As an aside, that station no longer exists "on the air," unfortunately, although it was, in my opinion a "Kiddush Hashem," an Honor to, at least, if not an actual "Sanctification of Hashem's Name." It was a welcome relief from the tawdry, commercialized programming found nearly everywhere else on the radio and even more so on the television airwaves.

Though I am not privy to the politics, it seems clear that the station, which was controversial in some of its aspects, came to its demise due to the usual unfortunate combination of circumstances afflicting any positive Jewish cultural contribution; namely, a combination of withholding of finances, backbiting and "sinat chinam," "causeless, self-destructive hatred."

Anyway, back to the Torah Therapy Hour. Rabbi Bulka cited a "Kli Yakar," literally, "The Precious Vessel," one of the classic commentaries on the Bible. In one of his several comments on the word "men" in the expression "Send for yourself men," the Kli Yakar says "The men hated the Land, for they said 'Let us turn around and return to Egypt,' (BaMidbar 14:4) whereas, the women loved the Land, for they said 'Give us an inheritance in it.' " (BaMidbar 27:4) In this vein, the Kli Yakar continues, "Therefore, the Holy One said, 'From my perspective, for I know the future, it would have been better to send the women, who love the Land, and would not speak ill of it.' "

Rabbi Bulka adds, in explanation of the Kli Yakar, the L-rd would not have minded so much the sending of spies, and the results of the expedition would have been far less catastrophic, if the spies had indeed been women! Most of us have seen, if not in real life, or at least have heard about, in the popular "James Bond" movies, for example, female secret agents. Of course, these femme fatales are not exactly what the Kli Yakar had in mind.

He was referring more to the likes of the wives in Egypt who refused to lose faith. They beautified themselves with their copper mirrors, later accepted as donations to the Mishkan because of their holiness, and aroused their husbands to have children, despite what appeared to be a terrible future which awaited those babies. And to the likes of the daughters of Tzlafchad, who had no brothers, and who complained in the words cited above, "Give us an inheritance!" about the apparent inequity in the Laws of Inheritance of Land in Israel, until they were assured by the L-rd that their claim was indeed correct!

For the men who went on the expedition to Eretz Yisrael, their mission ultimately turned on the question of "whether" to go to the promised Land. Would they be able to conquer the ferocious armies of the Canaanites or, by simple human calculation, would they not? And, as we know, they came to a terribly wrong, even treasonous against Hashem, conclusion, for which we are still paying.

Had women been sent, they would likely have seen their mission as determining "how" to implement the command of the Almighty to conquer the Land, without having had any doubt as to the ability of the People of Israel, which translates immediately into doubt about the ability or intention of the G-d of Israel, to carry out His promise to the Fathers and Mothers of the Jewish People.

The Haftorah of the Parshah, which is from the second chapter of the Book of Yehoshua, in which two spies are sent secretly by Yehoshua to spy out Yericho, indicates, somewhat indirectly, something about the attitude of women in this area. The spies arrive at the home of "Rachav HaZonah," who dwelt in the formidably thick walls of Yericho. Now Rachav was one of the more improbable heroines of Jewish History, especially if her profession was not "innkeeper," but the more literal translation of her trade.

In any case, Rachav was of invaluable aid to Pinchas and Calev, who were the spies on that occasion. She saved their lives by hiding them from the king's soldiers on her rooftop and misleading the soldiers as to their departure and destination. She further said to the Jewish spies, "I know that Hashem has given you the Land, and that fear of you has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land have melted in fear before you. For we have heard that Hashem dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds before you when you left Egypt, and of what you did to the two Emorite Kings who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, to Sichon and Og, that you destroyed them. And we heard and our hearts melted - and no spirit remained in any man before you - for Hashem your G-d is the G-d of the Heavens above and the Earth beneath." (Yehoshua 2:9-11)

Like Ruth, whose story we read recently, Rachav began on the "other side," the side of the enemies of Israel. Yet, because of her sensitivity and insight, according to Jewish tradition a particular gift of women, leading to her ability to correctly interpret the same facts that were before the twelve spies sent by Moshe, who were tragically unable to interpret and act appropriately on them, she "came over" to join the Jewish People.