The Daily Ma’amar of our Rebbe Rav Eliezer Berland shlit”a, from 17 Sivan 5783, courtesy of the “Hashem Hu HaElokim” leaflet:
A difficulty? Where do we see the humility of Yehoshua bin Nun more than with Moshe Rabbeinu and with Avraham who said (Bereishit 18:27): “I am dust and ashes,” and about Yaakov it is said (Bamidbar 23:10): “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov,” and Yitzchak sacrificed his soul without saying anything and with no thought of doubt, and was bound willingly upon the altar, and gave over his entire self for Hashem Yitbarach under the directive of Avraham Avinu.
If so, we return to the difficulty: When do we find in Yehoshua bin Nun humility more than by Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and Moshe and Aharon, who said (Shemot 16:7): “What are we,” and nullified themselves completely as if they do not exist at all, until only Yehohua bin Nun merited to the letter Yud of Sarai, and not Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, and not Moshe and Aharon.
Rather, Yehoshua bin Nun was in a completely different category of real danger to life, after the spies left the Israelite camp with evil counsel, and with a clear decision that the first thing that they would carry out was the targeted killing of Yehoshua bin Nun, because according to their foolish notion, apparently they suspected him of wanting to rule over Israel in place of Moshe Rabbeinu, after everyone heard the bitter announcement of “Moshe dies and Yehoshua bin Nun brings in [the people to the land],” and all ten spies were certain that Yehoshua bin Nun was the one who was happy about the announcement of this prophecy, and he is only waiting for the opportunity of the death of Moshe Rabbeinu, so that he could rule in his place. And therefore, the first thing upon them was to eliminate Yehoshua bin Nun, so that Moshe Rabbeinu could continue to live, and they are ten – only they want the continuation of the life of Moshe Rabbeinu, in opposition to Yehoshua bin Nun who is already waiting with great longing for his death.
And therefore, the first obligation is: Eliminate Yehoshua bin Nun, and also not to enter the land so that Moshe could continue to live with them more, for nearly forty years [38.5].
And when this matter made it to the ears of Yehoshua bin Nun, that they are ready to eliminate him, either in his sleep or even while awake, and they hired someone to eliminate him, he did not say anything to Moshe Rabbeinu and did not complain before him: “Why is he sending him. Perhaps he will send someone else in his place so as not to endanger his life which was already lost completely.”
And this is the meaning of the Gemara [Sotah 36a], “That with evil counsel they went, and with evil counsel they returned.” Because they had already completely finalized in their minds that the solution to the problem and the nullification of the prophecy of Eldad and Medad was only dependent on the killing of Yehoshua bin Nun, and over a course of forty days his fate was completely forsaken, and the death penalty was decreed upon him through the explicit agreement of the ten spies, and even though their entire conspiracy was known to Yehoshua and he knew that his blood was already permitted [to be spilled], and his entire life was forsaken in the hands of the spies, he did not complain at all about the matter of his being sent, and said: “I am not saying to Moshe anything, and if he is sending me – indeed he already knows all the details, and certainly already made all the calculations, and certainly I will stay alive,” and he did not have any passing thought nor any objection about the matter of his being sent by Moshe.
To download the original Hebrew, click here
