responsibility rather than blaming others for the failure. Moshe thus does not mention the bad report of the spies or speak of other parts of the spying mission, but rather highlights the nation's subsequent complaining.

⁹ Though the verse does not mention him by name, it becomes clear from Yehoshua 14:1-15 that he had scouted the area.

¹⁰ Rashi explains that Calev wanted to pray by the graves of the forefathers so as not be persuaded by the other spies. Hoil Moshe does not explain the purpose of the visit. He simply points out that in general the scouts did not enter individual cities in the middle of the land, but since Chevron was not so far from the border, one of the men detoured there. If this is the case, though, it is not so clear why the Torah should emphasize the detour to such an extent, unless one suggests that it was this unplanned detour (and the finding of giants there) that led to the failure of the mission.

¹¹ Chizkuni points to Yehoshua 8:19 where a group of people acting as an ambush is similarly referred to in the singular. R. Hirsch asserts that the choice of singular is meant to emphasize that until the spies came to Chevron they were all in agreement (acting as one); it was only afterwards that there was a division of opinion between Calev (and Yehoshua) and the others.

¹² Malbim explains that while the spies were scouting the unfortified cities they traveled together. Since such cities would not normally be on the itinerary of a military scouting mission, they were not fearful of arousing suspicion. Only when they entered Chevron, a walled city with giants, did they fear that they would be viewed as spies.

¹³ For purposes of comparison, one can look at the distance from Kiryat Shemoneh to Eilat which is approximately 450 kilometers, or if one adds the return trip - 900 kilometers. An average person can walk 100 kilometers in 2.5 days, covering this route in 22-23 days. Thus, even giving room for a longer distance, difficult terrain, stops and side excursions, 40 days should have sufficed the spies.

¹⁴ This could significantly alter the probability of crossing the country in less than forty days. The Israel National trail, which crisscrosses the country, is about 1000 kilometers long and takes the average hiker 40-60 days, one way! Even if one assumes that the trail time includes many breaks for relaxation, if the princes were meant to scout the land and evaluate it it for military or quality-control purposes, the trek could very well have taken a long time.

¹⁵ Abarbanel, in contrast, denies the need for a miracle, pointing to the messengers of the new moon, who would make it from Jerusalem to Syria and back in 2 weeks time.

¹⁶ See also Ibn EzraBemidbar 13:22About R. Avraham ibn Ezra who raises this position in passing when mentioning Chazal's position regarding Calev's visit to Chevron.

¹⁷ He does not explain why Moshe instructed them to begin there, but might suggest that this was simply a practical suggestion as it was the closest point to their present location. Alternatively, Netziv could maintain, as above, that the choice related to the site's potential as an entry point during the conquest.

¹⁸ He does not elaborate why the text highlights this episode rather than any other, but might explain, as above, that it is the most relevant to the later report of the spies.

¹⁹ Hoil Moshe does not relate to the issue explicitly, but from his suggestion that the spies traveled just around the perimeter of the country, it would follow that the mission was related to the impending conquest.

²⁰ This is especially bothersome since the one person who visited, Calev, was positive in his report and prepared to fight.

²¹ This is, perhaps, what leads Netziv to suggest that there must have been giants in other places as well.

²² Joshua, similarly, sent spies just to Yericho, his first point of attack, but not elsewhere. One must wonder, though, why Moshe would ask them to check the quality of the country's produce and agriculture.

²³ See R"Y Meidan, "בכייה לשעה ובכייה לדורות (חטא המרגלים)"‎, Megadim 10 (1990): 21-37.

²⁴ R. Meidan simply assumes that the time frame would have been sufficient.

²⁵ If the twelve men were simply touring the land to evaluate it for purposes of tribal division they would not have appeared suspicious as they could have easily blended into the many tourists and merchants passing through the land. But when twelve men look into fortifications, water sources and the like, it is not simple to pass unnoticed.

²⁶ R. Meidan proposes that the phrase "וַנְּהִי בְעֵינֵינוּ כַּחֲגָבִים וְכֵן הָיִינוּ בְּעֵינֵיהֶם" refers to their being viewed as spies rather than scouts or merchants. The beady eyes of grasshoppers match those of inquiring spies, not innocent bypassers.