The story of the spies sent to scout the Land of Canaan in the Book of Numbers is a powerful example of how fear and negative speech can derail even the most promising journeys.

The Torah tells us, "Moses sent them to scout the land of Canaan, he said to them: Ascend there in the South, and ascend the highland" (Numbers 13:17). But it wasn't just the land they were meant to explore; it was their own hearts and minds.

Rabbi Berekhya HaKohen ben Rabbi, as quoted in Bamidbar Rabbah 16, highlights a particularly daunting encounter: the spies met three children of giants: Aḥiman, Sheshai, and Talmai (Numbers 13:22). Now, these weren’t your average Joes. The text even gives us a little etymology, a play on their names to emphasize their imposing nature. Aḥiman, it says, means "My brethren [aḥai], who [man] will come against us?" Sheshai was “as hard as marble [shayish],” and Talmai would “make furrows [telamim] in the ground.” Talk about intimidating!

Understandably, the spies were terrified. And here's where things take a dark turn. They returned to the Israelite camp and spread a discouraging report, saying, “For they are stronger than we [mimenu]” (Numbers 13:31). Reish Lakish, also in Bamidbar Rabbah, points out a subtle but devastating interpretation of that word, "mimenu." It can mean "than us," but it can also mean "than Him" – referring to God! The spies, in their fear, were essentially saying that the giants were stronger than the Almighty.

This, according to the Midrash, was no mere slip of the tongue. It was a profound act of invective, a blasphemy. And the consequences were severe. Because of this, Reish Lakish says, harsh decrees were issued against them. As we find in Bamidbar Rabbah, God says to Jeremiah, "Go and say to them: You do not know what you expressed from your mouths... You ignited a fire upon yourselves.” A day for each of the forty days they scouted the land, a year for each day, they would wander in the wilderness (Numbers 14:34).

But it doesn't end there. The spies also said, "We were as grasshoppers in our eyes" (Numbers 13:33), which God says, "I forgive them for this." But then they added, "And likewise we were in their eyes" (Numbers 13:33). As the text in Bamidbar Rabbah says, "'Do you know what I rendered you in their eyes? Who is to say that you were not as angels in their eyes? What have you caused yourselves?' In accordance with the number of the days that you scouted the land” (Numbers 14:34).

It was one thing to see themselves as small, but to assume that the giants saw them the same way? That was a step too far. They had projected their own lack of faith and self-worth onto others, and in doing so, sealed their fate. They would not enter the Promised Land.

But there's a glimmer of hope in the end. God tells Israel, "In this world, because they were flesh and blood messengers, it was decreed in their regard that they would not enter the Land. However, in the World to Come, I will send you My messenger and he will clear the path,” as it is stated: “Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me and suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to His Sanctuary” (Malachi 3:1).

So, what can we take away from this ancient story? Perhaps it’s a reminder to be mindful of the words we speak and the thoughts we entertain. Fear can be a powerful force, but it doesn't have to define us. And sometimes, the biggest obstacles we face are not external giants, but the internal ones we create ourselves. Maybe, just maybe, we are seen as angels in the eyes of others, and we should remember that before we let fear take over.