Moses stresses the sin of the spies because they did not believe that we would be able to overcome all the obstacles to liberate the Land of Israel. Lewis and Clark were sent by President Jefferson, and they gave a different report. It will be hard but we and & will be able.

The Sin of the Spies and the Courage to Fulfill a Mission

One of the interesting aspects of this week’s Parshat Devarim is that when Moses reviews Israel’s failures in the wilderness, he emphasizes the sin of the spies. At first glance, that seems surprising. Wasn’t the sin of the Golden Calf even more serious? Why does Moses focus so heavily on the spies?

One answer is that the two sins were fundamentally different.

The Golden Calf was primarily a sin against God. The sin of the spies, however, was not only a failure of faith in God—it was also a failure of faith in the Jewish people and in the Land of Israel. Ten of the twelve spies concluded that the mission was impossible. They did not believe the nation could conquer the land, despite God’s promise. Only Joshua and Caleb had the courage to say, “Yes, we can.”

That contrast brings to mind an interesting moment in American history.

In 1804, shortly after the Louisiana Purchase, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the vast new territory. Their expedition encountered enormous dangers. They crossed difficult terrain, endured harsh weather, and even survived attacks from wild animals, including grizzly bears. Yet their reports did not conclude that the task was impossible. Instead, they acknowledged the hardships while affirming that the territory could be explored, settled, and developed.

That spirit eventually became associated with what Americans called Manifest Destiny—the belief that the nation had a mission to settle the continent from coast to coast. The pioneers who followed Lewis and Clark faced extraordinary hardships. Establishing farms in places such as Oklahoma, the Dakotas, and other frontier regions required tremendous courage, sacrifice, and perseverance. Yet they believed the mission could be accomplished.

The spies reached the opposite conclusion.

After only two years in the wilderness, they saw the challenges and declared, “We cannot do it.”

Now, forty years later, Moses stands before a new generation. The entire Book of Deuteronomy takes place during the final month of his life. He reminds the people that entering the Land of Israel will not be easy. They will no longer experience the daily open miracles of the wilderness. The manna will cease. They will have to farm, defend themselves, build cities, establish courts, and create a functioning society.

God’s miracles will not disappear—but they will become more hidden.

Nevertheless, Moses teaches that the mission remains the same. The Jewish people are called to build a nation founded upon the Torah, demonstrating that a society can be both strong and ethical, both prosperous and moral, grounded in God’s principles.

That is precisely what the spies failed to understand. They measured the obstacles but forgot the mission.

Lewis and Clark acknowledged the obstacles but believed the mission was achievable.

Moses wanted the new generation to adopt that second outlook. Once a people loses confidence in its God-given mission, it has already surrendered. But when it embraces that mission with faith, determination, and hard work, even great challenges become opportunities.

That is a lesson as relevant today as it was on the plains of Moab.

Something to think about.