The entry of the Jewish people into the Land of Israel symbolizes the work of the Jew in the world. The soul of the Jew descended here to permeate the material world with holiness and make matter a vessel for Divine light. That is also the meaning of entering the Land of Israel: to transform the Land of Canaan into the Land of Israel, a land where Divine holiness is felt and revealed.
Prior to entering the Land of Israel, the stage of "send men for yourself" is required,1 with which our Parashah begins. The story of the sending of the spies, both the mission itself and its failure, contains a message and an instruction for the life of every Jew."
MEDITATE AND THINK
First and foremost, a Jew must meditate on the content of the mitzvah he is about to perform, and seek the best way to achieve its objective. This is the purpose of sending the spies—Moses sent them to find out the most appropriate and useful path, by natural means, to conquer the land.
A Jew can be captivated by the idea that, since Hashem has commanded him to fulfill a commandment, a mitzvah, he must cease to think and analyze reality. He must blindly follow the commandment, no matter what. The sending of the spies teaches us that faith in Hashem is not enough; rather, the Jew is required to seek the path to fulfill Hashem's will through natural means. For the Divine intention is that the mitzvot be fulfilled within the confines of the world and within the natural sphere.
NO CONCLUSIONS
Along with this, the spy story also teaches that it is forbidden to err and stray in the opposite direction. The spies' mistake lay in the fact that the very fact that they were sent to assess the land and the possibilities of conquering it by natural means also gave them the authority to decide whether to enter the land at all.
At this point, their terrible sin was hidden. Moses sent them only to assess which path was easiest to conquer the land, but they thought they were sent to draw conclusions and establish that we would not be able to impose ourselves on the people, since they were stronger than us.3 By doing so, they acted against God's will and showed weakness in their faith, since when God assigns a person a mission, whatever it may be, it is certain that they are capable of carrying it out, and if a miracle is needed, a miracle will occur.
THE ESSENCE OF GOOD
This is the second principle that the story of the spies teaches us: If Hashem assigns someone a mission, to fulfill a precept, as the Shulchan Aruch states, it is absolutely clear that it is possible to carry it out, since Hashem only commands "according to his strength."4 It is obvious that even a man of flesh and blood will not order a fellow man to do things that are beyond his capacity, how much more so Hashem, Who is the essence of good and justice.
However, after understanding this principle, which should form the basis of a Jew's attitude toward his mission in the world, the Torah makes it clear that "it does not rely on miracles,"5 and that one must seek the path to fulfill God's Will through natural means. But at the same time, it must be perfectly clear to one that even when difficulties and obstacles appear on one's path, one will surely overcome them, in the spirit of "we must ascend, and we must inherit it, for we must be able to handle it."6
(Likutei Sichot Volume 13, Page 39)
Grades:
1.Bamidbar 13.2. 2.See Tania Ch. 41; 3.Bamidbar 13.31; 4.Shemot Rabbah beginning of Chapter 29, Bamidbar Rabbah Chapter. 12,3, Tanjumá Nasó 11. See Avoda Zará 3,b; 5.See Pesachim 84,b, Zohar I 111b; 6.Bamidbar 1:30 p.m.