Why God Told Moses Send the Spies By Your Own Counsel

"Send for yourself men." Why was the section of Shelach Lecha placed next to the section of Miriam? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw concerning the spies that they were destined to bring forth an evil report about the Land, the section of Miriam was written next to it — for she was stricken on account of slander (lashon ha-ra) — so that the spies too would need to learn from her and not bring forth an evil report, in order that they not be stricken; yet they paid no heed. What is "Send for yourself"? It teaches that it was not from the Holy One, blessed be He, that the spies should go to spy out the Land, for it was known to Him what Israel were destined to say. Rather, they themselves asked of Moses to send the spies, as it is said, "And you said, Let us send men" (Deuteronomy 1:22). And Moses went back and asked of the Holy One, blessed be He, whether he should heed them to send spies. And the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Send for yourself" — by your own opinion — so that he should not say, "Have I not the power to bring them in? But it is not My will that they be sent, for it is revealed and known before Me what they are destined to say." Therefore Moses our teacher said, "And the thing was good in my eyes" (Deuteronomy 1:23) — and not in the eyes of the Omnipresent.