Ramban on Sh'lach

AI-Generated Summary (AI can be inaccurate. Check important information): 1. Reconnaissance is legitimate — According to the pshat (plain meaning) of the Ramban, sending the meraglim (spies) was a valid military move intended to determine "how" to conquer the land, not "if." 2. Order of greatness — The meraglim are listed in the Torah not by age or tribal order, but according to their individual ma'alah (stature) and level of chochma (wisdom) and kavod (honor). 3. Longevity in Hebron — The mention of Hebron being built before Tzoan reveals the exceptional longevity of its inhabitants, such as the descendants of Arba, illustrating the natural strength of the enemy. 4. The sin of "Efes" — The meraglim's primary wickedness lay in the word "efes" (nothingness/impossible), implying that conquest was naturally impossible despite God’s promises. 5. Private campaigning — The spies were hesitant to lie openly before Moshe and Aharon, so they conducted "party meetings" in private tents to spread the diba (evil report) of an eretz ochelet yoshveha. 6. Fear as rebellion — Fearing the inhabitants of Cna'an was considered a mered (rebellion) because the people should have realized that their survival was already lemalah min hateva (supernatural). 7. Bowing to beseech — When Moshe and Aharon fell on their faces, it was not an act of tefillah (prayer), but a desperate plea to the people to stop their self-destructive behavior. 8. Incomplete Middot — Moshe omitted certain Yud Gimmel Middot (Thirteen Attributes), such as Emet and Zechus Avos, because the people were currently rejecting the legacy of the Avos (Patriarchs). 9. Spreading the punishment — The attribute of poked avon avos was invoked here to spread the punishment over generations, allowing the nation to survive rather than be destroyed instantly. 10. Comfort through Mitzvos — The laws of nesachim and challah following the sin were intended to comfort the nation, guaranteeing that the next generation would indeed enter Eretz Yisrael. 11. Total Shogeg rebellion — According to pshat, the korban for "forgetting all mitzvos" refers to a tinok she'nishba or a generation that mistakenly believes the Torah is no longer binding in galus (exile). 12. The blue reminder — While Rashi uses gematria to link tzitzis to the 613 commandments, the Ramban maintains that the primary reminder comes through the techeiles (blue wool) which draws the eye toward Heaven.