(Devarim 1:25) "And they took in their hand from the fruit of the land": R. Shimon said: Shameful are these men who took in their hand (such luxuriant fruits [to downgrade their worth]) as one would take in his hand an issar's worth of figs or grapes.
"and they brought it down to us" — whence it is seen that Eretz Yisrael is higher than all the (other) lands, as in (Bamidbar 13:30) "Let us go up and inherit it," and (Ibid. 21) "And they went up and spied out the land," and (Bereshith 45:25) "And they went up from Egypt and they came to the land of Canaan." (Devarim, Ibid.)
"And they returned word to us and they said: Good is the land that the L-rd our G-d gives us." Now did they speak good (of the land)? Did they not speak evil of it? — Who spoke good of it? Joshua and Calev — in spite of which (Ibid. 26) "And you did not desire to go up, and you opposed the word of the L-rd your G-d." ...
(דברים א כה) וַיִּקְחוּ בְיָדָם מִפְּרִי הָאָרֶץ, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן: עֲלוּבִים בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁכָּךְ נָטְלוּ בְיָדָם, כְּאָדָם שֶׁנּוֹטֵל בְּאִסָּר תְּאֵנִים, בְּאִסָּר עֲנָבִים – כָּךְ נָטְלוּ בְיָדָם.
(Devarim 1:25) "And they took in their hand from the fruit of the land": R. Shimon said: Shameful are these men who took in their hand (such luxuriant fruits [to downgrade their worth]) as one would take in his hand an issar's worth of figs or grapes.
וַיּוֹרִדוּ אֵלֵינוּ, מַגִּיד שֶׁאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן גְּבוֹהָה מִכָּל הָאֲרָצוֹת, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יג ל): ״עָלֹה נַעֲלֶה וְיָרַשְׁנוּ אֹתָהּ כִּי יָכוֹל נוּכַל לָהּ״, (במדבר יג כא) ״וַיַּעֲלוּ וַיָּתֻרוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ״, (במדבר יג כב) ״וַיַּעֲלוּ בַנֶּגֶב״, (בראשית מה כה) ״וַיַּעֲלוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם״.
"and they brought it down to us" — whence it is seen that Eretz Yisrael is higher than all the (other) lands, as in (Bamidbar 13:30) "Let us go up and inherit it," and (Ibid. 21) "And they went up and spied out the land," and (Bereshith 45:25) "And they went up from Egypt and they came to the land of Canaan." (Devarim, Ibid.)
וַיָּשִׁיבוּ אֹתָנוּ דָבָר וַיֹּאמְרוּ טוֹבָה הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ נֹתֵן לָנוּ, וְכִי לְטוֹבָתָהּ אָמְרוּ? וַהֲלֹא לֹא אָמְרוּ אֶלָּא לְרָעָתָהּ! מִי אָמַר טוֹבָתָהּ? יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכָלֵב, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן (דברים א כו) ״וְלֹא אֲבִיתֶם לַעֲלוֹת וַתַּמְרוּ אֶת פִּי ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם״!
"And they returned word to us and they said: Good is the land that the L-rd our G-d gives us." Now did they speak good (of the land)? Did they not speak evil of it? — Who spoke good of it? Joshua and Calev — in spite of which (Ibid. 26) "And you did not desire to go up, and you opposed the word of the L-rd your G-d." ...