Take the Spies Debacle Quiz

Rabbi Menachem Posner serves as managing editor at Chabad.org, the world’s largest Jewish informational website. He has been writing, researching, and editing for Chabad.org since 2006, when he received his rabbinic degree from Central Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch. He lives in Chicago, Ill., with his family.

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Edwing Home Counties 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧 June 12, 2026

BL💥ST!
Got #10 wrong.
PS Chabadsters can U do something on the Vilna Gaon please.

ThankQ Reply

fan li June 11, 2026

Shalom Rabbi. It's a challenging quiz, makes me think and re-read Numbers.
THANK YOU! Reply

Bejar June 11, 2026

I loved it gréât ! Thank you. I know now i should go back to school. 6 on 10 what à shame 😀 Reply

Helen Scotland June 11, 2026

9/10 Could have been 10/10 if I’d got question 2 correct, a choice of 2 answers, Caleb or Joshua and I chose the wrong one. I love doing these quizzes. Thank you Rebbe. Reply

Yaron Yzchak Lederman rehovot June 10, 2026

q1 - not HASHEM's blessing - only his permission Reply

Jay Tee USA June 10, 2026

Rebbe, I am a goy and easily confused. There are 12 twelve tribes. How were 12 spies sent if one representing Levi was not sent? I will check The Book. Excellent quiz. I've enrolled for more. Reply

Elisheva Passaic NJ June 10, 2026

in response to Jay Tee:

Excellent question, you are correct that since Levi is usually excluded from tribe-wide things (such as the spies, and also when Bnei Yisrael inherited the land of Israel) there should only be 11 tribes counted, the answer to this is that Yosef (the second to youngest son, prince of Egypt) was split into two tribes himself for his two sons Menashe and Ephraim. So when the tribes are counted as twelve, this number includes two tribes for Yosef instead of just one, making the total number 12 again leaving room for Levi to be left out of the count as while Levi was one of the brothers he wasnt a tribe (instead being spread out amongst the tribes) Reply

Adam Fresno June 10, 2026

9 out of 10...thank you Rabbi for these wonderful and informative quizzes. Reply

Charles Stilwell June 10, 2026

Shalom, 9 out of 10 Reply

Raad Jawad Pukekohe June 10, 2026

9/10 Reply

Bob Tarver Garland, Texas June 10, 2026

9 of 10 ... Improving!!! Reply

Feigue Cieplinski Middletown June 10, 2026

8 out of ten. Happy withtheresult. Yet, I feel sorry for the mission of the spies since it was not easy task. !They had just come out of Egypt ( yes, even if it was 40 years. i was a recent event event.) They now needed to confront the settlers whom they perceived as stronger than them. That reaction was a feeling of pachad ( fear), surely natural reaction, but to a certain extent a lack of trust in H's promise. My question is the coincidence of the 9 of Av .Why? if the Temples were then not built.? Is there are link that I do see given the same date that I do not knwo? Reply

DS Israel June 10, 2026

in response to Feigue Cieplinski:

Have a look at the article linked to the question about the 9th of Av. The people did not trust that God’s plan for them was ultimately for their good. After hearing the spies’ report, they spent the night crying in fear and despair without sufficient cause. According to the Talmud, God said, “You cried a needless cry tonight; I will establish for you a cry for generations.” Since God knew that the destruction of both Temples and other national tragedies would eventually occur, those events were destined to happen on that same date, transforming the people's baseless tears into a day of genuine mourning throughout Jewish history. This is why Tisha B’Av became the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. Reply

Feigue Cieplinski Middletown June 10, 2026

in response to DS:

DS: Thank for you answer, and sorry for the typos that appear without my permission . Your response makes sense .but given the fact that I was not allowed to study Talmud this part of scripture was not known to me. I learned something new, and I am grateful to you. Yes, sadly, it makes sense that then the 9th of Av. is the saddest day. While it is nice to see how people do in the quiz I wished that more in depth discussions should be in the responses, so that we all learn something new. B'shalom im kol tuv. Reply

Dina June 9, 2026

9/10 😊 Reply

Minucha Chicago, IL June 9, 2026

I got 10 out of 10 correct. I remember this story well. Reply

Raymond West Hollywood June 9, 2026

I scored 9/10. I am puzzled by the one question I got wrong. I knew that spies had been sent from all of the twelve tribes except for Levi, which means that the number of spies should be 11, and yet the correct answer above is 12. How can that be? The math is off by one, unless maybe two spies were sent from one of the 11 tribes Reply

Axel Berger Köln-Ossendorf June 10, 2026

in response to Raymond :

It is 12 sons including Joseph. But Ephraim and Manasse are counted as two tribes, making it 13 in total. Reply

Cathy The Jersey Shore June 9, 2026

Some of the wrong answer choices made me laugh out loud! A very fun way to learn. Reply

Yiscah Sarah Nairobi June 9, 2026

B"H.

9/10 love the quiz ❤️😊 Reply

Sule Obozuwa Lagos June 9, 2026

10/10...Wow! A good score and I like this quiz.
Thank you Rabbi for this quiz. Reply

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