Rashi at the begining of the פרשה asks:
למה נסמכה פרשת מרגלים לפרשת מרים לפי שלקתה על עסקי דבה שדיברה באחיה ורשעים הללו ראו ולא לקחו מוסר
Why is the story of the מרגלים featured immediately following the episode of מרים receiving צרעת? To highlight the great error of the מרגלים. They should have learned from Miriam the severity of speaking לשון הרע.
Rav Yosef Ber Soliveichik asks: Miriam spoke about משה רבינו, the great leader of כלל ישראל. The מרגלים merely spoke about ארץ ישראל, an inanimate object. Why would the מרגלים be expected to draw parallels to their conplaints from Miriam’s punishment?
To better understand the parallel, we need to examine the mistake that Miriam and Aharon made. The Pasuk detailing this mistake says:
ויאמרו הרק אך במשה דיבר ה הלא גם בנו דיבר
Both Miriam and Aharon understood that משה was greater than them. However, they thought they were all within the same realm, the realm of נבואה. Perhaps משה was a greater נביא, but ultimately they too were נביאים. So why did משה have to separate from his spouse, if Miriam and Aharon didn’t have to? Hashem rebuked them by stating their error. The regular נביא sees a vision, and needs to interpret the message he’s seeing according to his understanding.
לא כן עבדי משה בכל ביתי נאמן הוא, פה אל פה אדבר בו ומראה ולא בחידות
The נבואה of משה is an entirely different realm. His נבואה is Hashem talking directly to him, with no need to interpret. It’s the direct word of Hashem, a level that’s an entire league above that of Miriam and Aharon. And it’s because of that great level that משה could transmit the תורה , the direct words of Hashem.
We can now understand what the מרגלים failed to do. They thought that Eretz Yisrael was just another piece of land, and they didn’t hesitate to report the negative things they saw there. They failed to realize that it’s an entirely different realm. It’s the center of the world, and the land הקב”ה chose to dwell in and to be משרה his שכינה in. In this land the regular laws of nature don’t apply, and if Hashem told them they will inherit it, they had nothing to fear. And that was the lesson the מרגלים failed to learn from Miriam.
Today, as we witness the nations of the world’s obsession with ארץ ישראל, a tiny country that desires only to live in peace, we see clearly how this is no regular real estate, but a land better and different than the rest of the world.
We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. In 1267 the Ramban left Spain on a journey to ארץ ישראל. In a letter to his son he describes the poor state of the land, and in particular, ירושלים עיר הקודש, where there wasnt even a Shul standing. And he states:
כל המקודש מחבירו חרב מחבירו
The more holy a place is in ארץ ישראל, the more desolate it is. Yet, he concludes that this sad state of affairs fills him with hope. Because just like he saw the fulfillment of the קללות in the תוכחה, he hopes to merit seeing the fulfillment of the promise that ירושלים will be rebuilt and restored to its glory.
May we be זוכה to see it, בקרוב ממש!
Weekly Parsha Shiur 