R. Simeon said: ‘AII this section (Num. XIII) can be expounded esoterically. God praises the Torah and says: “Walk in My ways and devote yourselves to My service, and I will bring you in to good and noble worlds.” To men who will not believe this God says: “Go and spy out that good and desirable land.” They say: “How are we to spy it out and to find out all this?”’
Therefore it is written: “Go up here in the south”: study the Torah, and from it you will know that the land is before you. “And ye shall see the land what it is”: from it you shall see the world of that inheritance into which I am bringing you. “And the people that dwell in it”: those are the righteous in the Garden of Eden who stand in rows in the celestial glory.
“Whether he is strong or weak”: through this you shall see whether they attained to all this when they conquered their evil inclination or no, or when they clung fast to the Torah to study it night and day, or if they relaxed their hold on it and still attained to all this. “Whether they be many or few”: whether they be many that devote themselves to my service and cling to the Torah in order to attain to all this or not.
“And what is the land, whether it is fat or lean”: from the Torah ye shall discover what is the nature of that other world, whether it confers in abundance heavenly bliss on those that dwell there or withholds from them anything. “Whether there are in it trees or no”: whether the Tree of Life is therein for all eternity, and whether the “bundle of the living” is there or not.
“And they went up by the south”: men go up therein halfheartedly, like one working for nothing, since they think it brings no reward and they see that the riches of this world are lost through it,
אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, מִפַּרְשְׁתָּא דָּא אוֹלִיפְנָא רָזָא דְּחָכְמְתָא, וְאִשְׁתְּמָעוּ מִנָּהּ רָזִין עִלָּאִין וְיַקִּירִין. תָּא חֲזֵי, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מְשַׁבַּח בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאָמַר אַזִילוּ בְאוֹרְחַי, אִשְׁתַדְלוּ בְּפוּלְחַנַי, וְהָא אֲנָא מְעַיִיל לְכוֹן לְעָלְמִין טָבִין, לְעָלְמִין עִלָּאִין. בְּנֵי נָשָׁא דְּלָא יַדְעֵי, לָא מְהֵימְנֵי, וְלָא מִסְתַּכְּלֵי, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָמַר, אֲזִילוּ אֲלִילוּ הַהוּא עָלְמָא טָבָא, הַהוּא עָלְמָא עִלָּאָה דְּכִסּוּפָא. אִינּוּן אַמְרֵי, אֵיךְ נֵיכוּל לְאַלְלָא לֵיהּ, וּלְמִנְדַּע כָּל הַאי.
R. Simeon said: ‘AII this section (Num. XIII) can be expounded esoterically. God praises the Torah and says: “Walk in My ways and devote yourselves to My service, and I will bring you in to good and noble worlds.” To men who will not believe this God says: “Go and spy out that good and desirable land.” They say: “How are we to spy it out and to find out all this?”’
מַה כְּתִיב. עֲלוּ זֶה בַנֶּגֶב, אִשְׁתְּדָּלוּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְתֶחמוּן דְּהָא הִיא קַיְּימָא קַמַיְּיכוּ, וּמִנָהּ תִּנְדְּעוּן לֵיהּ. (במדבר י״ג:י״ח) וּרְאִיתֶם אֶת הָאָרֶץ מַה הִיא וְגוֹ'. תֶּחמוּן מִנָּהּ הַהוּא עָלְמָא, דְּהָא יְרוּתָא דְּאַחֲסָנָא, דַּאֲנָא עָיֵיל לְכוּ בָּה. וְאֶת הָעָם הַיּוֹשֵׁב עָלֶיהָ, אִינּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא דִּבְגִנְתָּא דְּעֵדֶן, דְּקַיְימָן שׁוּרִין שׁוּרִין בִּיקָרָא עִלָּאָה, בְּדַרְגִּין עִלָּאִין.
Therefore it is written: “Go up here in the south”: study the Torah, and from it you will know that the land is before you. “And ye shall see the land what it is”: from it you shall see the world of that inheritance into which I am bringing you. “And the people that dwell in it”: those are the righteous in the Garden of Eden who stand in rows in the celestial glory.
הֶחָזָק הוּא הֲרָפֶה, בָּהּ תֶּחמוּ אִי זָכוּ לְכָל הַאי כַּד אַתְּקָפוּ עַל יִצְרֵיהוֹן, וְתַבְרוּ לֵיהּ, אִי לָא. אוֹ כַּד אַתְּקָפוּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, לְמִלְעֵי בָּהּ יְמָמָא וְלֵילְיָא. אוֹ אִי אַרְפּוּ יְדַיְיהוּ מִנָּהּ. וְזָכוּ לְכָל הַאי. הַמְעַט הוּא אִם רָב, אִי סַגִּיאִין אִינּוּן דְּאִשְׁתָּדָּלוּ בְּפוּלְחָנִי, וְאַתְּקִיפוּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, בְּגִין דְּזָכוּ לְכָל הַאי אִי לָא.
“Whether he is strong or weak”: through this you shall see whether they attained to all this when they conquered their evil inclination or no, or when they clung fast to the Torah to study it night and day, or if they relaxed their hold on it and still attained to all this. “Whether they be many or few”: whether they be many that devote themselves to my service and cling to the Torah in order to attain to all this or not.
(במדבר י״ג:כ׳) וּמָה הָאָרֶץ הַשְּׁמֵנָה הִיא אִם רָזָא. מִדְּאוֹרַיְיתָא תִּנְדְּעוּן מַה הָאָרֶץ. מַה הַהוּא עָלְמָא אִי אַסְגֵּי טִיבוּ עִלָּאָה לְיָתְבָהָא, אוֹ אִי אַזְעִיר מִנֵּהּ כְּלוּם. הֲיֵשׁ בָּהּ עֵץ אִם אַיִן, הֲאִית בָּהּ אִילָנָא דְּחַיֵּי, לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמִין, אוֹ אִי צְרוֹרָא דְּחַיֵּי אִשְׁתְּכַח בְּגַוָּוהּ, אִם לָא.
“And what is the land, whether it is fat or lean”: from the Torah ye shall discover what is the nature of that other world, whether it confers in abundance heavenly bliss on those that dwell there or withholds from them anything. “Whether there are in it trees or no”: whether the Tree of Life is therein for all eternity, and whether the “bundle of the living” is there or not.
(במדבר י״ג:כ״ב) וַיַּעֲלוּ בַנֶּגֶב וַיָּבֹא עַד חֶבְרוֹן. וַיַּעֲלוּ בַנֶּגֶב, בְּנֵי נָשָׁא סַלְּקִין בְּגַוָּוהּ בַנֶּגֶב, בְּלִבָּא עַצְלָא, כְּמַאן דְּאִשְׁתְּדַל בְּמַגָּנָא, בִּנְגִּיבוּ, דְּחָשִׁיב דְּלֵית בָּהּ אֲגָר, חָמֵי דְּהָא עוּתְרָא דְּהַאי עָלְמָא אָבִיד בְּגִינָהּ, חָשִׁיב דְּכֹלָּא הוּא. בַנֶּגֶב: כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (בראשית ח׳:י״ג) חָרְבוּ הַמַּיִם, וּמְתַּרְגְמִינָן נְגִיבוּ.
“And they went up by the south”: men go up therein halfheartedly, like one working for nothing, since they think it brings no reward and they see that the riches of this world are lost through it,