Midrash Raba, “BeShalach”: The spies went in the direction of Eshkol Stream, because the juice flowed like streams from the vine downwards in those areas. When they arrived there Caleb reminded them the instructions Moses gave them: to bring the juicy sweet fruits of Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel). The spies disregarded his words, because they didn’t wish to show how fruitful the land was. Then Caleb threatened them: if you don’t take the fruits I will pull out my sword and we will see who will remain alive! Knowing what a hero Caleb was and his great power, the spies obeyed him, but they chose fruits that were monstrous in size, in order to tell the people later that a land that bears such unusual fruits is suspicious and strange and ordinary people cannot survive in it.

The fruits that you receive when you begin to work with the ego with the intention of in order to bestow are the Light of Hochma. While the Light of Hassadim is Nefesh and Ruach, here Neshama and Chaya and Yechida are also added. This means that these are great Lights in attaining all the elements of the creation, of the whole world, from the beginning to its end, attaining the Creator, and all His attributes as the upper force, adhesion with Him above the level of life and death, ascending to the level of the “head of the world of Atzilut.”

Not only is it impossible to resist the temptation of such pleasures, the generation of the desert, who lived on manna cannot understand what they need this for. If the Creator hadn’t instructed them to fulfill these actions, they would have remained in the desert because the attribute of Bina is so calming and feels like water because you don’t want anything else. You are happy with what you have. You only need manna in order to hold on and you don’t even need to take any special attributes or flavors from it. You are simply happy with little, not delving into anything, because you have a slight connection with the Creator, His slight illumination.

This state takes over and dominates you and doesn’t let go. It is very hard to overcome it and to begin to work with the ego again, with Pharaoh, with the problems, in order to transform them and thus attain the level of the land of Israel. It is terribly difficult!

This is the reason that the weekly section of the Torah about the spies is very dramatic. Imagine a man in his prime, who has a family, kids, and a normal life, when everything is fine and he is well off and happy with life and has no other needs and everything is simply wonderful. The need to leave the desert and go to the land of Israel is faith above reason that is in contrast to his state. The Light of Bina fills him to such an extent that it totally satisfies him and he doesn’t want anything else.

He must make extraordinary efforts and raise the importance of the Creator in his eyes as He instructs him to reawaken the ego inside him in order to rise above this level. What is more, He instructs him to do so despite his desire and his understanding, because it seems like a contradiction to the Creator.

A person finds himself in this unclear oppositeness, which he cannot stand. The only thing he can do is to advance with his eyes closed and this is what happened to the spies. They are in a state of Hafetz Hesed. They don’t want anything for themselves. Only Caleb constantly awakens them because he is more closely connected to the Creator and understands that this is the Creator’s mission, while their whole essence rebels against it.

You have to crush yourself internally in order to fulfill the Creator’s instructions.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 4/2/15

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