| Yaakov Avinu had twelve sons. Each one, except for Yosef, was appointed as the head of a Tribe. HaShem granted Yosef a double portion, which was given to his two sons—Ephraim and Menashe. Because of this, there was no Tribe named "Yosef"; instead, the Tribes of Ephraim and Menashe took his place. As a result, there were thirteen Tribes in total.
Yet, when recounting the episode of the spies, Moshe Rabbeinu states, “I took from you twelve men, one man for each tribe” (Devarim 1:23). If there were thirteen Tribes, why did Moshe send only twelve spies? Rashi explains that the Tribe of Levi did not participate in the sin of the spies. Indeed, in Bamidbar (13:9), the Torah lists the names of the Tribes who sent representatives—and Levi is conspicuously absent. From this, we learn that Levi did not send a spy at all. But if this fact is already taught in Bamidbar, why does the Torah repeat it in Devarim?
Because Devarim teaches us something deeper: Not only did the Tribe of Levi refrain from sending a spy, but they also remained ideologically separate from the negativity of the other Tribes. They did not buy into the spies’ slanderous report, nor were they swayed by fear or despair. The Tribe of Levi stood firm in their loyalty to HaShem and to Moshe Rabbeinu.
Today: Let us take inspiration from their example. It is not enough to simply avoid wrongful action externally—we must also distance ourselves inwardly from distorted thinking and destructive influences. The more we cling to truth, integrity, and emunah, the more we safeguard our spiritual identity and ascend to greater heights. Based on Daas Torah of Rav Yerucham Levovitz
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