(Numb. 13:2:) “Send men.” R. Aha the Great opened [his discourse] (with Is. 40:8), “Grass withers, flowers fade, but the word of our God shall stand forever.”7Numb. R. 16:3. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a friend. Now he made an agreement with him and said to him, “Come with me, and I will give you a present.” He went with him but died. The king said to the son of his friend, “Although your father has died, I am not withdrawing the present that I had promised to give him. Come and get it.” This king is the Holy One, blessed be He, and the friend is Abraham, as stated (in Is. 41:8), “the seed of My friend Abraham.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Come with me,” as stated (in Gen. 12:1), “Go from your land….” He made an agreement with him to give him the Land of Canaan as a present, as stated (in Gen. 13:17), “Arise, walk about the land [… for I am giving it to you].” It also says (in vs. 15), “For all the land which you see, [to you will I give it, and to your seed forever].” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Although the ancestors have died, I had agreed with them to give them the land. I am not going back on [My word].” Instead (as in Numb. 13:2), “Send men.” Ergo (according to Is. 40:8), “but the word of our God shall stand forever.”
שְׁלַח לְךָ אֲנָשִׁים. רַבִּי אֶחָא הַגָּדוֹל פָּתַח, יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר נָבֵל צִיץ, וּדְבַר אֱלֹהֵינוּ יָקוּם לְעוֹלָם (ישעיה מ, ח). מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה. לַמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ אוֹהֵב, וְהִתְנָה עִמּוֹ וְאוֹמֵר לוֹ: בֹּא וְלֵךְ עִמִּי וַאֲנִי נוֹתֵן לְךָ מַתָּנָה. הָלַךְ עִמּוֹ וָמֵת. אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ לִבְנוֹ שֶׁל אוֹהֲבוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמֵּת אָבִיךְ, אֵינִי חוֹזֵר בִּי בַּמַּתָּנָה שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לִתֵּן לוֹ, בּוֹא וְטֹל אוֹתָהּ. הַמֶּלֶךְ, זֶה מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. אוֹהֵב, זֶה אַבְרָהָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: זֶרַע אַבְרָהָם אוֹהֲבִי (שם מא, ח). אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, בּוֹא לֵךָ עִמִּי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לְךָ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וְגוֹ' (בראשית יב, א). הִתְנָה עִמּוֹ שֶׁהוּא נוֹתֵן לוֹ בְּמַתָּנָה אֶת אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: קוּם הִתְהַלֵּךְ בָּאָרֶץ וְגוֹ' (שם יג, יז). וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, כִּי אֶת כָּל הָאָרֶץ וְגוֹ' (שם פסוק טו). מֵת אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמֵּתוּ הָאָבוֹת, הִתְנֵיתִי עִמָּהֶן לִתֵּן לָהֶם אֶת הָאָרֶץ, אֵינִי חוֹזֵר בִּי, אֶלָּא שְׁלַח לְךָ אֲנָשִׁים. הֱוֵי, וּדְבַר אֱלֹהֵינוּ יָקוּם לְעוֹלָם.
(Numb. 13:2:) “Send men.” R. Aha the Great opened [his discourse] (with Is. 40:8), “Grass withers, flowers fade, but the word of our God shall stand forever.”7Numb. R. 16:3. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a friend. Now he made an agreement with him and said to him, “Come with me, and I will give you a present.” He went with him but died. The king said to the son of his friend, “Although your father has died, I am not withdrawing the present that I had promised to give him. Come and get it.” This king is the Holy One, blessed be He, and the friend is Abraham, as stated (in Is. 41:8), “the seed of My friend Abraham.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Come with me,” as stated (in Gen. 12:1), “Go from your land….” He made an agreement with him to give him the Land of Canaan as a present, as stated (in Gen. 13:17), “Arise, walk about the land [… for I am giving it to you].” It also says (in vs. 15), “For all the land which you see, [to you will I give it, and to your seed forever].” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Although the ancestors have died, I had agreed with them to give them the land. I am not going back on [My word].” Instead (as in Numb. 13:2), “Send men.” Ergo (according to Is. 40:8), “but the word of our God shall stand forever.”