Parshas Shelach

Last weeks Parsha ends off with the story of Miriam being punished for speaking Loshon Harah about Moshe. This weeks Parsha tells us the story of the meraglim- spies and their loshon harah about the land of Yisroel. Rashi points out this juxtaposition and explains that the meraglim were to learn from Miriam, about the consequences of speaking loshon harah and they didn't. Let us try and get a better understanding of what they were to learn from Miriam, and what we can learn from the meraglim.
Miriam- who was a prophetess in her own right, equated Moshe with all other Neviem, saying that just as the other Neviam didn't need extra special preparations to get nevuah so to Moshe doesn't have to go that extra step. Her 'mistake' was that she thought that her brother was on the same level as all the other prophets. Not realizing that even though all prophets are holy, Moshe was the 'av' (literally the father) of all the Neviem, he was the one that connected the prophets of all times to the higher source. Moshe was the only Navi in history that actually went up to heaven. What Miriam didn't realize was that Moshe was on a much higher level then the rest of the Neviem and that he was the one that brought down nevuah to the rest of the prophets and that's why he needed extra preparation.
The Torah (13;26) says "And they went and came to Moshe.." says Rashi, that just as the returning was with evil intentions so to their leaving was with evil intentions. The Maharal asks: Rashi in the beginning of the Parsha says that all the Meraglim were great men, leaders of klal yisroel, so how was it that their going was with bad intentions at that moment they were still great people? The Maharal answers that Moshe sent them to spy the land as his own messengers - that they went as messengers of Klal Yisroel that was their mistake. The Medrish says that Eretz Yisroel wasn't ready for Klal Yisroel, for the Knanim destroyed the land and Hashem promised a land of flowing milk and honey so Hashem made them wait forty years for it to be rebuilt. But had Moshe gone into Eretz Yisroel he would've had the proper influences and changed the physical aspect of the land. Hashem told Moshe to send them 'Ledatacha' according to your 'opinion', meaning that the point was that Moshe should send his 'influence' and the meraglim should prepare the land for Moshe to come into. This is where they failed, they went as messengers of klal yisroel to spy the land and not of Moshe to uplift the land. Just like Miriam before them, they didn't realize that Moshe was on a higher plane then the rest of the nation and that their orders were to connect Moshe and the holy land. They thought Eretz Yisroel was just like any other land and that Moshe was just like any other prophet, while both of them are on a much higher 'madreiga'. They are our connection to Hashem and his kedusha.