NUMBERS 13:27-28 – THE EFFECT OF LOOKING AT THE TZITZIT

26 Sivan 5783 – 15 June 2023

“It is a land of milk and honey…however the people are very mighty, and the cities are large and well-fortified…”

As Moses was about to lead the Jewish people into the Promised Land, they requested to first send an advance party of spies. G-d consented, and Moses directed the 12 chosen spies to determine the strength of Canaan’s inhabitants and the quality of the land.

After 40 days, the spies returned, and ten of them reported (as above) that the land was good, but that the inhabitants were very mighty and their cities heavily fortified. Suddenly (verse 30), Caleb cut them off, proclaiming; “We should go up immediately and occupy the land, because we can surely prevail!” The ten spies, however, insisted that the land couldn’t be conquered because its people were too powerful (verse 31). Accepting this gloomy report exposed the nation’s lack of faith, and G-d condemned them to perish during 40 years of wandering in the desert.

하나님께서 정찰 임무를 승인하셨는데도 불구하고, 정탐꾼들의 평가에 대해 그분께서 그렇게 가혹하게 반응하신 것은 이해하기 어렵습니다. 게다가 정탐꾼들의 첫 보고 후에 갈렙이 그토록 엄하게 화를 낸 이유는 무엇일까요? 그들은 단지 자신들의 조사 결과를 보고했을 뿐입니다.

미드라쉬는 그 땅에 대해 절망한 사람들을 "뒤죽박죽 세대"라고 묘사합니다(민수기 라바 16:5). 루바비치 레베는 정탐꾼들의 실수는 모세가 그들에게 확인하라고 요청한 순서를 뒤바꾼 데 있다고 설명했습니다.

Moses’ focus was on carrying out G-d’s will that the land of Canaan be conquered, so he directed the spies to first report on the strength of its’ inhabitants. When the spies returned and began to describe the quality of the land, Caleb suspected that their interest centered on the material benefits of Canaan. He feared they would weigh the effort and danger needed to take the land versus the potential payoff, and decide that the project was not worthwhile. Hoping to nip them in the bud before spreading their seeds of doubt to the people, Caleb hastened to silence the spies.

The incident of the spies is followed in the Torah by the commandment to attach tzitzit, ritual fringes, to the corners of a garment. The connection between these passages is not simply their proximity. The Torah uses some form of the word latoor eleven times in describing the mission of the spies. Significantly, the Torah uses this same word to describe the effect of looking at the tzitzit, “…You shall not go astray (tatooru) after your hearts and after your eyes…” (15:39).

랍비 멘델 레위테스에 따르면, 토라는 여기서 죄가 하나의 과정이라고 주장하고 있습니다. 우리는 흔히 무언가에 눈이 사로잡히면 마음이 그것을 갈망하기 시작한다고 생각합니다. 그러나 토라는 그 과정이 우리 마음속(내면의 가치관)에서 시작되며, 그것이 눈이 무엇을 인지하는지를 결정한다고 말합니다. 두 사람이 길에서 값비싼 잃어버린 물건을 발견했다고 가정해 봅시다. 한 사람은 그것을 미츠바(선행)로 여기고 주인을 찾아주려 하지만, 다른 사람은 그것을 자신의 주머니에 넣으려는 욕망으로 가득 차게 됩니다.

The problem with the spies stemmed from how they viewed the land of Israel. Moses, Caleb and his colleague Joshua were focused on implementing G-d’s plan for the Jewish people to conquer it. Therefore, their concern was to determine how strong its defenders were in order to formulate a plan of attack. The other spies viewed the land as a potential source of material benefit, and so they concentrated on its qualities.

The commandment of tzitzit addresses the spies and all who err like them – attitude affects perception. The faith of the spies slipped, because they placed self-interest above the will of G-d. The tzitzit call us to cast our gaze on them, draw us to meditate on the path of Torah, and gently guide us to envision the world in line with the Divine.

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