Bamidbar Chapter 13

Bamidbar Chapter 13 covers the story of the scouts (commonly called the Meraglim, though that word never appears in the text) sent to assess the Land of Canaan. The mission follows a command-and-execution structure: Hashem orders Moshe to send tribal leaders, Moshe gives them specific questions about the land and its inhabitants, and they return with a report that is factually accurate but devolves into *dibat ha’aretz* — negative framing that goes beyond their mandate, turning a legitimate military assessment into demoralizing rhetoric. The key distinction is between reporting facts, offering a debatable strategic opinion (Caleb says they can conquer it; the others disagree), and the final stage where the spies actively narrate everything in the worst possible light — which the Torah explicitly condemns. Related Content Watch on YouTube Watch on Website Read Transcript Hebrew Transcript Yiddish Transcript