The Torah tells us in Numbers 13 that they departed from Kadesh-Barnea. But where did they go first? The south of Palestine, the least impressive part. Now, why would Moses do that?
Well, according to Legends of the Jews, Ginzberg retells a fascinating explanation: Moses, in a way, was acting like a savvy merchant. He wanted to manage expectations. Show the "lesser" wares first, so the "better kind" would truly shine in comparison.
The idea was that as the spies journeyed further into the land, they’d see increasingly more impressive areas. Each vista would be better than the last. A clever strategy. A bit of psychological priming, perhaps?
But there's more to this story.
When the spies arrived in Hebron, they were able to really grasp just how blessed this land really was, this land promised to them. Even though Hebron was considered the poorest tract in all of Palestine, it was still far superior to Zoan, the most fertile region in Egypt!
Let that sink in for a moment. The least desirable part of the Promised Land was still better than the best part of Egypt. It makes you wonder about the scale of the promise, doesn’t it?
This detail about Hebron being built before Zoan is particularly striking. According to this tradition, when the sons of Ham were building cities across the world, they chose Hebron first, not because it was easy, but because its inherent excellence was clear. Zoan in Egypt came a full seven years later.
Imagine: the very first priority, the place deemed most worthy of human ingenuity and effort, was this seemingly humble place in the land promised to the Israelites.
It makes you think differently about first impressions, doesn't it? It's not always about showing your best face immediately. Sometimes, starting with the modest allows the truly exceptional to reveal itself in its full glory. And sometimes, what appears to be the "poorest" part is still richer than we can possibly imagine.