After a year at Mount Sinai, the Jewish people pack up their
portable sanctuary and come to the borders of the Land of
Israel. They should have entered the land at this point, but the
Jewish people came to Moses and said, "Wait a minute, let's
scout out the land first before we enter." So they select 12
"scouts" or "spies" -- one from each of the 12 tribes -- and
send them in to do some reconnaissance work. We have to spend a
little time talking about the tragedy of the spies, because the
implication of this event is going to reverberate throughout all
of Jewish history. It's going to put into place one of the most
significant and certainly most depressing dates in the Jewish
calendar -- the Ninth of Av -- Tisha B'Av. Virtually every major
disaster in Jewish history is going to be connected to the Ninth
of Av -- which is the exact date when both the first and second
Temples were destroyed. Again, actions of the Jews have huge
consequences which reverberate throughout history. Jews have
suffered throughout his