Yehoshua and Calev – Two Messiahs
By: Rav Zechariah Tubi, Rosh Kollel Rabbanut
From all the spies sent by Moshe to investigate the Land, the only ones who remained loyal to Eretz Israel and said "we will surely go up and possess it, for indeed we can prevail over it" (Bamidbar 13:30) were Yehosua and Calev, but when we look into to parsha deeply we find great differences between them.
1. When going out on their mission of espionage, Moshe Rabbenu calls Yehoshua and blesses him "and Moshe called Hoshea bin Nun Yehoshua" (Bamidbar 13:16) and prays for him: (Y-h [G-d] will rescue you from the intrigue of the spies). And the question arises: why does Moshe specifically bless Yehoshua and not Calev?
2. When the spies enter Hevron, Calev goes to prostrate himself on the tomb of the Patriarchs, and Yehoshua doesn't do this. What is the reason for this?
3. The Torah praises Calev "And My servant Calev, because he had a different spirit in him and he followed Me completely (Bamidbar 14:24) – why doesn't the Torah praise Yehoshua - who was in accord with Calev and against the spies - as well?
Evidently there is a great difference between the two personalities: The Torah testifies about Yehoshua: "A youth who will not depart from the tent (Shemot 33:11)." Yehoshua possessed the attribute of humility and subordination towards Moshe Rabbenu, as opposed to Calev who was characterized by the attribute of forcefulness. And therefore, Moshe was concerned only about Yehoshua, that G-d forbid the spies could trap him in their net, and therefore he gave him the blessing "Y-h will rescue you from the intrigue of the spies." This blessing has the connecting power of Eretz Israel: it contains the "yud" which is likened to the World to Come and "heh" which is likened to this world. This is the connection between Heaven and earth, and this is the power of Eretz Israel, which embodies this connection, and therefore Moshe blessed him in this way. In contrast, Moshe Rabbenu did was not concerned that Calev, who possessed the traits of forcefulness and fierceness, would be negatively influenced by the spies. Nevertheless, Calev goes to pray on the tomb of the Patriarchs in order to draw the strength of this attribute, to stand firmly like the forefathers regarding the possession of the Land.
And to this the Torah testifies regarding Calev: "because he had a different spirit in him and he followed Me completely" – he had the shrewdness to outwit the spies, as the Midrash recounts:
"'And Calev silenced the nation (Bamidbar 13:30)' – he called out: "and is this the only thing that ben Amram (a disrespectful reference to Moshe Rabbenu) did to us? The listeners were sure that Calev would speak against Moshe. And since their hearts were incited against Moshe by the words of the spies, they all became silent and listened, expecting to hear Calev speak against Moshe. He said: "Didn't he split the sea before us, and didn't he bring down for us the manna and he quails? We will surely go up and possess it, for indeed we can prevail over it"
So Calev used his wisdom and guile in order to contradict the spies, and this is the "different spirit" which the Torah speaks of, in contrast to Yehoshua who was humble, in the aspect of "will not depart from the tent."
Rabbi Tzaddok HaCohen from Lublin reveals that Yehoshua and Calev are two aspects of Moshiach. Yehoshua, who was from the tribe of Efraim the son of Yosef, represents Moshiach ben Yosef, and Calev who was from the tribe of Yehuda represents Moshiach ben David. Yosef, as we know, is Middat HaYesod (the aspect of the foundation) – tzaddik yesod olam (Mishlei 10:25 - a righteous one who is the foundation of the world). Middat hayesod characterizes only individual, special tzaddikim of the generation, and therefore they must not fall. If, G-d forbid, these tzaddikim fall, they have no uprising, as in the future Moshiach ben Yosef will be killed and will have no revival. Therefore Moshe Rabbenu feared that Yehoshua will, G-d forbid, be harmed by the spies, and because of this he will fall and will not be able to rise again, and so he blessed him: "Y-h will rescue you from the intrigue of the spies" – he put HaShem's name into his name, so that He will guard over him and he will not fall.
Calev, on the other hand, was from the tribe of Yehuda which represents the aspect of malchut (kingship). Of Moshiach ben David is said: "David Melech Israel chai v'kayam (alive and well)." The kingdom belongs to all the nation, and therefore even if the king falls he recovers. Therefore, since Calev has the aspect of Moshiach ben David, Moshe Rabbenu does not worry about him falling, and even if he would fall he would recover, as is written: A tzaddik will fall seven times and will rise (Mishlei 24:16) as we saw regarding David HaMelech who fell in the sin of Bat Sheva, but afterwards repented and continued his reign as king. Calev has "a different spirit" – the characteristic of kingship which is interconnected with courage and assertiveness, and therefore, even though he could be harmed, there is no need to fear because he will get back up.
In our times as well, against "contempt for the beloved land" we need both of these powers, of Calev and Yehoshua – on one hand humility and subservience to HaShem, but at the same time – courage and resoluteness: "We will surely go up and possess it, for indeed we can prevail over it!"
Shiur ID: 9537
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