“Send you men that they may scout the land of Canaan that I am giving to the children of Israel; you shall send one man each for the tribe of his fathers, every one a prince among them” (Numbers 13:2) Halakha – What is the ruling: May one set out on the Mediterranean Sea three days prior to Shabbat? Our Rabbis taught: One may not set out on a ship in the Mediterranean Sea three days prior to Shabbat when he is going to a distant place; however, if he seeks to set out from Tyre to Sidon, it is permitted for him to set out even on Friday, because it is known to all that he will be able to go there while it is still day.
This is regarding one who sets out for an optional matter. However, one who sets out for a matter of mitzva, it is permitted for him to set out any day that he wishes. Why? It is because he set out for a matter of mitzva; one who sets out for a matter of mitzva overrides Shabbat.1 Sifrei Shofetim 203.
Likewise you find regarding sukka that we learned that those who set out for a matter of mitzva are exempt from the sukka, as you have nothing as dear before the Holy One blessed be He as one who is dispatched to set out for a matter of mitzva, and devotes himself in order to succeed on his mission. You have no people who were dispatched to perform a mitzva and devoted themselves to succeed on their mission like those two whom Joshua dispatched, as it is stated: “Joshua son of Nun dispatched from Shitim two [men]…” (Joshua 2:1).
Who were they? Our Rabbis taught: They were Pinḥas and Caleb, and they went and endangered their lives, and succeeded on their mission. What is “covertly [heresh]” (Joshua 2:1). It teaches that they presented themselves as potters, and were shouting: ‘Here are pots; anyone who wishes, come and purchase.’
Why to that extent? So no person will be aware of their presence. [We should] read heres [clay] [instead of heresh [covertly]] in the verse, so that the people [of Jericho] will not say that they are spies. “They went and they came to the house of a harlot whose name was Raḥav, and they lodged there” (Joshua 2:1). She stood and received them, but the king of Jericho became aware of their presence and heard that they had come to spy on the land, as it is stated: “It was said to the king of Jericho, saying: [Behold, men came here tonight from the children of Israel to spy the land]” (Joshua 2:2).
When he went to seek them, what did Raḥav do? She took them to hide them. Pinḥas said to her: ‘I am a priest’ and priests were likened to angels [malakhim], as it is stated: “For the lips of the priest will safeguard knowledge, and they will seek Torah from his mouth, as he is a messenger [malakh] of the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 2:7). When an angel wishes, he is seen, and when he wishes, he is not seen.
From where is it derived that prophets were likened to angels, as it says in Moses’s regard: “He sent a messenger [malakh] and took us out of Egypt” (Numbers 20:16). Was it not Moses? Rather, from here, prophets are likened to angels. Likewise it says: “The messenger [malakh] of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokhim.
He said: I took you up from Egypt” (Judges 2:1). Was it not Pinḥas? Rather, from here, prophets are called angels. Therefore, Pinḥas said to her: ‘I am a priest, and there is no need to hide me.
Hide my counterpart, Caleb, but I will stand before them and they will not see me.’ So she did, as it is stated: “The woman took the two men, and hid him” (Joshua 2:4). “And hid them” is not written here, but rather, “and hid him”; she did not hide Pinḥas, but only Caleb. It is to teach you to what extent these two righteous men devoted themselves to perform their mission.
However, the emissaries that Moses sent were wicked men. From where is it deived? It is from what we read regarding: “Send you men.”