Chapter 2 of Sefer Yehoshua is the chapter of the sending of the spies, and it is the one read as the Haftarah for Parashat Shelach Lecha, since that parashah deals with the sending of spies and our chapter here deals with the sending of spies. The difference is that here we are speaking of a mission that succeeded, and not of a mission that brought disaster. Let us follow the Malbim and see how each and every detail in the first pasuk distinguishes between the spies of Moshe and the spies of Yehoshua, and through this we will understand the secret of the success.
Already in the previous chapter we noted the difficulty. According to the order of the verses it seems that Yehoshua sends spies after he had already commanded "Prepare provisions for yourselves" and said that in three days they would cross the Yarden. Yet the calculation of the days does not work out: a day's journey to Yericho, they stay there, then three days in the mountain, then the return to Yehoshua, and only the next day do they travel, meaning at least five days go by. Rashi, the Ralbag and the other commentators struggled with this.
The Malbim resolves it: the order of events is not the same as the order of the text. At first, before the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke with Yehoshua, Yehoshua thought that the entire process would be carried out through natural means and human effort alone. That is why he arranged matters with the tribes of Gad and Reuven, and that is why he sent spies, in order to build an earthly, natural foundation for the conquest of the land. But afterward, when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him "I will be with you," Yehoshua said: we do not wait for the spies and we do not wait for the report, within three days we move forward. It turns out that the spies had gone out several days earlier, and Yehoshua simply decided not to wait for them. With this we escape the entire difficulty in the calculation of the three days.
וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן מִן הַשִּׁטִּים שְׁנַיִם אֲנָשִׁים מְרַגְּלִים חֶרֶשׁ לֵאמֹר, לְכוּ רְאוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְאֶת יְרִיחוֹ. וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ בֵּית אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה וּשְׁמָהּ רָחָב וַיִּשְׁכְּבוּ שָׁמָּה. - And Yehoshua the son of Nun sent out from Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying: Go, see the land and Yericho. And they went and came to the house of a woman, a harlot, whose name was Rachav, and they lay down there.
The difficulty is great, and the commentators have already addressed it: Yehoshua is a graduate of the wilderness. Forty years they sat in the wilderness because of the sin of the spies, and it did not happen so long ago. How does he come and recycle the ancient sin once again? After all, the essence of the sin was that the Holy One, blessed be He, told them that the land was good, and even so they said "Let us send men before us," not relying on the Divine promise. And furthermore: what caused the failure of Moshe's spies, and what caused the success of Yehoshua's spies, who fulfilled their mission properly?
The Malbim lists five differences here. The first: who initiated it. By Moshe it says "And you all approached me and said, Let us send men before us," meaning the demand arose from below, from the people. Therefore, when they returned, they spread an evil report and the people relied on them: we sent you. And that is also why they returned and reported to the people. Would it enter your mind that a chief of staff who went out to spy would go on the media to report to the people what he saw in Syria or Iran? You have officials, you have a chief of staff, you have a prime minister, it is to them that he reports. But those spies saw themselves as accountable to the people, for Moshe appointed them only because he had no choice, since had he refused they would have said: what does he have to hide, what is he afraid of, apparently the land is not good. Here, by contrast, Yehoshua sends on his own initiative, and quite simply the people did not even know of the mission. The spies come only to Yehoshua and report only to him.
The second difference: the place from which they were sent. Moshe sent from the Wilderness of Paran, when they were still far from the land and uncertain whether the land was good and whether it could be conquered. Yehoshua sends from Shittim, right on the border of the land. One who is uncertain whether it is worth entering does not come all the way to the door; he checks from afar whether it is worthwhile to go. Yehoshua says: I am entering in any case, the only question is from where.
The third difference: Moshe sent twelve men to scout; Yehoshua sent two men as spies.
The Malbim, as he also explained in Parashat Miketz and Parashat Shelach, distinguishes between the terms. "Tur" comes to check whether the land is good and whether its inhabitants are mighty. "Meragel" seeks out the land's nakedness, its vulnerable point, the place from which it is easy to conquer.
From here, says the Malbim, stems the difference in the number of emissaries. If one sends scouts to see whether the land is good, this is a question of worth, of real estate. In such a case each tribe sends its own prince: my lord, I trust only you, you are one of ours, you will guard our interests. They will not rely on lesser men, nor will one tribe rely on another tribe's emissary, but each will send someone who will check whether the land is suitable for his occupation: a farmer, a shepherd, a merchant, a dweller by the seashore. Moshe sent them "to scout," to see the quality of the land and its people, as the nation demanded, and therefore he sent a prince from each tribe, and from this came the great stumbling block.
Not so with the mission "to spy." There we have already decided to conquer, there are no doubts and no hesitations, and we are not asking whether it is good or not good. We want to know only one thing: from where is it best to attack. For this there is no need for twelve men, and there are no economic interests of any tribe here. It is enough to have two men who will scout and say: there the walls are not thick, there is no guard there, there is no army there. Such a mission is sent by an army commander who wants to know from which place to come and fight, and simple men suffice for it.
According to this the entire verse is explained: "two" and no more; "men" from the common people and not princes; "spies" and not scouts, who do not come to determine whether the land is good but to know from where to conquer. All this ensured that there would be no room for an evil report about the land, since they had not come to examine its quality at all. The fourth difference: "secretly," in concealment, without anyone knowing, unlike Moshe's mission which was done with great publicity and came at the nation's behest. And the fifth difference is in the content of the command: "go, see the land and Yericho," see from which area it is easy to conquer and from where we can enter within.
In accordance with this intent they arrive at the house of a harlot, and in this there was a double stratagem, says the Malbim. First, so that they would not be recognized as being from among the children of Israel: it was known to the inhabitants of Canaan that Israel despises immorality, and it would not enter their minds that Israel's spies would frequent such a filthy and corrupt place.
Second, in the woman herself. The verse emphasizes "and her name was Rachav," and the Sages said that Rachav debauched through her name, and whoever would say "Rachav Rachav" would immediately have an emission, and the Gemara establishes this regarding one who knew her and was acquainted with her. All this comes to tell how famous she was in her harlotry, and all the notables of the world would come to her: the important people, the army officers, the kings. It follows that she knows exactly what is happening in the land, and her house is the very best source of information.
And further: "zonah" is also from the language of provisions (mezonot), and both things are true. She sold provisions, and it is already written in the books that in their time the two things went together: a woman who kept an inn provided all the services. It turns out that even one who came only to buy provisions speaks there: did you hear what is happening, I just arrived from that city, I was there and I saw. There were no news bulletins, information passed from mouth to ear, "Major Rumor." And the selling woman is the one who hears everything from everyone and can give them exactly the information they need. And "and they lay down there" is a language of sleep, as we will see later on.
The Radak is precise about "two men": good men, for the expression "men" indicates people of quality, as in "they were all men." Not like those whom Moshe sent. And "secretly, saying": he warned them to go in silence, like deaf men, as in "and they kept silent all the night," and the Targum renders it "beraz," that is, in secret and concealment.
And why in concealment? First, so that the nation would not know that spies were being sent, so as not to instill dread in their hearts. They well remember what the first spies did, and they would fear that perhaps now too another forty years would be decreed in the wilderness. And second, if Yehoshua sends spies, there is room to think that he is not confident in the conquest, and consequently the nation's heart would fall. And why then did he send them? Says the Radak: because he knew they would succeed in their mission, and on the contrary, they would bring good tidings that would strengthen the nation and not weaken it like the previous spies.
Some interpret "secretly" (cheresh) according to its plain meaning: make yourselves like deaf-mutes. For a person walks, someone addresses him in speech, and immediately recognizes that he is not a local by his accent. Even in the same language itself, the accent gives one away: this one is a Syrian Arab, this one is Lebanese, this one is Egyptian, this one is Palestinian. What does one do in such a situation? One stays silent. One makes oneself like a deaf-mute, making do with hand gestures, and then there is no concern that they will recognize who you are and from where you came.
The Radak brings another interpretation from the Midrash: "cheresh" is like "cheres" (clay). For many words in the Holy Tongue are written with a left shin in place of a samech. We write "eirusin" (betrothal) with a samech, yet in the Torah "a woman shall be betrothed" uses a shin. "Ka'as" (anger) we write with a samech, yet in Iyov it appears with a shin. "Pesa" - "as a step between me and death" - and we write "pesiot" (steps) with a samech. So too "yispok," "sid" and others. Accordingly, "cheresh" means an earthenware vessel: he told them, take pots and carry them upon yourselves, so that you appear as potters. A man walking about idle arouses suspicion; a man carrying pots on his back, people say, here is a merchant, he has business, and no one suspects that he came to spy. Some said they carried carpentry tools, from the expression "the work of a stone craftsman (charash even)," and some said stone tools, and some understood it literally, that they made themselves out to be deaf (cheirshim), and through this they discovered hidden things.
Why specifically sellers of earthenware vessels? There is a special law regarding earthenware vessels that differs from all other vessels. A metal vessel becomes impure through contact - if a creeping creature touched it, it becomes impure. An earthenware vessel does not become impure at all from its outer surface, even if a creeping creature touched it from outside. Therefore an earthenware vessel that has a tightly fitting lid, covered and sealed, even in the tent of a corpse, whatever is inside it is, as it were, under an aerial umbrella, and the impurity from outside does not enter. But from within it becomes impure even without contact: if one introduced a creeping creature into the airspace of the vessel without touching it, or if a zav inserted his finger into its airspace, it becomes impure.
What is the reason? Every vessel has importance by virtue of its material. Iron is something of value, and even after it is melted down a new vessel can be made from it; so too wood. But earthenware has no value in the material from which it is made. There is endless sand; go outside and gather sand and there is more earthenware. The entire importance of an earthenware vessel comes only from the fact that it was made into a receptacle. Therefore one who touches it from outside does not render it impure, since it has no importance by virtue of its material; but one who introduces something into its airspace has made use of its function as a receptacle, has given it importance, and therefore it becomes impure.
The Chiddushei HaRim says: this is the secret of their success. They made themselves like an earthenware vessel, like one who has no importance in himself but only by virtue of being a receptacle. They were a receptacle for the command of Yehoshua, and expressed no personal opinion at all. Unlike the first spies, where each one was a "one who says," each one took the information and gave it his own interpretation - can we conquer it, is the Holy One, blessed be He, able to bring His vessels out from there - and they took upon themselves something no one had commanded them.
Chazal say the spies were Kalev and Pinchas, and why specifically them? Because they were experts at removing sorcery, from past experience. For the nations had sorceries to prevent the conquest of the land, and as we will see later they set up walls around Yericho through sorcery. Accordingly, "cheresh" expresses the power to nullify sorcery, as in the verse "captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the skilled craftsman (chacham charashim), and the expert enchanter" - "charashim" are those who understand sorcery and know how to nullify it.
And the Midrash Tanchuma says: You have none more beloved before the Holy One, blessed be He, than a messenger of a mitzvah who is sent to perform a mitzvah and gives his life so that he may succeed in his mission. And there are no people who were sent to perform a mitzvah and gave their lives to succeed like those two messengers whom Yehoshua bin Nun sent, and these are Pinchas and Kalev, who went and gave their lives and succeeded in their mission.
Seemingly, why does the Midrash marvel so much? After all, there were many who carried out a mission and succeeded in it. Rather, here it speaks of Kalev and Pinchas - the students of Moshe Rabbeinu, of the same cohort as Yehoshua. How many people do we know who grew up together with the leader, were his companions on the study bench, and perhaps even greater than him in wisdom and Torah, and nevertheless nullify themselves before him completely, accept his kingship over them, go on his mission and do the maximum so that he may succeed? This is something not simple at all. Yehoshua was like a friend to them, and suddenly he is their leader, and they accept his authority completely - and for this they were especially praised in the words of Chazal.
וַיֵּאָמַר לְמֶלֶךְ יְרִיחוֹ לֵאמֹר, הִנֵּה אֲנָשִׁים בָּאוּ הֵנָּה הַלַּיְלָה מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַחְפֹּר אֶת הָאָרֶץ. - And it was told to the king of Yericho, saying: Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the land.
How did they understand that these were spies? The Malbim explains that there were three reasons hinted at in the pasuk. First, "men came" - Yericho was shut tight, none went out and none came in, and yet these men arrived here. Second, "came here" - there are merchants who pass through a city intending to reach another city, and their way is to lodge at the city gate and continue on their journey. These men did not lodge at the gate like merchants but entered inside, a sign that they had a purpose in Yericho itself. Third, "the night" - a person should always leave when the light is good and arrive when the light is good, that is, during daylight hours, and it is not people's way to travel the roads at night. Those who come at night come in order to conceal their arrival.
And here a third expression of spying appears: "to dig." The Malbim distinguishes between one who digs, one who scouts, and one who spies: the one who digs delves deep in one place. This is also the usage in our language today: "stop digging into me," said of a person who asks again and again about the same point and keeps pressing on the same matter. These men were not conducting a general survey; they came to know the inner workings, to uncover the hidden things, to dig deep in one place in order to understand well the state of mind of the inhabitants of Yericho.
And note: they do not say "men came to Rachav," even though they had that information, but simply "they came here." By way of a witty remark one could say they did not want to mention her name, for whoever says "Rachav, Rachav" is at once drawn to think of her great beauty. And plainly: Rachav was very well connected, all the great men of the world frequented her, and they feared that if they became entangled with her it would harm them. Therefore they spoke in general terms: they came here, and you, the king, will already check with whom and deal with the matter.
And how did they even know that men had arrived, and that they were of the Children of Israel? First, they were astrologers, and by the movements of the stars they knew hidden things. Moreover, they were expert in sorcery. And beyond this it is written that they saw their faces shining with holiness, and from this they understood that these were of the holy people, of the Children of Israel.
וַיִּשְׁלַח מֶלֶךְ יְרִיחוֹ אֶל רָחָב לֵאמֹר, הוֹצִיאִי הָאֲנָשִׁים הַבָּאִים אֵלַיִךְ אֲשֶׁר בָּאוּ לְבֵיתֵךְ, כִּי לַחְפֹּר אֶת כׇּל הָאָרֶץ בָּאוּ. - And the king of Yericho sent to Rachav, saying: Bring out the men who came to you, who came to your house, for they have come to dig out the entire land.
Anyone reading this notices the repetition: "who came to you" and "who came to your house." The Malbim explains: "who came to you" - even if they tell you they came to you, and Rachav did receive visitors, and they have something with which to conceal the purpose of spying, know that it is not so. They did not come to you for the sake of sin, but "they came to your house," for from your house it is possible to know what is happening throughout the entire land. To this house everyone comes, some to obtain food and some for other services, and they all talk and reveal the true state of mind. Therefore it is precisely there that they came, and the goal is "to dig out the entire land."
And they say by way of a witty remark: the Gemara in Gittin says that a gentile has no right of acquisition in the Land of Israel to make in it pits, cisterns, or caves; he has no right to begin digging in the land, for the land is not his, and only to Israel is this permitted. And this is "for they have come to dig out the entire land" - they feel that the land is theirs and that they are permitted to dig. If they come even to dig, which is only for Israel, who have ownership of the land, know that these are Israel and that their aim is to conquer the land here.
וַתִּקַּח הָאִשָּׁה אֶת שְׁנֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים וַתִּצְפְּנוֹ, וַתֹּאמֶר כֵּן בָּאוּ אֵלַי הָאֲנָשִׁים וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי מֵאַיִן הֵמָּה. - And the woman took the two men and concealed him, and she said: Indeed the men came to me, but I did not know from where they were.
There are three difficulties in the pasuk. The hiding appears twice - here "and she concealed him," and in pasuk 6 "and she hid them." What is the difference between concealing and hiding? And why is it at first in the singular, "and she concealed him," and afterward in the plural, "and she hid them"?
The Malbim explains: "tzafun" (concealed) refers to something standing in a place where it is not seen, but it is not necessarily covered. The root is from the same word as "tzofeh" (one who watches), following the manner of roots that serve for a thing and its opposite - like "lehashrish" and "lesharesh," where one means to take root and the other to uproot, and like "la'ag vakeles" which is contempt as opposed to "lehallel, le'alleh, ulekales" which is praise. The watcher stands in a place from which one sees far off, and the concealed thing stands in a place where it is not watched. But it is not hidden away and not covered. "Tamun" (hidden), by contrast, is found in a place that we have covered; and therefore we speak of hatmanah (insulating food) on Shabbat, which is the placing of a covering over the thing.
When the king sent his men, Rachav had no time to conceal them properly. The first thing she could do was hide each one away: you go here, and you stand there. What did she gain by this? First, they were not together. It was known that two men had arrived, and if they were seen together people would immediately say, there they are, whereas when separated they arouse no immediate suspicion. Second, if one were caught the other would escape. That is why it says "and she hid him" in the singular - she hid each one in a different corner.
But she immediately worried: if they made even a light search here they would find them, for they were not truly hidden away but merely concealed. So she used her wits, wringing her hands and saying: yes, of course, there were spies here, and they have already gone and fled. Her whole aim was to prompt them to leave the place at once, so that she would then have time to hide the men properly.
And she adds proofs. "The men did indeed come to me" - just as you said. And as soon as they came they began to probe, in the manner of spies who ask questions. "And I did not know where they were from" - this is a second proof. A familiar person who comes and inquires about matters of the land, that is something incidental and natural; but a stranger whom no one knows where he came from, who begins to inquire about matters of the land, that immediately raises red flags: what is his business here? Furthermore: they did not reveal the name of their place nor tell where they were from, they came in secret, and all this proves they are spies.
There is another explanation for the singular "and she hid him," and Rashi brings it from the Midrash: that she only needed to hide Kalev, because Pinchas was an angel and did not require hiding - Pinchas is Eliyahu.
וַיְהִי הַשַּׁעַר לִסְגּוֹר בַּחֹשֶׁךְ וְהָאֲנָשִׁים יָצָאוּ, לֹא יָדַעְתִּי אָנָה הָלְכוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים, רִדְפוּ מַהֵר אַחֲרֵיהֶם כִּי תַשִּׂיגוּם. - And it came to pass at the time of the closing of the gate, in the dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.
Here Rachav adds three more proofs. The third: "at the time of the closing of the gate the men went out" - they fled quickly, right before the gate was locked, a sign that they are spies who fear being caught. The fourth: "in the dark" - they went out in the dark without lamps and without torches, a sign that they have an interest in concealing their flight. The fifth: "I do not know where they went" - just as they concealed where they came from, so they concealed where they were going. All these are clear signs. Therefore she says: pursue them quickly, for all the proofs confirm my words. And "for you will overtake them" - do not tarry and do not begin to search here, for time will be lost and you will let them slip away; hurry and pursue, and if you do not be lazy you will still overtake them.
וְהִיא הֶעֱלָתַם הַגָּגָה וַתִּטְמְנֵם בְּפִשְׁתֵּי הָעֵץ הָעֲרֻכוֹת לָהּ עַל הַגָּג. - And she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them among the stalks of flax that she had laid out on the roof.
After she wisely sent off the searchers, she had time to hide them properly. She did this because she feared that when they found nothing they would return here again, as is customary, or in order to gather more details, or in order to question her, perhaps she knew something and had concealed it. And hiding means covering with something, and here she covered them with the stalks of flax that were laid out and arranged there, so that no one would sense that someone was hidden beneath them.
And why specifically among the stalks of flax? It is written that flax has a special quality: it withstands sorcery and forms a screen against it. Rachav knew that once they were covered with flax, sorcery would have no power to reveal them. For this reason the shrouds of the dead are made of flax, so that the forces of impurity should not cling to the dead and the accuser should have no license to prosecute. And likewise the Kohen Gadol used garments of flax, meant to protect him from the accusers and prosecutors.
And what is the reason that flax is protected from the forces of impurity? Because all plants grow from the power of the seven planets, and flax grows from the power of only six of them, and Mars (Ma'adim) - the power appointed over calamity in the world - does not rule over it. This is hinted at in its name: garments of "shesh" (six), for only six powers rule over it. And likewise "a linen tunic" - "bad" is flax, and "bad" in gematria equals six. Consequently they could not identify through sorcery the place where the men were hidden.
וְהָאֲנָשִׁים רָדְפוּ אַחֲרֵיהֶם דֶּרֶךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן עַל הַמַּעְבְּרוֹת, וְהַשַּׁעַר סָגָרוּ אַחֲרֵי כַּאֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ הָרֹדְפִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם. - And the men pursued them along the way to the Jordan, to the fords; and the gate was shut after the pursuers had gone out after them.
There is a repetition here - "pursued them" and "after the pursuers had gone out after them" - and it is not even stated who shut the gate. The Malbim explains: "and the men pursued" as they thought they could still overtake them, and they pursued along the way to the Jordan, for they reasoned that if they came from there, they would flee back there, and so they pursued "to the fords," the place of crossing the Jordan. And "and the gate was shut after them" - as if it were written that they shut the gate behind them, like "and he shut the door behind him": the pursuers went out and shut the gate behind them.
Why? Because if they did not shut it, it was possible that immediately after they left, the spies hiding nearby would also go out. Therefore they took care to lock the gate, to ensure that if the spies were inside, they would be locked in here and unable to leave, and when we return we will still find them. They simply did not take into account that Rachav had an "elevator" in the house through the window.
וְהֵמָּה טֶרֶם יִשְׁכָּבוּן וְהִיא עָלְתָה עֲלֵיהֶם עַל הַגָּג. - And before they lay down, she came up to them upon the roof.
"And she came up to them" - the Malbim says, in its plain sense. The meaning is not merely that she went up to the roof, for it already says "upon the roof," but that she literally came up upon them, upon the flax that covered them, in order to remove it from over them.
וַתֹּאמֶר אֶל הָאֲנָשִׁים, יָדַעְתִּי כִּי נָתַן ה' לָכֶם אֶת הָאָרֶץ, וְכִי נָפְלָה אֵימַתְכֶם עָלֵינוּ, וְכִי נָמֹגוּ כׇּל יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ מִפְּנֵיכֶם. - And she said to the men: I know that Hashem has given you the land, and that your dread has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you.
The Malbim asks: "your dread has fallen," "have melted away," and afterward "and we heard and our hearts melted" - all of these are repeated expressions, so why does the prophet repeat the same matter with several phrasings? Rather, she opens with a general statement: "I know that Hashem has given you the land," and now she details from where her knowledge stems.
The first: "your dread has fallen upon us." The definition of "dread" (eimah), as opposed to the other expressions of fear, is that a person pictures in his soul the loftiness of the threatening entity and its might. Dread is largely awe of honor and awe of exaltedness, and not necessarily fear of harm. The second: "all the inhabitants of the land have melted away" - this is an expression of fear from concern over harm, they melt from fear of what will be done to them, for they see how you are destroying all the nations around and what power you possess.
כִּי שָׁמַעְנוּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר הוֹבִישׁ ה' אֶת מֵי יַם סוּף מִפְּנֵיכֶם בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם, וַאֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם לִשְׁנֵי מַלְכֵי הָאֱמֹרִי אֲשֶׁר בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן לְסִיחֹן וּלְעוֹג אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱרַמְתֶּם אוֹתָם. - For we have heard how Hashem dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Emori who were across the Jordan, to Sichon and to Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
Here she provides an explanation for the two matters in order. Corresponding to "your dread has fallen" - which is awe of exaltedness - she says "we have heard how Hashem dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds before you." The drying of the Sea of Reeds is not something I need to fear for myself; it displays your greatness and exaltedness, and this is awe of exaltedness. And corresponding to "all the inhabitants of the land have melted away," which is fear of what will happen to us and fear of punishment, she says "and what you did to the two kings of the Emori, whom you utterly destroyed" - you left no soul remaining, and we have great cause to fear that this will be our fate as well.
וַנִּשְׁמַע וַיִּמַּס לְבָבֵנוּ וְלֹא קָמָה עוֹד רוּחַ בְּאִישׁ מִפְּנֵיכֶם, כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הוּא אֱלֹהִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וְעַל הָאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת. - And we heard, and our hearts melted, and no spirit remained any longer in any man before you, for Hashem your God, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.
The Malbim explains: when a nation rises from the ends of the earth to lay waste to lands, some mighty army that goes conquering province after province, at first, when people merely hear its name, they are filled with dread and fear it. But when it draws near to the border of your land, that is precisely when people begin to organize themselves: we will not go like sheep to the slaughter, we will fight. And what are the odds? What does it matter, I am going to die anyway, so let us fight, perhaps we will succeed. Yet here, even though you are already standing at the border, "no man's spirit rose up against you anymore."
וַיָּשֻׁבוּ שְׁנֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיֵּרְדוּ מֵהָהָר וַיַּעַבְרוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן, וַיְסַפְּרוּ לוֹ אֵת כׇּל הַמֹּצְאוֹת אוֹתָם. - And the two men returned and came down from the mountain and crossed over and came to Yehoshua son of Nun, and they told him all that had befallen them.
"All that had befallen them" - natural and logical things that happened to them. It is natural and logical that men moving about a foreign land, arriving in the night, arouse suspicion, and that people immediately begin to search for them. All of these are "things that befell them," because what happened here unfolded in a natural way.
וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, כִּי נָתַן ה' בְּיָדֵנוּ אֶת כׇּל הָאָרֶץ, וְגַם נָמֹגוּ כׇּל יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ מִפָּנֵינוּ. - And they said to Yehoshua: For Hashem has given the whole land into our hand, and moreover all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.
How do they know that "Hashem has given the whole land into our hand"? From the miraculous way in which Hashem saved them on this mission. And how do they know that "all the inhabitants of the land have melted away"? First, from the terrible fear that seized the king of Yericho, who immediately began searching and sent pursuers after the spies who had entered. And second, from the information that Rachav gave them, when she told them how thoroughly no spirit remained in any man and how everyone was gripped by panic.
And in this verse we clearly see the difference we spoke of. Moshe's spies did not see themselves as Moshe's emissaries but as the people's emissaries, for the demand had come from the people: "Let us send men ahead of us that they may scout out the land for us," "and let them explore for us the land of Canaan," and Moshe said: I did not want this, you wanted it. Therefore, upon their return it says, "And they went and came to Moshe and to Aharon and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh, and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land." And this itself is part of the proof that their intent was evil: had their intent been good, you would have reported the matter to Moshe alone. But you are trying to stir up a commotion among the people, to create ferment and reactions, and that is why their punishment was so terrible. Here, by contrast, "and they said to Yehoshua": they return and deliver the message to the leader who sent them, and they do not turn to the people at all, and this too is the secret of the success of this mission.
Here we have finished the chapter, and I will add an appendix from things I brought in the study of reincarnations regarding the connection between Yosef and Yehoshua. In the book Gilgulei Neshamot by the Rama of Fano, he writes in the name of Rabbi Chaim Vital that Yehoshua was the reincarnation of Yosef, and not merely that he was descended from him. And Rachav was the reincarnation of Potiphar's wife. Yosef was not seduced by Potiphar's wife and overcame his inclination, and now he receives her in a permitted manner: Yehoshua marries Rachav, who is Potiphar's wife. And Yehoshua's light was of the aspect of the moon, the face of Yehoshua was like the face of the moon, and therefore he married a woman from Yericho, which is connected to the matter of the moon. And the Chida says that according to this we can understand Yaakov's blessing to Yosef, "from there, the shepherd, the stone of Israel": that he is destined to be a shepherd and leader of Israel, in his reincarnation as Yehoshua.
And let us see the parallels, for in every reincarnation one finds a resemblance between the reincarnated soul and the original person. There were six pairs whose years were equal: Rivka and Kehat, Levi and Amram, Yosef and Yehoshua, and both of these lived one hundred and ten years. Of both it is said that leadership buried them: "And Yosef died, and all his brothers," and behold, Yosef was the youngest of the tribes, so why did he die before all of them? Because leadership buries those who hold it, and the dust of kingship is harsh. And likewise Yehoshua was the youngest among them, and it says, "all the days of Yehoshua and all the days of the elders who prolonged their days after Yehoshua," for the same reason.
Of both it is written that they did not become haughty in their authority. "He is Hoshea son of Nun" - one might think his mind grew proud upon entering greatness, therefore it teaches "he": he is the same Yehoshua before he entered greatness and the same Yehoshua after he entered greatness, and though he was appointed leader over the community, he remained Yehoshua in his righteousness. And likewise with Yosef: "And Yosef was in Egypt" - do we not already know that he was in Egypt? Rather, he is the same Yosef before he entered greatness and the same Yosef after he entered greatness, and though he was appointed king, he remained Yosef in his righteousness.
Both rose to greatness in a wondrous manner, against all probability. Who would have believed that a slave who came from outside Egypt would be king of Egypt for eighty years? And likewise Yehoshua was the last person one would have thought would become a leader, to the point that when they saw his leadership they said, "woe for that shame, woe for that disgrace," and some called him a fool: this Yehoshua, who arranges the benches in the study hall, will be a leader over us?
Of both it was said that they possessed wisdom and spirit: "And Yehoshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom," and of Yosef, "there is none so understanding and wise as you." So too spirit: of Yosef, "in whom is the spirit of God," and of Yehoshua, "a man in whom there is spirit, and lay your hand upon him." And both had wondrous success: "And the Lord was with Yosef, and he was a prosperous man," and of Yehoshua, "that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it, for then you shall make your ways prosperous and then you shall have good success." With Yehoshua the success was even greater than that of Moshe, for against Moshe rebels arose, whereas against Yehoshua no man rose up. And a wondrous thing: precisely in the verses of Yosef's success is Yehoshua hinted through skipping letters - "And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand": from the yud of "adonav," skipping five letters, the heh of the Name, the vav of "ito," the shin of "asher," the ayin of "oseh" - Yehoshua.
Both were called a lad: "These are the generations of Yaakov: Yosef, being seventeen years old, was a lad with the sons of Bilhah," and of Yehoshua, "and his minister Yehoshua the son of Nun, a lad." And to both a letter was added in their name: "He appointed it in Yehosef for a testimony," and Hoshea was called Yehoshua.
Moshe blessed Yehoshua, "May Y-ah save you from the counsel of the spies," and everyone asks: what about Kalev, why did he not bless him? In the derashot on the parshiyot we brought several explanations for this, but according to our present approach we may say that Moshe knew that Yehoshua was the reincarnation of Yosef, and Yosef had spoken ill of his brothers. And here lies the danger: there is always a concern that the soul of the reincarnated one will return to the very things in which it went astray. One who spoke ill of his brothers is suspect of speaking ill of the land, and therefore Moshe blessed precisely him - for this is his rectification, that he should not stumble in this matter.
In both of them we see zealotry. Yosef, out of zeal for the Lord, would tell his father of his brothers' sins so that he might rebuke them; and Yehoshua was zealous for the honor of Moshe - "My lord Moshe, restrain them." And incidentally, the Rama miPano writes that Shammai the Elder was from the reincarnation of Yehoshua the son of Nun, and in Shammai too we see zealotry and strictness. And further: with Yehoshua three thousand halachot were forgotten during the mourning for Moshe, and of Shammai it was said that the halachah was not ruled according to him - in both we see that they are not in accordance with the halachah.
Furthermore: Yosef's brothers were jealous of him - "and his brothers envied him"; and of Yehoshua they were jealous when they saw that he became leader, the face of Moshe like the face of the sun and the face of Yehoshua like the face of the moon, alas for such shame. And there is a tearing against a tearing: Yosef caused the tribes to tear - "and they rent their clothes," and his grandson came and paid it back for him - "and Yehoshua rent his clothes." Yosef himself paid the price by being reincarnated in Yehoshua, and a hint of this: "vayikre'u" has the gematria of Yehoshua. So too with the enemies: Yosef was the adversary of Esav, and his continuator Yehoshua fought against Amalek - "And Moshe said to Yehoshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek."
And another parallel: circumcision. Yosef circumcised Egypt - "Go to Yosef; what he says to you, do," and Rabbi Abba said he compelled them to be circumcised, and this is fitting, for Yosef's attribute is yesod. And when Israel entered the land, Yehoshua circumcised them: "And Yehoshua made himself knives of flint, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins" - he too circumcised the community, for his source is from Yosef, from the yesod.
Both received Torah from Shem. Of Yosef it is said, "for he was the son of his old age," and the commentators explain that all the halachot which Shem and Ever transmitted to Yaakov, he transmitted to him. And Yehoshua received all the Torah of Moshe, and Moshe is the reincarnation of Shem, so it turns out that Yehoshua too received from the Torah of Shem. And both had a connection to the Land of Israel: Yosef acknowledged his land - "for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews" - and therefore he merited to be buried in his land, "and the bones of Yosef, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem"; and in his reincarnation as Yehoshua he merited to apportion the land. And both had a connection to spies: Yosef suspected his brothers of being spies, and Yehoshua was sent to spy by Moshe and later himself sent out spies.
And both had a connection to fish. Yosef was blessed, "and let them multiply like fish in the midst of the earth," and they said: just as the fish of the sea are covered by water and the evil eye has no power over them, so too the evil eye has no power over the seed of Yosef. And Yehoshua - the son of Nun, and "nun" means fish. And further: Yosef dreamed that the sun and the moon bowed down to him, and symbolically this describes the brothers, the father, and the one who raised him as his mother; but where was it actually fulfilled? In the time of Yehoshua - "Sun, stand still upon Giveon, and moon, in the valley of Ayalon" - they bowed to him and did his will. What Yosef saw was realized in his reincarnation as Yehoshua.
Both were compared to an ox. The Yerushalmi Targum explains "and in their selfwill they houghed an ox," said of Shimon and Levi - that they sold Yosef, who was compared to an ox. And in the Yalkut Shimoni, "the firstling of his ox, majesty is his... with them he shall gore the peoples" is expounded upon Yehoshua, who in his strength was compared to an ox goring the peoples with its horns in the conquest of the land. And it is interesting that "shor" has the gematria of 506, the same as "Aleinu leshabe'ach," and it was Yehoshua who composed "Aleinu leshabe'ach" and sealed his name within it.
And of both it was said that they split the sea. At the splitting of the Sea of Reeds it is said, "The sea saw it and fled" - what did it see? "And he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out" - so it turns out that the splitting of the Sea of Reeds was in the merit of Yosef. And the splitting of the Yarden was in the days of Yehoshua. And the connection is wondrous within the verse itself: "The sea saw it and fled" - this is Yosef; "the Yarden was driven back" - this is he himself, coming in his reincarnation as Yehoshua. The entire verse speaks of the same figure.
And Rachav the harlot, as mentioned, was the reincarnation of Potifar's wife. With this it is understood why she was a harlot: she was drawn after her previous incarnation, who tried to entice Yosef to sin, and therefore she was reincarnated as a harlot. And another hint: the name of Potifar's wife, as brought in Seder HaDorot, was Zeleicha, and "hazonah" has the gematria of Zeleicha. And the Sages taught merit for her and said that she intended for the sake of Heaven. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: she saw in her astrology that she was destined to establish a son from him, but she did not know whether from herself or from her daughter. And according to our words this is wondrous: she saw correctly that she was destined to establish a son from him - not now, Zeleicha from Yosef, but in the next incarnation, Rachav from Yehoshua. And not necessarily a son but descendants, for Yehoshua had only daughters.
Chapter 2 teaches us that spies themselves are not the sin, but rather the manner in which they are sent and who is sent. Yehoshua sent two and not twelve, simple men and not princes, spies and not scouts, from Shittim and not from the wilderness of Paran, secretly and not publicly, and on his own initiative rather than at the people's request. The emissaries, Kalev and Pinchas, made themselves like an earthenware vessel whose entire importance lies in its being a receptacle, and they were a complete receptacle for Yehoshua's command with no opinion of their own. In the house of Rachav, the best source of information in the city, the true mood of Canaan was exposed: dread of Israel's greatness and fear of their power. And when they returned, they did not turn to the people but to Yehoshua alone, and this is the secret of the success that distinguished this mission from the mission that brought disaster forty years earlier.