Shelach Lecha - The Eternal Gift

B"H

Full text of Midrash Tanchuma here.

Sources:

1) Midrash Tanchuma Shelach Lecha, Chapter 3

 שלח לך אנשים. רבי אחא הגדול פתח, יבש חציר נבל ציץ, ודבר אלהינו יקום לעולם (ישע' מ ח). משל למה הדבר דומה. למלך שהיה לו אוהב, והתנה עמו ואומר לו, בא ולך עמי ואני נותן לך מתנה. הלך עמו ומת. אמר המלך לבנו של אוהבו, אף על פי שמת אביך, איני חוזר בי במתנה שאמרתי ליתן לו, בוא וטול אותה. המלך, זה מלך מלכי המלכים הקדוש ברוך הוא. אוהב, זה אברהם, שנאמר, זרע אברהם אוהבי (שם מא ח). אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא, בוא לך עמי, שנאמר, לך לך מארצך וגו' (ברא' יב א). התנה עמו שהוא נותן לו במתנה את ארץ כנען, שנאמר, קום התהלך בארץ וגו' (שםיג יז). וכן הוא אומר, כי את כל הארץ וגו' (שם שם טו). מת אברהם ויצחק ויעקב. אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה, אף על פי שמתו האבות, התניתי עמהן ליתן להם את הארץ, איני חוזר בי, אלא שלח לך אנשים. הוי, ודבר אלהינו יקום לעולם:

 

2) Yeshayahu 40:1 - 2, 40:6-8

נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי יֹאמַר אֱלֹהֵיכֶם.  ב דַּבְּרוּ עַל-לֵב יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְקִרְאוּ אֵלֶיהָ כִּי מָלְאָה צְבָאָהּ כִּי נִרְצָה עֲו‍ֹנָהּ  כִּי לָקְחָה מִיַּד יְהוָה כִּפְלַיִם בְּכָל-חַטֹּאתֶיהָ.

[...]

קוֹל אֹמֵר קְרָא וְאָמַר מָה אֶקְרָא כָּל-הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר וְכָל-חַסְדּוֹ כְּצִיץ הַשָּׂדֶה.  ז יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר נָבֵל צִיץ כִּי רוּחַ יְהוָה נָשְׁבָה בּוֹ אָכֵן חָצִיר הָעָם.  ח יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר נָבֵל צִיץ וּדְבַר-אֱלֹהֵינוּ יָקוּם לְעוֹלָם. 

3) Bamidbar 13:1-2

א וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר.  ב שְׁלַח-לְךָ אֲנָשִׁים וְיָתֻרוּ אֶת-אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר-אֲנִי נֹתֵן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל  אִישׁ אֶחָד אִישׁ אֶחָד לְמַטֵּה אֲבֹתָיו תִּשְׁלָחוּ כֹּל נָשִׂיא בָהֶם.

 "Yavesh hatzir navel tzik, u'd'var Elokeinu yakum l'olam - Grass withers, blossoms fade, but the word of our G-d shall stand forever (Yeshayahu 40:8)"

Parshat Shelach Lecha charts a trajectory from great hope - with the B'nei Israel being close enough to entering the long-awaited Eretz Yisrael that they are able to send spies to scout out the land from where they are encamped - to despair, when the adult (male) generation of B'nei Israel loses the opportunity to enter this land due to the negativity of most of the spies and the people's hysterical response. While many perushim (commentators) and midrashim focus on the mistakes made by both the spies and the people, it is sometimes easy to lose sight of the underlying message regarding G-d's continued promise of Eretz Yisrael and the fact that this was eventually fulfilled, albeit for the next generation.

Chapter 3 of the Midrash Tanchuma on Shelach Lecha (source 1) above) consists of a mashal (parable)  attributed to Rabbi Acha Hagadol based upon the proof-text from Yeshayahu cited above, and draws upon the parallels between G-d's earlier commandment of 'lech lecha' (go for yourself) to Avraham to the command in Shelach Lecha of 'shelach lecha anashim...' (send for yourself people...). In the mashal, a king (G-d) promised an 'ohev' (i.e. Avraham - translated in my edition as 'friend' but perhaps better translated as 'beloved') that if he walks with the king the king will reward him with a present (i.e. Eretz Yisrael). The ohev did indeed walk with the king but died - whereupon the king said to the ohev's son (Moshe/B'nei Israel) that, even though his father had died, the king would not go back on his earlier promise of a present and was instead inviting the son to take it in his father's place. 

This midrash essentially restates G-d's pronouncements elsewhere in the Torah (particularly in sefer Shemot) that Eretz Yisrael is being given to B'nei Israel as promised by G-d to their ancestors Avraham, Yitzhak and Ya'akov. However, what is unique about this midrash is that in doing so it explicitly draws upon the parallel of 'lech lecha' and Avraham's instruction to 'walk about the Land through its length and breadth, for to you I will give it' (Bereishit 13:17)  with G-d's later instruction of 'shelach lecha' to send spies to search out the land which G-d is giving to them.

Despite the tragic ending of this chapter in Jewish history and fact that we are currently in galut (exile), there is still a message of hope to be seen from the eternity of G-d's original promise to Avraham despite continual backsliding on our part - not only in the Midbar, but also throughout later Jewish history. As we enter the three-week period of mourning the Churban (destruction of the Beit HaMikdash), it is worth bearing in mind that the proof-text for this midrash is taken from one of Yeshayahu's messages of 'comfort' to Israel following the first Churban, promising a return from galut and an end to the suffering meted out by G-d. Indeed, this has been proven true in our own times with the establishment of the State of Israel - which, while very much a 'work in progress', still offers a sign of hope for our full 'return' to Eretz Yisrael in accordance with G-d's promise all those millenia ago.

Shavua tov

RPT