(ד) וְאֵ֖לֶּה שְׁמוֹתָ֑ם לְמַטֵּ֣ה רְאוּבֵ֔ן שַׁמּ֖וּעַ בֶּן־זַכּֽוּר׃ (ה) לְמַטֵּ֣ה שִׁמְע֔וֹן שָׁפָ֖ט בֶּן־חוֹרִֽי׃ (ו) לְמַטֵּ֣ה יְהוּדָ֔ה כָּלֵ֖ב בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּֽה׃ (ז) לְמַטֵּ֣ה יִשָּׂשכָ֔ר יִגְאָ֖ל בֶּן־יוֹסֵֽף׃ (ח) לְמַטֵּ֥ה אֶפְרָ֖יִם הוֹשֵׁ֥עַ בִּן־נֽוּן׃ (ט) לְמַטֵּ֣ה בִנְיָמִ֔ן פַּלְטִ֖י בֶּן־רָפֽוּא׃ (י) לְמַטֵּ֣ה זְבוּלֻ֔ן גַּדִּיאֵ֖ל בֶּן־סוֹדִֽי׃ (יא) לְמַטֵּ֥ה יוֹסֵ֖ף לְמַטֵּ֣ה מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה גַּדִּ֖י בֶּן־סוּסִֽי׃ (יב) לְמַטֵּ֣ה דָ֔ן עַמִּיאֵ֖ל בֶּן־גְּמַלִּֽי׃ (יג) לְמַטֵּ֣ה אָשֵׁ֔ר סְת֖וּר בֶּן־מִיכָאֵֽל׃ (יד) לְמַטֵּ֣ה נַפְתָּלִ֔י נַחְבִּ֖י בֶּן־וָפְסִֽי׃ (טו) לְמַטֵּ֣ה גָ֔ד גְּאוּאֵ֖ל בֶּן־מָכִֽי׃ (טז) אֵ֚לֶּה שְׁמ֣וֹת הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַ֥ח מֹשֶׁ֖ה לָת֣וּר אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּקְרָ֥א מֹשֶׁ֛ה לְהוֹשֵׁ֥עַ בִּן־נ֖וּן יְהוֹשֻֽׁעַ׃
(4) And these were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur. (5) From the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori. (6) From the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh. (7) From the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph. (8) From the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun. (9) From the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Rafu. (10) From the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi. (11) From the tribe of Joseph, namely, the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi son of Susi. (12) From the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli. (13) From the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael. (14) From the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi. (15) From the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi. (16) Those were the names of the men whom Moses sent to scout the land; but Moses changed the name of Hosea son of Nun to Joshua.
(א) ויקרא משה להושע וגו'. הִתְפַּלֵּל (נִתְפַּלֵל?) עָלָיו, יָהּ יוֹשִׁיעֲךָ מֵעֲצַת מְרַגְּלִים (סוטה ל"ד):
1) Why did he have to change his name in order to give him this Beracha?
2) Was the Beracha separate from the name change or was the name change the actual Beracha in itself?
3) We will see in the following two sources that a) Hoshea had received this name change long ago ...
(ח) וַיָּבֹ֖א עֲמָלֵ֑ק וַיִּלָּ֥חֶם עִם יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בִּרְפִידִֽם׃ (ט) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֤ה אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ בְּחַר לָ֣נוּ אֲנָשִׁ֔ים וְצֵ֖א הִלָּחֵ֣ם בַּעֲמָלֵ֑ק מָחָ֗ר אָנֹכִ֤י נִצָּב֙ עַל רֹ֣אשׁ הַגִּבְעָ֔ה וּמַטֵּ֥ה הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים בְּיָדִֽי׃ (י) וַיַּ֣עַשׂ יְהוֹשֻׁ֗עַ כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר אָֽמַר לוֹ֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה לְהִלָּחֵ֖ם בַּעֲמָלֵ֑ק וּמֹשֶׁה֙ אַהֲרֹ֣ן וְח֔וּר עָל֖וּ רֹ֥אשׁ הַגִּבְעָֽה׃ (יא) וְהָיָ֗ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יָרִ֥ים מֹשֶׁ֛ה יָד֖וֹ וְגָבַ֣ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְכַאֲשֶׁ֥ר יָנִ֛יחַ יָד֖וֹ וְגָבַ֥ר עֲמָלֵֽק׃ (יב) וִידֵ֤י מֹשֶׁה֙ כְּבֵדִ֔ים וַיִּקְחוּ אֶ֛בֶן וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ תַחְתָּ֖יו וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב עָלֶ֑יהָ וְאַהֲרֹ֨ן וְח֜וּר תָּֽמְכ֣וּ בְיָדָ֗יו מִזֶּ֤ה אֶחָד֙ וּמִזֶּ֣ה אֶחָ֔ד וַיְהִ֥י יָדָ֛יו אֱמוּנָ֖ה עַד בֹּ֥א הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃ (יג) וַיַּחֲלֹ֧שׁ יְהוֹשֻׁ֛עַ אֶת עֲמָלֵ֥ק וְאֶת עַמּ֖וֹ לְפִי חָֽרֶב׃ (פ) (יד) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה כְּתֹ֨ב זֹ֤את זִכָּרוֹן֙ בַּסֵּ֔פֶר וְשִׂ֖ים בְּאָזְנֵ֣י יְהוֹשֻׁ֑עַ כִּֽי מָחֹ֤ה אֶמְחֶה֙ אֶת זֵ֣כֶר עֲמָלֵ֔ק מִתַּ֖חַת הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
(8) Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. (9) Moses said to Joshua, “Pick some men for us, and go out and do battle with Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill, with the rod of God in my hand.” (10) Joshua did as Moses told him and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. (11) Then, whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; but whenever he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. (12) But Moses’ hands grew heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur, one on each side, supported his hands; thus his hands remained steady until the sun set. (13) And Joshua overwhelmed the people of Amalek with the sword. (14) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Inscribe this in a document as a reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven!”
and b) Yehoshua was still sometimes called Hoshea even very late in the Torah:
(מד) וַיָּבֹ֣א מֹשֶׁ֗ה וַיְדַבֵּ֛ר אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵ֥י הַשִּׁירָֽה הַזֹּ֖את בְּאָזְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם ה֖וּא וְהוֹשֵׁ֥עַ בִּן נֽוּן׃
(44) Moses came, together with Hoshea son of Nun, and recited all the words of this poem in the hearing of the people.
If so, why is the name change in the spies' story - if there even was a name change, and if that change indeed took place in that story - so significant?
NETZIV:
וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה לְהוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן נוּן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ –
יָדוּעַ הַמִּדְרָשׁ (סוֹטָה דַּף לד עַמּוּד ב),
בְּפֵרוּשׁ רָשִׁ"י,
"קה יוֹשִׁיעֲךָ מֵעֲצַת מְרַגְּלִים."
וְהוּא פֶּלֶא –
אִם יָדַע מֹשֶׁה שֶׁמְּרַגְּלִים יְקַלְקְלוּ כָּל כָּךְ,
לֹא הָיָה לוֹ לְשַׁלְּחָם!
Moshe called Hoshea's name "Yehoshua" -
The explanation is well known,
which is in Rashi’s commentary,
“God should save you from the advice of the spies.”
But this is strange –
If Moshe knew the spies would mess up so badly,
he shouldn’t have sent them!
4) The Netziv has asked an additional question which we did not ask before. What is it?
אֶלָּא, כָּךְ הַדָּבָר:
דִּכְבַר נִקְרָא "יְהוֹשֻׁעַ" בְּמִלְחֶמֶת עֲמָלֵק,
וּמִזֶּה הַטַּעַם:
שֶׁהִתְפַּלֵּל מֹשֶׁה שֶׁיּוֹשִׁיעוּ בְּמִלְחַמְתּוֹ.
אַךְ לֹא הָיָה זֶה הַשֵּׁם
כִּי אִם לְשָׁעָה זוֹ, בִּשְׁעַת מִלְחָמָה,
וְאַחַר כָּךְ נִשְׁתַּקֵּעַ זֶה הַשֵּׁם,
וְחָזְרוּ וְקָרְאוּ אוֹתוֹ "הוֹשֵׁעַ,"
עַד אוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה שֶׁנִּתְבָּרֵר שֶׁיְּהוֹשֻׁעַ מַכְנִיס יִשְׂרָאֵל לָאָרֶץ ...
עַל כֵּן בָּרְכוּ לַחֲלוּטִין בָּזֶה הַשֵּׁם.
Rather, this is how it goes:
He was already “Yehoshua” during the Amalek war,
– and for this reason:
Moshe was praying that he be successful in the war.
But that name was only temporary,
for during the war,
and then he lost that name,
and they went back to calling him Hoshea,
until the time that it became clear that Yehoshua would lead the Jews into the Land …
therefore he was blessed forever with this name.
5) Did the Netziv answer his opening question? Explain.
מִיהוּ, נִסְמָךְ זֶה הַשֵּׁם לְכָאן,
לְלַמְּדֵנוּ שֶׁבְּזוֹ הַתְּפִלָּה נִכְלֶלֶת
מִלְחֶמֶת הַיֵּצֶר גַּם כֵּן;
אִם תִּהְיֶה עֲצָתָם לְרָעָה,
יִהְיֶה נוֹשָׁע בַּה' גַּם בָּזֶה.
וְעַיֵּן מָה שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי בְּסֵפֶר דְּבָרִים
(פֶּרֶק לֵב פָּסוּק מד).
However, this name is connected to this story,
to teach us that in this prayer there is included
the war with our tendency to do evil;
if their (the spies’) advice is bad,
he should be saved by Hashem also now.
And see what I have written in Devarim
(32:44).
"הוּא וְהוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן נוּן" –
כְּבָר בֵּאַרְנוּ לְעֵיל (סֵפֶר דְּבָרִים לא:יט),
אֲשֶׁר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא נִצְטַוָּה עַל זֶה כְּלָל.
וְרַק מֹשֶׁה קָרָא שִׁירַת הַאֲזִינוּ בְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה,
וְאַחַר כָּךְ, כְּשֶׁבָּא עוֹד לְבָאֵר לָהֶם,
וּכְבָר כֵּהֶה אוֹרוֹ,
וְלֹא הָיְתָה שְׁכִינָה מְדַבֶּרֶת מִתּוֹךְ גְּרוֹנוֹ,
עַל כֵּן, כְּשֶׁבָּא לְבָאֵר,
הָיָה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ עוֹזְרוֹ בִּשְׁלִיחוּת מֹשֶׁה,
כְּדֵי לְהָבִין וּלְהַשְׂכִּיל לְכָל הָעָם.
וּמִשּׁוּם הָכֵי כְּתִיב כָּאן הוֹשֵׁעַ וְלֹא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ,
מִשּׁוּם שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂה זֹאת
בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁהוּא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, רַבָּן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל,
אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁהוּא "הוֹשֵׁעַ,"
תַּלְמִידוֹ שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ,
שֶׁנִּקְרָא "הוֹשֵׁעַ."
“He and Hoshea bin Nun” –
We already explained before (Devarim 31:19)
that Yehoshua wasn’t instructed about this at all.
Only Moshe read the song Ha’azinu in the Torah.
But after that, when he came to explain it to them,
And his light was already dimmed,
And Hashem was no longer speaking through him -
Therefore, when he came to explain it,
Yehoshua helped him as Moshe’s messenger,
in order to explain it to the nation.
That is why it says here Hoshea and not Yehoshua;
Because he didn’t do this
because he was “Yehoshua,” leader of the Jews,
but rather because he was “Hoshea,”
the student of Moshe,
who was called “Hoshea.”