The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand said a vort from R' Zalman Sorotskin on Moshe changing Yehoshua's name from Hosheah to Yehoshua. The Yerushalmi in Sanhedrin states that the Yud was taken from Sarah's name (when it was changed to Sarah from Sarai) and the letter was floating (R' Frand said it was "in the cloud") until it was given to Yehoshua.
R' Sorotskin suggests this was connected to Sarah's idea that Avraham should take Hagar to have a son. However, Sarah was adamant that Ishmael should not have a portion in the land of Israel. Yehoshua was the leader who brought the Jews into the land of Israel and who divided the land. Since Sarah was so concerned that Israel should go to her son, it is only right that the Yud from her name went to the man who brought that to fruition.
R' Frand next quoted R' Boruch Sorotskin (son of R' Zalman) on the Haftorah for Shelach, which deals with other spies - Pinchas and Kalev. The Medrash states that if you want the prime example of the two greatest Shluchei Mitzvah who were sent on a mission, it is these two, who gave their souls for their mission.
But what was so great about what they did, that they are called the greatest Shluchei Mitzvah? R' Sorotskin quoted the sefer Or Hanefesh which notes that the language of the Haftorah states that they disguised themselves and feigned as if they were deaf. But the Or Hanefesh learns that this can be read as they were pottery salesmen. Why is this significant? Because earthenware can only be tamei if the tumah enters its airspace. But a metal object contracts tumah when something touches the outside. We also see that an earthenware vessel served solely to hold things and its only value was as a receptacle. Meanwhile, a metal vessel has an intrinsic value.
R' Frand continued by noting that Kalev and Pinchas were important men in their own right and were no youngsters. Yet they accepted orders from Yehoshua (one of their contemporaries) and were subordinate to him, much like a receptacle which is subordinate to what it holds. R' Frand said that this is the classic example of Shliach Mitzva - my identity is meaningless, I am going to do the mitzva that I was sent to do.
R' Frand said a third thought which began with a question - which sin seems worse - the Egel or the Meraglim? It would appear that the Egel was worse as it is compared to bride who strays right after the wedding. Furthermore the Jews did teshuva right after the sin of the Meraglim and they expressed a desire immediately thereafter to go up to the land of Israel. Yet the Jews were forgiven shortly thereafter for the sin of the Egel and they languished in the desert for 38 years after the sin of the Meraglim.
R' Frand gave an answer from the Seforno which writes that the sin of the Meraglim was a Chillul Hashem which even Yom Kippur cannot atone for. But R' Frand also quoted a Ralbag on Parshas Devarim which answers that teshuva can only help atone for a sin, but it cannot makeup a missed opportunity. A person can regret and ask forgiveness for a missed opportunity, but it cannot makeup that specific opportunity.
R' Frand said that this is something to think about. A person can say that I will do something another time or later and the opportunity does not present itself again. R' Frand told a story from R' Dovid Drien who wanted to start a Kollel in a coal mining town in northern England. He wrote 22 letters to Rabbanim asking for their assistance. Twenty did not respond, one replied and said no and one said - the next time that you are in London, lets talk about it. That Rabbi was R' Eliyahu Dessler - he took the opportunity and was involved in the Yeshiva and wound up writing the Michtav M'Elyiahu and eventually became the Mashgiach in the Ponovich Yeshiva. All because he took the opportunity presented to him.
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