Shlach Lecha

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying “Send men to scout the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelite people; send one man from each of their ancestral tribes, each one a chieftain among them.”

13:1-2

God does not prevent man from going his own way, even if it be an evil one. Our sages said: “Man is led on by the path he wishes to pursue”. This is what is meant when it is stated “Send men.”…The Israelites preferred to rely on the reports brought by their spies rather than on the Almighty’s word. However, although man is given free will to follow his own devices, he is nevertheless afforded the opportunity to mend his ways and help to steer clear of pitfalls. Consequently, the men chosen to spy out the land were those specially suited to the task, the elite of Israel…

Nechama Leibovitz (20^th Century)

Now it appears to me from the language of Scripture that Moses did not consult the Divine Presence as to whether he should send spies at all, but the meaning of “Send men” is that they (the people) had decided (already) to send spies, and it was customary to send two spies secretly…but God…commanded Moses here to send one man from each tribe…God wanted all the great men to be represented…so that perhaps they would remember and turn to the eternal…and if not, so that the decree of punishment would apply equally to the whole people.

Ramban (13^th Century)

It seems that their demand to send spies to explore the land…was not part of the war effort. They did not want to learn…which is the best way to enter the land, but rather if it is worth going there altogether. It is really the land of milk and honey they were promised. As if going to the land of Israel could be taken conditionally…Each tribe must have demanded to be represented on such an important mission….had the Torah been given with illustrations we surely would have been presented with their photographs as well…

Pinchas Peli (20^th Century)

The mission failed because it was made up of men only and despite its enormous size, did not include even one woman. Had they followed the will of God, they would have sent on this mission women who know how to love the land of Israel, much more than the men.

Klei Yakar (17^th Century)

They (the spies) said, “As long as Israel remains in the desert, we will retain our position. Once Israel crosses into the Holy land we will be replaced by other leaders.” At that point they had not yet formulated the thought of slandering the land of Israel, they only hoped that the conditions would be such that conquest by natural means would not be feasible…They commenced sinning by considering their personal standing in the community.

Shney Luchot Habrit ((16^th Century)