Can you imagine how Yehoshua and Calev felt as they journeyed stealthily across Eretz Yisrael along with the other ten miraglim?

They knew that it was not going to be easy to shut their ears to the doubt-filled muttering of the others. They knew that they would have to beware of bad influence even though originally all of the miraglim were considered righteous. Yehoshua and Calev realized that their travels would be risky because Moshe had given Yehoshua a special blessing for courage and trust in HaShem before they began their journey.

Alert to the peril, Calev went out of his way to go to Chevron and daven at Mearas HaMachpeilah where the Avos and Imahos are buried, requesting that their merit protect him from being influenced by the miraglim.

Calev's efforts and his tefillah were rewarded. Not only was he not persuaded by the miraglim; later, he was even more successful than Yehoshua in lifting the spirits of the people and strengthening their trust.

Calev gained this special ability to inspire the people because he made the effort to turn to HaShem on his own. Yehoshua was also protected from the bad influence of the miraglim, but that was not of his own doing, since he had received a special blessing for this from Moshe Rabbeinu. Calev made the effort on his own, despite the difficulty and danger.

HaShem showers blessings upon us which give us strength and trust in Him. Since these comes from above, we may not always sense them so strongly. But when we turn to HaShem on our own, we experience His blessings much more powerfully. This keen awareness makes us feel strong and brave as we face the future.

When the miraglim returned and frightened the people with their report, Calev rose courageously to speak to the people. And when he spoke, he succeeded in getting all of the people to at least listen to what he had to say, even those who sided with the miraglim.

What did Calev say? He told the people: "We have a righteous leader who has proven to us many times that HaShem is with us. Our leader, Moshe, is so trustworthy that if even if he would tell us to climb to the heavens, we would succeed!"

Where did Calev get the courage to speak with so much trust and determination?

It all came from the effort he had put in before, strengthening himself in the face of difficulty. Although he was fearful of the miraglim's influence, he worked on himself, turning to HaShem for help. He did not set out with a blessing given to him from above; he earned HaShem's blessing on his own. This gave him the strength to get the people to listen to him as he proclaimed, "We will go up and inherit the land."

(Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. VIII, p. 90)