Sicha, Shabbos Parshas Shelach 5732
A. The Spies Who Disappointed
Moses sent spies to scout the Land of Israel. They returned and reported that conquering the land was impossible because the inhabitants were mighty and well-fortified. The people were frightened by the words of (most of) the spies. They cried and complained, and wanted to return to Egypt.
G‑d wished to punish the people with death by plague, but Moses pleaded for mercy. G‑d answered his prayer and forgave the people, but decreed that this generation would remain in the desert for 40 years and die there, and only the next generation would enter the Land. In contrast, the ten spies who spread the slanderous report were immediately punished with death. (Source 1)
B. Who Could Moses Not Pray For?
The Rebbe asks: How is it possible that Moses’ prayer saved the entire people from immediate death and allowed them to live for decades, yet it did not help the ten spies who died immediately?
The explanation: The Torah emphasizes that Moses was the one who sent the spies, and they were the ones who returned and incited the entire people against him. When the spies turned against Moses and broke away from him, his prayer could not help them—measure for measure. This is similar to the halachah that “the accuser cannot become the defender.” (Source 2) The Jewish people, on the other hand, although they complained about going to the Land of Israel, did not intend to oppose Moses, so Moses’ prayer for the people was accepted and saved them.
C. Why Do We Need a Rebbe?
Some ask: Since every Jew has a direct and essential connection with G‑d, why do we need a Rebbe to pray for us?
The explanation: A Jew who always follows the correct path and never strays from it might manage on their own. But when one sometimes errs, as happened with the sin of the spies, self-prayer does not always help. There is great value in the prayer of a Rebbe—the leader of the generation. As the Gemara says: “Anyone who has a sick person in their home should go to a wise person and ask for mercy on their behalf.”
The reason is that the leader is the “head” of the Jewish people, and just as the brain influences the entire body, so too the prayer of the leader affects the entire nation more strongly.
The lesson for us: In every generation, there is a “Moses of the generation” who prays for every Jew, even those in a low spiritual state. We must connect to the leader of the generation, and then the leader “lifts” us from our low state and advances us to a higher spiritual level.
