Shelach 14:37 · unit 2 — a strange death

Parashas Shelach · Aliyah 4 · Passuk 37

The Complete Passuk

וַיָּמֻ֙תוּ֙ הָאֲנָשִׁ֔ים מוֹצִאֵ֥י דִבַּת־הָאָ֖רֶץ רָעָ֑ה בַּמַּגֵּפָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃

Those men who brought out an evil report of the land died by the plague before Hashem.

Chabad.org — 14:37

Source Citation

Torah Temimah: Reish Lakish / R’ Sheila — unusual death (Sotah 35a).

Sefaria — Sotah 35a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ: שֶׁמֵּתוּ מִיתָה מְשׁוּנָּה. אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר פָּפָּא, דָּרֵשׁ רַבִּי שֵׁילָא אִישׁ כְּפַר תְּמַרְתָּא: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּרְבֵּב לְשׁוֹנָם וְנָפַל עַל טִיבּוּרָם.

English: R’ Shimon ben Lakish said: They died a strange death. R’ Chanina bar Pappa said R’ Sheila of Kefar Temarta expounded: This teaches that their tongues elongated and fell to their navels.

Type of Learning

Measure-for-measure on the organ of speech.

What Is Learned

The death matches the tongue that issued the evil report.