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Why did Moshe add the letter Yud to Yehoshua's name before the spies' mission? The meraglim became evil because they viewed their mission as a promotion rather than additional obligations. Yehoshua's humility protected him from arrogance, but Moshe still prayed he could resist peer pressure when the entire group went astray.
The shiur explores the Gemara (גמרא)'s teaching that Moshe changed Hoshea's name to Yehoshua before the spies' mission, praying that Hashem (ה׳) would save him from their evil counsel. The central question is why Yehoshua needed this protection while Kalev did not, and what caused the spies to become evil in the first place. Rabbi Zweig explains that the spies' downfall came from viewing their mission as a personal promotion. Previously, they were merely tribal heads, but now they became national figures reporting to Moshe and Aharon before the entire congregation. This promotion led to arrogance and corrupted their judgment - a manifestation of the principle that honor and power corrupt people.
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Parshas Shelach
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