Yeah, What if We Just Don’t Believe You?
A celebration of the Meraglim
I was learning Chumash a couple of weeks ago, and I attempted to place myself in the shoes of some of the protagonists. Yehoshua’s nisayon seems obvious to us. Who would choose the Meraglim over Moshe and Aaron. Yet, the entire Klal Yisroel wished to stone them - וַיֹּאמְרוּ כׇּל הָעֵדָה לִרְגּוֹם אֹתָם בָּאֲבָנִים. Yet he and Kalev stayed firm. Here is a blogpost from that stage of the story, before וּכְבוֹד ה' נִרְאָה בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד אֶל כׇּל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
Upon the return of the Meraglim from their expedition, they were celebrated as the prominent leaders of the generation, possessing firsthand knowledge regarding the land they had explored. Their findings were well-researched, and their conclusions were deemed indisputable. They asserted that it would be excessively perilous to attempt the conquest of Eretz Yisroel. Despite having navigated significant challenges to arrive at the border, they deemed it imprudent to proceed, citing the overwhelming risks involved. The principle of Pikuach Nefesh, the preservation of life, was prioritized above all else, and those who opposed their stance were perceived as jeopardizing the lives of the Jewish people. They were not ivory-tower experts, devoid of field experience; they had not spent three sets of forty days closeted in heaven. They were with the people and had personally seen what Eretz Cana’an was all about. They were fully aware of the possibilities and dangers, and their decision was to return to Mitzrayim.
Klal Yisroel recognized the authority of the Meraglim, listening intently and accepting their learned conclusions. They chose not to pursue unrealistic aspirations or consider the insights of Moshe and Aaron as relevant. Klal Yisroel asserted their autonomy, determined to take control of their destiny. It is difficult to contest their collective judgment.
The disdain shown to the opinions and positions of Yehoshua and Kalev is perfectly justifiable. Scholars, closely linked to other learned individuals, felt justified in their authority, believing that dissent from Klal Yisroel warranted severe consequences. They questioned how Yehoshua and Kalev could oppose the collective will of Klal Yisroel and disregarded the sanctity of Pikuach Nefesh. Klal Yisroel followed Yeshivas Dasan va’Aviram, and there was no place for dissent or rebellion. Those that remained with Yeshivas Moshe ve'Aaron represented a dire threat to the unity and collective spirit of Klal Yisroel.
This conduct is indicative of a recurring trend rather than an isolated incident. Individuals like Yehoshua, who dedicated themselves to Moshe’s mentorship, were often viewed as betrayals to Klal Yisroel. In a time of crisis, when Moshe’s return from the mountain seemed to be delayed and the absence of leadership concerned the community, Yehoshua distanced himself from the urgent discussions regarding the formation of the egel, instead opting to await Moshe’s return. Similarly, Kalev exhibited independent thought by diverging from the group during a critical mission to pay homage to his ancestral graves.
The imperative of Pikuach Nefesh required that measures be enacted to avert further risk to Klal Yisroel. A decision to execute a death sentence, executed by stoning, was ultimately determined to be the only viable course of action. This conclusion was not reached lightly; it involved extensive deliberations among grassroots Rabbanim, online commentators, and various individuals engaged in public discourse. The new leaders were resolute; they were in no way similar to the outliers who used appeal to authority instead of logic. Moreover, Professor Ploni, a close disciple of Professor Almoni, told them they were right, and who could dispute their authority? No doubt there were Rabbanim with popular websites, those who had the public on their side when they couldn’t persuade other Rabbanim of their expertise, who agreed with this grave decision.
In the interest of preserving unity and safeguarding the well-being of Klal Yisroel, leaders such as Moshe, Aaron, Yehoshua, and Kalev were regarded as potential threats to cohesion and the preservation of life as they sought to return to Mitzrayim, necessitating their removal from the collective.
הא חלום והא פתרונו
When I read Slifkin's quote from some Professor that the Charedim have 'abandoned Klal Yisroel' or something similar, a dialogue began in my mind as to how to answer him.
In his world, the Zionist movement and the State of Israel, in its current form, are 'Klal Yisroel', and the Charedim have separated themselves from Klal Yisroel.
I began to think about the history of Zionism and the opposition to it, and how we reached this point. Moshe and Aaron of the generation, as represented by the Yere'im lidvar Hashem at the time, refused to join Nordau and Herzl. Although a minority were somewhat willing to join forces, in the mistaken hope that they would influence them positively, the vast majority saw them as a danger to Torah and Jews.
The Meraglim of the time wrote sharp polemics against the יושבי חשך, yet the Chafetz Chaim, Reb Chaim Brisker, the Rashab of Lubavitch, and later Reb Chaim Ozer and other Gedolei Yisroel refused to subjugate themselves to them.
The idea that Klal Yisroel is represented by Ben Gurion and now Netanyahu is no different to the belief that Nordau and Herzl were our leaders.
Personally, I subscribe to the non-Zionist school of thought, not so much the anti-Zionist school of thought. But if I had to join Klal Yisroel in all of its hues and shades, it is comprised of Skver and Belz, Ponovezh and Lakewood, Gateshead and Cleveland, Beis Hatalmud and Ner Yisroel, Ohr Yisroel and Eitz. With all of the differences between these groups, some of which are quite vehement, the common theme is the side of Moshe Rabbeinu. If the DL community thinks that the State is more central to their identity as Jews than their kiyum hamitzvos, I would argue that they have abandoned Klal Yisroel.
I didn't write this and Zichron can speak for himself, but my understanding is that this is a genuine attempt to explore the mentality of the meraglim and their followers, which has obvious parallels to similar things today. It definitely doesn't frame the efforts of the meraglim negatively, as Simon claims.