Conquering the Land through bittul

במדרש לך אכול בשמחה לחמך כו' המשך פרשת נסכים וחלה אחר המרגלים ע"ש.

The Midrash [connects] the verse "Go, eat your bread with simchah (joy)" (Koheles 9:7) [to explain] why the portion of nesachim (libations) and challah follows the episode of the meraglim (spies).

The Sefas Emes asks why the Torah places the mitzvos of libations and challah — laws about eating the produce of the Land — right after the sin of the spies, and answers it through the verse about eating one's bread with joy.

כי הנה בודאי כיבוש הארץ הי' דבר גדול מאוד שנתחבטו עליו אבות הראשונים והשי"ת נשבע להם להורישם הארץ.

For surely the conquest of the Land was a very great matter, over which the early Avos labored, and Hashem swore to them to give them the Land as an inheritance.

Taking possession of Eretz Yisrael was no ordinary military goal; it was the fulfillment of a divine oath to the Avos and the culmination of their lifelong avodah.

והוא בודאי תיקון כל החטא לברר הטוב מהרע להוציא הארץ מת"י כנען להיות נחלת ה'.

And it is surely the rectification (tikkun) of the entire sin — to separate the good from the evil, to take the Land out from under the hand of Canaan so that it become the inheritance of Hashem.

Conquering the Land is really a spiritual act of clarification: lifting the holy sparks of the Land out of impurity so that the Land returns to its true status as Hashem's portion.

והוא אינו בכח אנושי רק כמ"ש ברצות ה' דרכי איש כו' אויביו ישלים כו' לכן פנה כנען ופינה את הארץ כאשר הגיע העת.

And this is not within human power, but rather as it is written, "When Hashem favors a man's ways… He makes even his enemies at peace with him" (Mishlei 16:7); therefore Canaan turned and vacated the Land when the time arrived.

The Land could never be won by force alone. It is given only when Hashem favors a person, at which point even the enemies clear out by themselves — Canaan emptied the Land when the appointed moment came.

וכל טעות המרגלים הי' במה שרצו לכבוש בכח עצמותם.

And the entire error of the meraglim was that they wished to conquer through their own strength.

The spies' fundamental mistake was relying on their own power to take the Land, rather than on the ratzon Hashem.

ואותו הדור היו גבורי כח צבאות ה' אבל מלחמת ארץ כנען אינו בכח האדם כמ"ש כי לא בחרבם ירשו ארץ.

And that generation were mighty in strength, the "hosts of Hashem," but the war for the Land of Canaan is not won by human strength, as it is written, "For not by their sword did they inherit the Land" (Tehillim 44:4).

Even though the dor hamidbar were spiritual warriors, Hashem's hosts, the conquest of Eretz Yisrael was never meant to depend on military might.

ולכן מפורש חטא המעפילים במ"ש ותחגרו איש כו' כלי מלחמתו כו' ולכן לא הצליחו.

Therefore the sin of the ma'apilim (those who pushed ahead) is spelled out in the verse, "and each of you girded… his weapons of war" (Devarim 1:41), and therefore they did not succeed.

The ma'apilim repeated the spies' error in reverse: now they strapped on weapons to force their way in by human power, and that is exactly why they failed.

וכ' במד' ויעפילו שהביאו חשיכה כו'.

And it is written in the Midrash on "vaya'apilu" (and they presumed to ascend) that they brought darkness.

The Midrash reads "vaya'apilu" as related to ofel (darkness) — their self-willed action caused a spiritual darkness.

כי מה שהי' מוכן להתגלות אור הצפון בא"י שהי' מוכן לכנוס בכלל נחלת ה' וע"י חטאם נחשך אותו ההארה.

For the hidden light (or hatzafun) that was ready to be revealed in Eretz Yisrael, which was prepared to enter into the category of Hashem's inheritance, was darkened through their sin.

A great concealed light was poised to shine forth in the Land as it became Hashem's portion, but the sin of acting through human force eclipsed that illumination.

וכאשר ראינו בתחילת הבטחתו ית' לאברהם אע"ה לך לך כו' אשר אראך.

And as we saw at the beginning of Hashem's promise to Avraham Avinu, "Go forth… to the land that I will show you" (Bereishis 12:1).

From the very first promise of the Land to Avraham, the model was set: the Land is given as Hashem "shows" it, not as man grasps it.

כי כל נתינת א"י הוא בביטול כל השגת האדם רק ברצות ה' כמ"ש כי ימינך כו' ואור פניך כי רציתם.

For the entire giving of Eretz Yisrael comes through the nullification (bittul) of all human attainment — only through Hashem's favor, as it is written, "For it was Your right hand… and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them" (Tehillim 44:4).

Eretz Yisrael is granted only when a person sets aside reliance on his own achievement (bittul) and trusts entirely in Hashem's favor.

וכמ"ש כלב אם חפץ בנו ה'.

And as Calev said, "If Hashem desires us [He will bring us into this Land]" (Bamidbar 14:8).

Calev, who did not sin with the spies, expressed exactly this principle: entry into the Land depends on Hashem's desire for us, not our own strength.

וע"ז כ' בתחבולות תעשה לך מלחמה בתחבולות של מצות.

And concerning this it is written, "With strategies (tachbulos) you shall wage your war" (Mishlei 24:6) — with the strategies of mitzvos.

The "war strategy" for winning the Land is not military cunning but the performance of mitzvos, which draws down Hashem's favor.

ובאמת כל החטאים שנעשו באנשים הגדולים הי' מעין חטא אדה"ר שהלך אחר עה"ד.

In truth, all the sins committed by great people were a semblance of the sin of Adam HaRishon, who went after the Eitz HaDaas (Tree of Knowledge).

Every failing of great people echoes Adam's original sin: relying on one's own knowledge and judgment instead of submitting to Hashem's will.

ועיקר הצלה הוא בביטול דעת האדם לרצונו ית'.

And the essential rescue is through the nullification of a person's own intellect (daas) to Hashem's will.

The remedy for this Adam-like flaw is bittul: surrendering one's own reasoning to the ratzon Hashem.

ובזה יכולין לברר אח"כ בין טוב לרע.

And through this one is then able to clarify between good and evil.

Only after nullifying one's own daas to Hashem can a person properly sort good from evil, the very task that Adam corrupted.

וז"ש אכול בשמחה הוא לתקן מ"ש בעצבון תאכלנה.

And this is the meaning of "eat with joy" — it comes to rectify what was said [to Adam], "in sorrow you shall eat of it" (Bereishis 3:17).

Eating one's bread with joy reverses the curse of Adam, whose eating was bound up with toil and sorrow.

ושתה בלב טוב הוא לברר הטוב ואוכל מתוך פסולת.

And "drink with a good heart" (Koheles 9:7) is to extract the good and the edible from the waste.

Eating and drinking with joy and a good heart represent the avodah of separating the holy good from the dross within the world's physical bounty.

וכ"ז בכח כי כבר רצה כו' מעשך.

And all of this is by the power of "for Hashem has already favored your deeds" (Koheles 9:7).

This capacity to eat in holiness flows from Hashem's prior favor toward one's deeds — His favor enables the clarification.

ע"י שזוכין להיות ברצות ה' דרכי איש בזה יכולין לברר התערובות.

By meriting that "Hashem favors a man's ways," one is thereby able to clarify the mixture [of good and evil].

When a person merits Hashem's favor, he gains the power to sort out the tangled mixture of good and bad in the physical world.

ולכן מצות נסכים וחלה הי' נצרך להיות מזה ברכה בלחם הארץ דגן תירוש ויצהר שיוכלו בנ"י לברור האוכל מתוך הפסולת כנ"ל.

Therefore the mitzvos of nesachim (libations) and challah were needed, so that from them blessing would rest upon the bread of the Land — grain, wine, and oil — so that Bnei Yisrael could extract the edible from the waste, as above.

The libations and challah, offered from the Land's grain, wine, and oil, sanctify its produce; through them Bnei Yisrael are empowered to draw out the holiness within the physical food of Eretz Yisrael.

ולכן כשחרב בהמ"ק הי' בדין שלא לאכול ע"ש בגמ' ב"ב.

Therefore, when the Bais Hamikdash was destroyed, it would have been fitting [by strict law] not to eat [meat or drink wine], as is discussed in the Gemara Bava Basra (60b).

Without the Bais Hamikdash, the channel for elevating food through offerings is gone, so by strict reasoning one might abstain from meat and wine entirely.

ועתה תפלה במקום תמידין איתקון כמ"ש ועבדתם כו' ובירך כו' לחמך כו' מימך.

But now tefillah (prayer) has been instituted in place of the temidim (daily offerings), as it is written, "and you shall serve [Hashem your God] and He will bless your bread and your water" (Shemos 23:25).

Tefillah now does the work the korbanos once did: through prayer Hashem blesses our food, enabling us to elevate it even without the Mikdash.

ולכן אסור לאכול קודם התפלה.

Therefore it is forbidden to eat before tefillah.

Since prayer is what sanctifies our eating, we may not eat before we have first davened.

כי אכילה היא מלחמה וע"י התפלה מקודם שמתדבקין ברצונו ית' יכולין אח"כ לברר טוב מרע.

For eating is a battle, and through tefillah beforehand — by which one cleaves to Hashem's will — one is then able to separate good from evil.

Eating is itself a kind of "war" of bircur (clarification), just like conquering the Land. By first attaching oneself to Hashem's will through prayer, one gains the power to extract the good from the food and not be dragged after the physical.

עי"ז והסירותי מחלה מקרבך:

Through this, "I will remove illness (machalah) from your midst" (Shemos 23:25).

When eating is preceded by prayer and done in holiness, the blessing is complete and Hashem removes sickness from among us.

Summary: The conquest of Eretz Yisrael — placed in the Torah right before the laws of libations and challah — teaches that the Land cannot be won by human strength. That was the error of both the meraglim and the ma'apilim, a re-enactment of Adam's reliance on his own daas. The Land, and indeed all holy eating, is acquired only through bittul of one's own intellect to the ratzon Hashem. Eating itself is a "war" of separating good from evil; the offerings (and today, tefillah before eating) draw down Hashem's favor so that Bnei Yisrael can extract the holiness from physical food and merit a life free of illness.