“And God spoke to Moses saying, send people .…” (Bamidbar, 13:1-2) It is said in the holy Zohar (Bamidbar, 159a), “The Holy One, blessed be He, has three worlds—the world that is hidden within Him and is not known at all, the world that is always known, and the world that is known and not known.” For one kind of person prayer is of no benefit, and this is called the world that is not known at all. For this one, God withdraws His glory above. The world that is always known corresponds to a person who God always helps even if he does not pray, so he has no use for prayer. The world that is known and not known corresponds to a person who God does not help without prayer, yet if he prays he is answered. This one will have the desire to pray, yet the first two will not have any desire to pray. Both the person who prayer does not help anyway, and the person who is helped without prayer, will not find any desire in their hearts to pray. When a man finds that he has no desire to pray he needs to understand why. Is it because it will not help him, or because he does not need it? It was similar with the spies, for no prayer would have benefited the spies. Therefore they had no will in their hearts to pray. The exception was Calev, who had a need for prayer (the world that is known and not known), and that is why he alone went to Hevron to throw himself down on the graves of the patriarchs in prayer. Yehoshua did not need to pray because wherever he went he was helped by God, as it says in the holy Zohar (Bamidbar, 158b), “Moses blessed him with supernal assistance,” therefore he didn’t need to pray.28All the matters of prayer are included in this Parsha, for whosoever needs great mercies, God sends to the heart of the tsaddik or righteous leader of the generation to bless him and pray for him. Thus with Yehoshua, our teacher Moshe blessed him and prayed for him. Calev didn’t need Moshe’s prayer, and therefore the desire to pray for him didn’t enter Moshe’s heart. Prayer would not have helped the spies, so he did not have the desire to pray for them either. The righteous leader of the generation [Tsaddik haDor] needs a great depth of understanding to know why the desire to pray for some would not enter his heart, whether it is because he is helped without prayer or because prayer would not help anyway. Tashlum.
וַיְדַבֵּר ה׳ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר שְׁלַח לְךָ אֲנָשִׁים. אִיתָא בַּזוה"ק (במדבר קנ"ט.) תְּלַת עָלְמִין אִית לֵיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, עָלְמָא דְּגָנִיז בְּגַוֵּיהּ וְלֹא אִתְיְדַע כְּלָל, וְעָלְמָא דְּאִתְיְדַע בֵּהּ תָּמִיד, וְעָלְמָא דְּאִתְיְדַע וְלֹא אִתְיְדַע. וְהָעִנְיָן בָּזֶה כִּי יֵשׁ שֶׁאֵין תְּפִלָּה מוֹעִיל לוֹ כְּלָל וְזֶה נִקְרָא עָלְמָא דְּלֹא אִתְיְדַע כְּלָל, הַיְינוּ שֶׁנֶּגֶד הָאָדָם הַזֶּה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְסַלֵּק כְּבוֹדוֹ לְעֵילָא. וְעָלְמָא דְּאִתְיְדַע בֵּיהּ תָּמִיד, הוּא נֶגֶד הָאָדָם שֶׁהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ הוּא תָּמִיד בְּעֶזְרוֹ וּמְסַיְּעוֹ אַף בְּלֹא תְּפִלָּה וְלֹא יִצְטָרֵךְ לִתְפִלָּה. עָלְמָא דְּאִתְיְדַע וְלֹא אִתְיְדַע, הוּא נֶגֶד אָדָם שֶׁאֵין לוֹ סִיַּעְתָּא בְּלֹא תְּפִלָּה אַךְ עַל יְדֵי תְּפִלָּה הוּא נַעֲנֶה, וְלָאָדָם הַזֶּה יָבֹא בַּלֵּב רָצוֹן לִתְפִלָּה, כִּי לְאֵלּוּ הַשְּׁנַיִם הָרִאשׁוֹנִים לֹא יָבֹא שׁוּם רָצוֹן בַּלֵּב לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, וְכֵן הוּא הָעִנְיָן כִּי הַהוֹלֵךְ בְּסִיַּעְתָּא לֹא יִצְטָרֵךְ לִתְפִלָּה וּמִי שֶׁלֹּא יוֹעִיל לוֹ תְּפִלָּה גַּם כֵּן לֹא יָבֹא לוֹ בַּלֵּב שׁוּם רָצוֹן לִתְפִלָּה, אַךְ הָאָדָם כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא יָבֹא לוֹ רָצוֹן לִתְפִלָּה צָרִיךְ לְהָבִין מִפְּנֵי מָה אֵין בּוֹ רָצוֹן, אִם הוּא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא יוֹעִיל לוֹ אוֹ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין צָרִיךְ, וּכְמוֹ כֵן הָעִנְיָן בַּמְרַגְּלִים, וְהַמְרַגְּלִים לֹא הָיָה מוֹעִיל לָהֶם שׁוּם תְּפִלָּה לְפִיכָךְ לֹא בָּא בְּלִבָּם רְצוֹן תְּפִלָּה, וְכָלֵב הָיָה צָרִיךְ לִתְפִלָּה לְפִיכָךְ נִשְׁתַּטֵּחַ עַל קִבְרֵי אֲבוֹתָיו וְהִתְפַּלֵּל, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לִתְפִלָּה כִּי הָלַךְ בְּסִיַּעְתָּא מֵה׳ כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזוה"ק (במדבר קנ"ח:) כִּי מֹשֶׁה בֵּרְכוֹ בְּסִיַּעְתָּא עִילָּאָה, לְפִיכָךְ לֹא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לִתְפִלָּה [שֶׁבָּזֶה הַפָּרָשָׁה נִכְלָל כָּל עִנְיְנֵי תְּפִלָּה, כִּי מִי שֶׁצָּרִיךְ רַחֲמִים גְּדוֹלִים שׁוֹלֵחַ הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּלֵב הַצַּדִּיק וּמַנְהִיג הַדּוֹר לְבָרְכוֹ וּלְהִתְפַּלֵּל עָלָיו וְזֶה הָיָה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ שֶׁמֹּשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ בֵּרְכוֹ וְהִתְפַּלֵּל עָלָיו, וְכָלֵב לֹא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לִתְפִלַּת מֹשֶׁה לָכֵן לֹא בָּא בְּלֵב מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל עָלָיו וְרַק בְּעַצְמוֹ הִתְפַּלֵּל, וְלַמְרַגְּלִים לֹא הוֹעִיל תְּפִלָּה לָכֵן לֹא בָּא בְּלֵב מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל עֲלֵיהֶם, וְצַדִּיק הַדּוֹר צָרִיךְ לָזֶה מְבִינוּת גָּדוֹל לְהָבִין מִפְּנֵי מָה לֹא בָּא רָצוֹן בְּלִבּוֹ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, אִם מֵחֲמַת שֶׁאֵינוֹ נִצְרָךְ לוֹ תְּפִלָּה אוֹ מֵחֲמַת שֶׁלֹּא יוֹעִיל לוֹ תְּפִלָּה. תַּשְׁלוּם.].
“And God spoke to Moses saying, send people .…” (Bamidbar, 13:1-2)
It is said in the holy Zohar (Bamidbar, 159a), “The Holy One, blessed be He, has three worlds—the world that is hidden within Him and is not known at all, the world that is always known, and the world that is known and not known.” For one kind of person prayer is of no benefit, and this is called the world that is not known at all. For this one, God withdraws His glory above. The world that is always known corresponds to a person who God always helps even if he does not pray, so he has no use for prayer. The world that is known and not known corresponds to a person who God does not help without prayer, yet if he prays he is answered. This one will have the desire to pray, yet the first two will not have any desire to pray. Both the person who prayer does not help anyway, and the person who is helped without prayer, will not find any desire in their hearts to pray.
When a man finds that he has no desire to pray he needs to understand why. Is it because it will not help him, or because he does not need it? It was similar with the spies, for no prayer would have benefited the spies. Therefore they had no will in their hearts to pray. The exception was Calev, who had a need for prayer (the world that is known and not known), and that is why he alone went to Hevron to throw himself down on the graves of the patriarchs in prayer. Yehoshua did not need to pray because wherever he went he was helped by God, as it says in the holy Zohar (Bamidbar, 158b), “Moses blessed him with supernal assistance,” therefore he didn’t need to pray.28All the matters of prayer are included in this Parsha, for whosoever needs great mercies, God sends to the heart of the tsaddik or righteous leader of the generation to bless him and pray for him. Thus with Yehoshua, our teacher Moshe blessed him and prayed for him. Calev didn’t need Moshe’s prayer, and therefore the desire to pray for him didn’t enter Moshe’s heart. Prayer would not have helped the spies, so he did not have the desire to pray for them either. The righteous leader of the generation [Tsaddik haDor] needs a great depth of understanding to know why the desire to pray for some would not enter his heart, whether it is because he is helped without prayer or because prayer would not help anyway. Tashlum.