## Midrash Tanchuma, Sh'lach

###### Midrash Tanchuma, Sh'lach 8:1
[Midrash Tanchuma, Sh'lach 8:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Midrash%20Tanchuma/s/Sh%27lach/r/8:1)

**וְחֶבְרוֹן** שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים נִבְנְתָה לִפְנֵי צֹעַן מִצְרָיִם. לְהוֹדִיעֲךָ שִׁבְחָהּ שֶׁל אֶרֶץ, שֶׁהַפְּסֹלֶת שֶׁבָּהּ מְשֻׁבָּח הַרְבֵּה יוֹתֵר מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם. שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁנָּחֲלוּ בְּנֵי נֹחַ אֶת הָעוֹלָם אַחַר דּוֹר הַמַּבּוּל, הֵם בָּנוּ עִירָם בִּמְקוֹם הַפְּסֹלֶת תְּחִלָּה וְלֹא בִּמְקוֹם הַשֶּׁבַח, אֶלָּא בָּחֲרוּ הַפְּסֹלֶת שֶׁל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְחֶבְרוֹן פְּסֹלֶת שֶׁל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְצֹעַן מִצְרַיִם הִיא טוֹבָה שֶׁבְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, וְזוֹ קָדְמָה לָהּ שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים. וְאִם תֹּאמַר, לֹא מִי שֶׁבָּנָה זוֹ בָּנָה זוֹ. הוּא הַדּוֹר הוּא הַמִּשְׁפָּחָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וּבְנֵי חָם, כּוּשׁ וּמִצְרַיִם וּפוּט וּכְנַעַן (בראשית י, ו). וְעָמְדוּ וּבָנוּ זוֹ לִפְנֵי זוֹ, וְחֶבְרוֹן שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים נִבְנְתָה לִפְנֵי צֹעַן מִצְרַיִם. אָדָם אֶחָד בְּנָאָן, וּמִפְּסֹלֶת שֶׁל רִאשׁוֹן בָּנָה הַשְּׁנִיָּה. וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד נַחַל אֶשְׁכּוֹל. לֹא רָצוּ לִטֹּל פֵּרוֹת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל. אִלּוּלֵי כָּלֵב שֶׁשָּׁלַף אֶת חַרְבּוֹ וְיָרַד לִפְנֵיהֶם וְאָמַר לָהֶם אִם אֵין אָנוּ נוֹטְלִין אוֹ אַתֶּם הוֹרְגִים אוֹתִי אוֹ אֲנִי הוֹרֵג אֶתְכֶם לֹא הָיוּ נוֹטְלִין. לְפִיכָךְ נֶאֱמַר, אִם לֹא הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר דָּרְכָה רַגְלְךָ בָהּ לְךָ תִּהְיֶה לְנַחֲלָה (יהושע יד, ט). וַיִּשָּׂאוּהוּ בַּמּוֹט בִּשְׁנַיִם, אֵין פָּחוֹת מִשְּׁנֵי מוֹטוֹת, לְפִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ אוֹמֵר בַּמּוֹט שְׁנַיִם, אֶלָּא בִּשְׁנַיִם. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים: שְׁלֹשָׁה. בַּמּוֹט, אֶחָד בִּשְׁנַיִם, הֲרֵי שְׁלֹשָׁה. וְכַמָּה הָיָה מַשּׂוֹי בְּיַד כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד. צֵא וּלְמַד מֵאֲבָנִים שֶׁנָּטְלוּ מִן הַיַּרְדֵּן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְאֶת שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה הָאֲבָנִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר לָקְחוּ מִן הַיַּרְדֵּן הֵקִים יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּגִּלְגָּל (שם ד, כ). כַּמָּה שִׁעוּרָהּ שֶׁל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מֵהֶן. מַשְּׂאוֹי אַרְבָּעִים סְאָה. מִכָּאן אַתְּ לָמֵד לְאוֹתוֹ אֶשְׁכּוֹל, אָדָם הַנּוֹשֵׂא מַשְּׂאוֹי לְעַצְמוֹ וּמַגְבִּיהַּ סְאָה, אִם מַגְבִּיהַּ עָלָיו חֲבֵרוֹ, נוֹשֵׂא סְאָתַיִם. נוֹשֵׂא עִם חֲבֵרוֹ, נוֹשֵׂא שָׁלֹש, הֲרֵי מִכָּאן הֱוֵי מְחַשֵּׁב. וַיָּשׁוּבוּ מִתּוּר הָאָרֶץ מִקֵּץ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם. וַהֲלֹא אַתְּ מוֹצֵא שֶׁהָלְכוּ דֶּרֶךְ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם מִן הַדָּרוֹם לַצָּפוֹן, וּלְאַרְבָּעִים יוֹם הָיוּ מְהַלְּכִין אֶת כֻּלָּהּ. אֶלָּא שֶׁגָּלוּי הָיָה לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁהֵן בָּאִין וְאוֹמְרִין לָשׁוֹן הָרַע וְנִגְזַר עַל אוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר שָׁנִים שֶׁל צָרָה, יוֹם לְשָׁנָה יוֹם לְשָׁנָה תִּשְּׂאוּ אֶת עוֹנוֹתֵיכֶם אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה, וְקָפַץ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִפְנֵיהֶם אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ.

**Midrash Tanhuma-Yelammedenu, trans. Samuel A. Berman:**
(Numb. 13:22:) “Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.” [This verse is] to make known the excellence of the Land [of Israel], that its worst soil is better than the land of Egypt.²⁷, Deut. 7:12 (37); *Sot*. 34b. Thus when the children of Noah took possession of the world after the flood, they first built cities, but not in the best place. Instead they chose the worst of the Land of Israel; for Hebron is the worst [place] in the Land of Israel. But Zoan is the best which is in the land of Egypt, and this [city of Hebron] preceded it by seven years. If you should say, “No, the one who built the former did not build the other”; [then I can answer,] “It was the [same] generation; it was the [same] family (according to Gen. 10:6), ‘And the sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.’” Now they arose and built the one before the other. (Numb. 13:22:) “Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.” One man built them, and from the leftovers of the first, he built the second. (Numb. 13:23:) “Then they came to the Wadi Eshcol.” They did not want to take any of the fruits from the Land of Israel. If Caleb had not drawn his sword, gone down in front of them, and said to them, “If you do not take [some], then either you kill me or I will kill you,” they would not have taken [anything].²⁸ 34a, according to which neither Joshua nor Caleb were carrying anything. It is therefore stated (to Caleb in Josh. 14:9), “Surely the land on which your foot has trod shall be a portion for you.” (Numb. 13:23:) “And they bore it by pole with two.”²⁹ There were not less than two poles, since it does not say, "two on a pole," but “by pole with two.”³⁰ Some also say three, “By pole,” [i.e.,] one [plus] “with two” for a total of three. And how heavy a load did each and every one have in hand? Go out and learn from the stones that they took from the Jordan, as stated (in Josh. 4:20), “And Joshua set up in Gilgal those twelve stones which they took from the Jordan.” What was the size of each and every one of them? A load of forty *se’ah*.³¹ is a measure of capacity. As a weight a *se’ah* usually means a *se’ah* of wheat. From here you can calculate that cluster of grapes. A person carries and lifts up [one] *se’ah* by himself. With his companion lifting [the load] up upon him, he carries two *se'ah*.³² 34a, according to whom each one could carry 40 *se’ah* on his shoulder. Now since a person plus a helper can carry three *se’ah,* with two men per pole there would be 120 *se’ah* of grapes per pole. Together with his companion he carries three *[se'ah].* Ergo one calculates from here (the weight of the cluster). (Numb. 13:25:) “At the end of forty days then they returned from exploring the land.” But do you not find that they [only] went from south to north?³³ Moreover, would they have walked the whole [land] in forty days? It is simply that it was revealed to the Holy One, blessed be He, that they would come and utter slander, and that there would be decreed against that generation years of suffering (according to Numb. 14:34), “[every] day a year, you shall bear your iniquities forty years.” So the Holy One, blessed be He, caused their road to shrink (i.e., to close up) before them.

footnotes:
²⁷ Numb. R. 16:13, cont.; see Sifre
²⁸ Numb. R. 16:14; Sot.
²⁹ The usual rendering of these words depicts the grape cluster resting on a pole suspended between two of the spies.
³⁰ I.e., by pole, using two of them.
³¹ A se’ah
³² Cf. Rashi, on Sot.
³³ Numb. R. 16:15.