This week's Torah portion, Shelach, tells the dramatic story of the spies—meraglim—sent by Moshe to scout the Land of Israel. But the deeper question is: were they spies, or were they meant to be tourists?

The mission, Rashi explains, was not necessary from G-d’s perspective. G-d had already assured the people that the Land was good. But the people were afraid, uncertain. They wanted reassurance. So Moshe sends twelve leaders, one from each tribe, to "see" the land and report back—not to decide whether to go in, but to help envision what inheriting the land would look like.

But something shifts. The Torah says "Vayelchu vayavo’u", they went and they returned—with a negative report. Why both verbs? Rashi explains: they already had a negative intention when they left. If so, why would Moshe send them?