The word Nasi, prince, leader, is comprised of four letters which, when separated, make up two words which are opposites of one another. Nasi – nun, sin, yud, aleph: within these four letters are the words yeish, which means “there is,” and ayin, “there is naught.” Otzar HaChaim sees this as an allusion to the quality of a Nasi’s character. The Nasi who considers himself to be a yeish (there is; he is something), in actuality, has nothing; he is an ayin. The Nasi who views himself through the eyes of humility, who sees himself as an ayin, is thus a yeish. Such a Nasi has something to offer: his sterling character and humility.
What happened to the Nesiim that were sent as meraglim, spies, to reconnoiter Eretz Yisrael? These were once distinguished leaders, men of virtue and character. How did they fall from such an elevated spiritual perch to end their lives in complete ignominity? The Steipler Gaon, zl, explains that they fell prey to gaavah, misplaced arrogance, because they had been elevated to the position of meraglim. Rather than view themselves in their true context as shluchim, agents of the nation, sent to bring back a report, they suddenly decided that Hashem required their input. The nation could go no further until the meraglim returned with their report. They would determine the feasibility of successfully conquering Eretz Yisrael. It was all up to them.
How ludicrous! How audacious! How delusional could one be to believe that G-d Who brought Egypt to its knees required the assistance and advice of twelve puny men!
It all boils down to arrogance. A little bit of kavod, prestige, distinction, eminence, can destroy one’s ability to see clearly. The most astute and clear-thinking individual can become so self-absorbed, that what otherwise would be viewed as ludicrous suddenly becomes cogent. There is no question that a rational person would never have imagined that Hashem required his assistance to determine the Jewish army’s ability to conquer Eretz Yisrael. One who overnight rose from citizen to leader, from member of the tribe to its prince/leader, was sadly capable of falling into the abyss of arrogance. Once a tragedy like this occurs, the disease that results is often incurable without extreme therapy and, in the aftermath, can cause a person to lose sight of Who is the Creator and true manhig, guide, of the world.
A caveat which I think is appropriate. The Torah writes that a judge may not accept a bribe, Ki ha’shochad ye’aver pikchim v’saleif divrei tzaddikim, “For a bribe will blind those who see and corrupts words that are just” (Shemos 23:7). If the Torah writes it, one may accept it as an absolute verity. Bribery blinds; bribery perverts. Is there any greater form of bribery than a little kavod which leads to gaavah? One who becomes haughty is self-bribed. He becomes blind to himself because he begins to see through self-colored lenses. He now sees what he wants to see. Such myopic vision is a form of self-imposed blindness.
