Parashat Shelach Lekha recounts the story of the spies, how they toured the land, and returned with a negative evaluation, which caused a general upheaval among the people. Their wish not to enter the land was punished by God in the form of a decree that they indeed would not be allowed to enter. They died in the wilderness, their children entering in their place. The continuation of the parasha deals with mitzvot that would apply only after entry into the land, presumably as a kind of consolation. The parasha concludes with the mitzva of tzitzit (Bamidbar 15:37-41). Why is the mitzva of tzitzit located here?
We are commanded to tie strings on the four corners of our garments, so that, when we see them, we shall remember God's commandments, and do them (15:39). The verse then tells us that we shall not "tour" after our hearts and our eyes, which lead us astray. The Hebrew word used is "tur" ("lo taturu"), which can actually be rendered quite well into English by the translation, "to tour." It is interesting that this verb, to tour, appears in this context. This is the precise word used to describe the task that the spies were supposed to fulfill. Besides two verses that describe the movement of the Holy Ark before the camp (Bamidbar 10:33 and Devarim 1:33), this word appears in the whole Torah only in the mitzva of tzitzit and in the account of the spies. Why is this so? What is the connection between the mitzva of tzitzit and the spies' story, and why is this rare term used in both?
Rashi, in a rewording of an idea from the Midrash Tanchuma, says that the heart and the eyes are the two "spies of the body." "The eye sees, and the heart desires, and the body does the sin" (Rashi, 15:39). The mitzva of tzitzit seems to be related directly to the sin of the spies. However, there is a difference. The spies were sent; their sin was in the negative evaluation that they gave, and in their lack of faith. With regard to tzitzit, we are told not to "spy" at all.
How, then, are we to understand this mitzva as a response to the spies? The Jewish People wished to send spies and God agreed. It was not originally God's preferred plan. Even it had been God's original wish, we showed that we are incapable of playing the role of tourist among the attractions of the world. Part of God's response was to tell us that we should no longer look around and try things out. People lose faith and are lured after their eyes.
Another possibility understanding of the connection may be derived from a consideration of differences in the wording. We are told not to "tour" after our heart and after our eyes. Rashi says that the eye sees and the heart desires. However, the verse actually mentions the heart first. The spies were sent to see and report. Their sin lay in their negative evaluation of the possibility of conquering. What this means in our context is that God does not command us to close our eyes. While sending the spies was the wish of the people, God could sanction their mission as long as it was merely a question of seeing. If a pure heart looks around, it should not find the world overly alluring. On the contrary, the world is full of the glory of God. However, if one comes with desires and egoistic wishes, lack of faith and failing courage, spying out the world may prove fatal.
God tells us "not to tour after our heart and after our eyes:" we should not look out into the world in order to satisfy our desires. If the heart precedes the eyes, it may be dangerous to look about. That was the sin of the spies. But if we approach the outside world with a spiritual outlook, if we remember God's commandments, then, on the contrary, it is important to look around.
The purpose of mitzvot is to bring spirituality into the temporal and mundane world. The mitzva of tzitzit is designed to remind us of the spiritual as we go through our daily lives. It may be a response to the failure of the spies. Great people, the spies were sent by Moshe to "tour," to receive impressions from the outer world. Yet they fell, for they did not have a continual reminder of holiness and the will of God.