One fascinating detail I noticed this year when reviewing Parshas Shlach was the use of the word “Znus” three times: once during the story of the spies itself, in the context that their children will also suffer for their fathers’ actions, once in the parshah of Tzitzis, warning us not to follow the conclusions of our eyes and hearts; and once in the Haftorah’s description of the location where Yehoshua’s spies found lodging, in the inn of Rachav the prostitute. I figured that there was no coincidence here, and something must be learned from it, so I set out to search for a connection. And indeed, what I found leads to a very fundamental insight that has massive implications for our lives.

What is “znus?” Usually used in the context of sexual misconduct, its general meaning involves using something, or someone, in the opposite way of that for which it was intended, for the sake of our own pleasure or benefit. To engage in znus assumes that we are independent and autonomous, and therefore can do whatever we want without answering to anyone. “It’s my body, and nobody is going to tell me what to do with it.” The problem with this approach is that, according to it, we are products of this world, and subject to all its limitations, fragility and vulnerability. We hit our apex, then decline and eventually burn out. The end.

Torah has quite a different approach. We are not products of this world. We come from a much higher source, the eternal, incomprehensible and transcendent Creator, Who has sent us into this world on a mission. In order to survive, as a spiritual being in a physical environment, we have been enclothed in a body, which is the vehicle our soul uses to accomplish its mission. It’s analogous to an astronaut’s space suit or deep sea diver’s suit; both allow a human to survive and operate in a hostile environment. However, both inhibit the functionality of the wearer: he’s not nearly as mobile with it as without it.

Similarly, when the soul is enclothed in the body, it loses much of its ability to perceive the spiritual. Instead, the physical senses only perceive the physical dimensions. The spiritual dimensions are perceived only in extraordinary situations or by extraordinary individuals. The only way to retain the spiritual perspective is by interpreting the data of our senses with our intellect through the lens of the Torah, which provides us with the tools to understand the connection of spiritual and physical. That’s why science is only capable of investigating the physical world: they interpret physical data in a purely physical way, ignoring or denying the spiritual dimension.

When we respond to the data returned by our physical eyes, without the spiritual perception, we respond to it with our hearts. It provokes a reaction, such as desire or fear. If there is nothing to stop us, we will carry our desire into action, often with disastrous results. Or, fear will prevent us from taking action even when we should, because we look at our physical limitations and determine that “we can’t do it.”

However, when we invoke our divine intellect and memory, we remember that our body is not our own, and was designed and entrusted to us solely for the purpose of carrying out our mission according to the will of our Creator. Therefore, we can’t just do whatever we want with it, especially when that is in direct contradiction to His will.

Furthermore, we realize that unlike us, the Creator’s power is limitless. Therefore, if He gives us an order to carry out, we need not fear that it goes beyond our limitations, because we’re not an independent entity; He’s directing the show, and can enable us to transcend those limitations if necessary.

To overcome these natural reactions, the reactions of our heart to the perception of our eyes, we must invoke the intellect and memory, to remind ourselves where we are coming from, why we’re here, and Whom we are representing. Then we can come to see the whole picture from a completely different perspective, which reveals what we are supposed to do and how to do it.

Thus, it’s not the data that’s at fault – it’s our reaction to it. Once we are sufficiently trained to see reality through Torah eyes, we need not fear to see, although we must always be on our guard lest we forget and give in to our natural reactions. We must also examine our reasons for wanting to look in the first place: were they motivated by a sincere desire to serve the Creator, or generated by the Yetzer Hora’s desire to tempt and test us?

So let’s see how this all relates to the Parshah. The Jews wanted to send spies to scout out the land. Their motivation was no doubt complex and largely subconscious. It’s natural before mounting a campaign to spy on the enemy, to determine his weak points and develop a strategy, the “how.” On that level, it was natural and justifiable, which is why neither Hashem nor Moshe Rabbeinu objected to the request itself. So they were on a mission (“Shlach” means “send”). However, if they considered it a question of “should we or shouldn’t we,” based on the report they would receive, then it was the height of insubordination.

Thus, the spies were to act as eyes, to bring back information, but not to give advice as to whether the mission was capable of being successful or not. Because that wasn’t even a question: as long as they remained aware of their role as emissaries of Hashem Himself, there was no question of success. There would be no physical limitations. By falling prey to the reaction of the heart, without invoking the understanding of the mind, they revealed where they were really holding.

Then the entire people had a choice whether to listen to the ten or the two. By falling into the trap, they proved that they were not up to the challenge of conquering Canaan, because their lack of bitachon would force them to retreat even before they reached the battlefield. This znus, considering themselves autonomous and therefore subject to worldly limitations and choices against the Will of the Creator, sabotaged the very children they were out to protect. Thus, the punishment of not being able to enter the land was more an acknowledgment that they simply weren’t ready.

We ask the question, if sending spies was such a dangerous proposition (let alone sending them to the house of a well known prostitute), why did Yehoshua do it again as they were poised to enter the land? According to the above, it’s readily understandable. The problem was not with spying itself. Information can be valuable, and Hashem is not demanding we keep our eyes closed. But Yehoshua knew that these spies were on the level to interpret the information from the right perspective. The generation was now ready. Thus, they didn’t have to fear the enemy, and also not the prostitute.

And this is exactly the message of the mitzvah of Tzitzis, with which the parshah concludes. “Do not spy after your eyes and your heart.” i.e. don’t allow your heart to react to the face value of the data your eyes return, which is the foundation of znus, the ultimate falsehood; rather use your sight to see Him in the world (for example, by looking at the T’cheles and taking it up the ladder all the way up to the invisible Kiseh HaKavod), and remember that He has the power to take us out of Mitzrayim, the limitations of this world, and be our G-d of Truth.