Parashat Shelach by Seth Pertain, High School Talmud Teacher
A spy by any other name would still smell as bitter . . .
“What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.” (William Shakespeare)
“What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.” (William Shakespeare)
I was somewhat surprised, when reading over this week’s parashah, to discover that the Hebrew word for spy is never used in the narrative of the 12 spies. My whole life, I have heard this episode referred to only as חטא המרגלים – The Sin of the Spies. The word לתור — to scout — is used 10 times in the first two aliyot, but never the word לרגל (to spy). I believe that our word choice to describe this event tells us much about what we have projected onto this narrative for years.
In Hebrew, the word מרגל (spy) is derived from the same root as the word “foot.” Similarly, our three pilgrimage festivals are called רגלים, again from the same root. Both spies and pilgrims leave their homes to experience a foreign place. However, here is where intention may come into play. Pilgrims use their רגל to be moved or affected by the place where they go. Spies presumably use their רגל to change the destination. The information collected is designed to get a foot up on the destination.
By referring to the scouts as spies, we ultimately shift our focus from their mission to their outcome. The 12 representatives are sent to travel throughout the land of Israel and report back on what they see. They do exactly what they are told to do, but then go one step further. Instead of presenting just the facts, they decide to offer their interpretations as well. Ten of the representatives declare that we will never be able to conquer the land of Israel, while the other two declare that we definitely can. Similar to our conception of spies, they occupy two opposing camps, and we declare one to be the “good guys” and the others to be the “bad guys.”
William Shakespeare reminds us that the name that we call someone reflects our vantage point, but not who that person actually is. By calling them scouts, the Torah tries to give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to intention. However, history judges them more harshly. We call them spies once they succumb to their fears of the unknown (or known). An עולה רגל (pilgrim) can easily become a מרגל (spy) when they foster conflict and division.
This saga further destabilizes the Israelites, who are already in a precarious state as they wander through the desert. The event seals their fate that they will wander for 40 years instead of taking the fast road to being a nation in their homeland. Had John le Carré written about this tumult, one can only assume that he would have called it “The Spies who Came in from the Heat.”
Shabbat Shalom!
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By referring to the scouts as spies, we ultimately shift our focus from their mission to their outcome. The 12 representatives are sent to travel throughout the land of Israel and report back on what they see. They do exactly what they are told to do, but then go one step further. Instead of presenting just the facts, they decide to offer their interpretations as well. Ten of the representatives declare that we will never be able to conquer the land of Israel, while the other two declare that we definitely can. Similar to our conception of spies, they occupy two opposing camps, and we declare one to be the “good guys” and the others to be the “bad guys.”
William Shakespeare reminds us that the name that we call someone reflects our vantage point, but not who that person actually is. By calling them scouts, the Torah tries to give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to intention. However, history judges them more harshly. We call them spies once they succumb to their fears of the unknown (or known). An עולה רגל (pilgrim) can easily become a מרגל (spy) when they foster conflict and division.
This saga further destabilizes the Israelites, who are already in a precarious state as they wander through the desert. The event seals their fate that they will wander for 40 years instead of taking the fast road to being a nation in their homeland. Had John le Carré written about this tumult, one can only assume that he would have called it “The Spies who Came in from the Heat.”
Shabbat Shalom!
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