The sin of the spies is very difficult to understand says הגר"י לוינשטיין . What were they thinking? Why would they slander the land? Chazal state that, in the desert they were leaders; they were afraid that if the Jews went into Israel they would lose their leadership roles. However that makes no sense. How long could the nation have stayed in the desert? If the nation turned around and went back to Egypt, they would surely lose their leadership roles. What were they thinking by sabotaging the entering of the land?
Even more puzzling is the behavior of the people. What frightened them? Was it the report that the people of the land are stronger & bigger than us? They had just witnessed Hashem perform all kinds of miracles for them, taking them out of the stronghold of Egypt where they had been enslaved for hundreds of years. Did they really think now that Hashem couldn't fight for them? Did He lose his strength that caused them to say, "It would have been better to die in Egypt than be brought here? Did they forget all that had happened? What happened to the people that they suddenly forgot all that Hashem did for them?
The רמח"ל says that even if a person will try to control himself not to sin, he will only be successful if Hashem helps him, for the power of the Yetzer Hara is so strong that, without the help of Hashem, a person couldn't withstand the challenge. How does one merit Hashem’s assistance in conquering the Yetzer Hara? If one tries on his own but puts his reliance in Hashem, then Hashem will help him & he will conquer.
The generation of the desert did not rely on Hashem who said that the land was good. Instead, they wanted to check it out themselves & as a result they lost Hashem’s help in being able to fight off the Yetzer Hara. Without Hashem’s help, one could believe anything, even the words of the spies. Without the help of Hashem, one is clueless & can forget everything. That's what happened here; even all the miracles they witnessed in Egypt didn't help them comprehend the situation. Once Hashem takes His help away, the Yetzer Hara has full control to make you lose your common sense.
How can we avoid this pitfall & keep our reliance in Hashem strong?
The posuk had informed us that the spies were all good people, tzadikim when they left; so what went wrong?
The חזון יחזקאל explains: the gemara tells us that whoever walks four amos in Eretz Yisroel is guaranteed that he will merit the world to come. What is so special about walking four Amos in Eretz Yisroel?
We know that the four amos of a person is considered a private domain. Chazal expound on that & say that, even when a person is walking, he should remain in his four Amos. Even when a person is in the public domain, he should keep to himself & not go where the street takes him. By doing so, he will acquire the goodness of Eretz yisroel leading to guaranteed olam haba. If he leaves his private domain & goes after the street, he could lose everything. This is what happened to the spies. Once they left Moshe & the seviva of the Jewish people, they no longer stayed within themselves. They went after the street causing their downfall. This teaches us the importance of keeping focus on our beliefs no matter where we are. We have to stay within our own domain even if we have to be on the street. Remember, that we can’t do it on our own. We have to do our part, place our reliance on Hashem & He will help us to succeed!
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