Shelach 13:2 · unit 2 — ish echad ish echad

Parashas Shelach · Aliyah 1 · Passuk 2

The Complete Passuk

שְׁלַח־לְךָ֣ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים וְיָתֻ֙רוּ֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֥י נֹתֵ֖ן לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אִ֣ישׁ אֶחָד֩ אִ֨ישׁ אֶחָ֜ד לְמַטֵּ֤ה אֲבֹתָיו֙ תִּשְׁלָ֔חוּ כֹּ֖ל נָשִׂ֥יא בָהֶֽם׃

Send for yourself men to scout the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; one man each for his father’s tribe you shall send, every one a prince among them.

Chabad.org — English translation + Rashi

Source Citation

Torah Temimah on Numbers 13:2 (איש אחד איש אחד): Yerushalmi Sotah 7:5 — dispute of R’ Akiva and R’ Yishmael on doubled language (12 vs 24 scouts).

Sefaria — Yerushalmi Sotah 7:5

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
עַל דַּעְתֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא דְּאָמַר לְשׁוֹנוֹת רִבּוּיִין הֵן — עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה הָיוּ; וְעַל דַּעְתֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל דְּאָמַר לְשׁוֹנוֹת כְּפוּלִים הֵן — שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר הָיוּ.

English: According to R’ Akiva, who says doubled expressions are expansions — there were twenty-four; according to R’ Yishmael, who says they are ordinary doubled speech — there were twelve.

Type of Learning

Ribui vs ordinary speech — whether doubled “ish ish” multiplies the count of scouts.

What Is Learned

The Tannaim dispute whether the verse implies twelve or twenty-four men sent to scout the land.