It all starts with a seemingly simple instruction: "Send you men that they may scout the land of Canaan that I am giving to the children of Israel" (Numbers 13:2).
But before we dive into that fateful scouting mission, let's detour into a seemingly unrelated question: Can you set sail on the Mediterranean three days before Shabbat (the Sabbath)? What does sailing have to do with spies? Well, stick with me. The Rabbis debated this, concluding you shouldn't set out on a long voyage so close to the Sabbath. But, there's always a "but" in Jewish law! If the journey is short (like from Tyre to Sidon), or, crucially, if it's for a mitzva, a commandment, then you're good to go. In fact, if it's for a mitzva, you can sail any day. Why? Because fulfilling a commandment overrides even the Sabbath. As Sifrei Shofetim 203 points out, someone on a mitzva is exempt from certain obligations, like dwelling in a sukka (booth) during Sukkot (the Festival of Tabernacles).
And that brings us back to our spies.
The text emphasizes that nothing is as precious to God as someone devoted to fulfilling a mission. To illustrate this, Bamidbar Rabbah draws a comparison, a striking one, to the spies sent by Joshua – Pinḥas and Caleb. Remember them? These weren't just any spies; they were dedicated, risking their lives for the mission. (Joshua 2:1) tells us, "Joshua son of Nun dispatched from Shittim two [men]…". Our Rabbis identify them as Pinḥas and Caleb, and their actions are painted in stark contrast to the spies of Moses.
How dedicated were they? The text gets wonderfully specific. They went "covertly" – heresh (חרש) in Hebrew. But the Rabbis play with the word, suggesting we read it as heres (חרס) – "clay." They pretended to be potters! Can you imagine? Shouting, "Here are pots! Come buy!" just to blend in. They even went to the house of Rahav, a… let's just say "woman of ill repute," in Jericho (Joshua 2:1). She sheltered them, even when the King of Jericho came looking.
Here's where it gets really interesting. Pinḥas, being a priest (a kohen (a priest)), declared to Rahav that he didn’t need hiding. Why? Because priests, like angels (malakhim), can appear and disappear at will! That's based on (Malachi 2:7), which compares priests to messengers, angels, of God. Similarly, prophets are compared to angels, as we see in (Numbers 20:16). So, Pinḥas tells Rahav to hide only Caleb, his counterpart, while he will simply stand before them unseen. And she did! (Joshua 2:4) subtly tells us she only hid "him"—Caleb.
The text makes a point of stressing how much these two righteous men devoted themselves to perform their mission. And then comes the punchline: "However, the emissaries that Moses sent were wicked men." A rather stark contrast isn't it? Where do we get that? From the very phrase, "Send you men." The implication is that Moses was acting on his own accord, rather than at God's explicit command. This hints at the spies' ultimate failure, the fear they instilled in the Israelites, and the consequences that followed.
So, what's the takeaway? It's not just about obedience, but about intention. About wholeheartedly embracing a mission, about the lengths one will go to fulfill a sacred task. And perhaps, a cautionary tale: even a mission that seems divinely ordained can go terribly wrong if the hearts of those carrying it out aren't truly aligned with the divine will.
“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.”
