Today is the yarzheit, or the anniversary of the passing of Joshua, on the Bible’s most righteous heroes. Joshua (or Yehoshua), along with Caleb, was Moses’ most faithful follower, and he took the reins after Moses passed away. When the Children of Israel succumbed to the temptations in the desert, such as stumbling with the Sin of the Golden Calf, Joshua remained firmly dedicated to Moses’ leadership and did not compromise in the slightest.
One of the most distressing incidents in the wilderness was the episode of the Spies. An envoy was sent from each of the tribes to scout the land of Canaan (later Israel) and to see what kind of challenges lay ahead. Instead, most of the envoys used this mission as a reason to discourage the people from entering Canaan, saying that conquering the land would be too difficult, since their enemies were formidable giants. Yehoshua and Caleb insisted that Hashem (or Gd) would help them and were steadfast in their faith that they would be victorious. Almost everyone in the wilderness rebelled against Moses, and it was for this reason that the generation spent 40 years there until they passed away. Yehoshua and Caleb remained alive and ready to conquer Canaan after this difficult time.
Yehoshua sent his own spies, but their purpose was simply to find the best route, and not to evaluate the mission itself. With the help of a woman named Rahab, who later converted to Judaism and became Yehoshua’s wife, they were able to gain access to the city, Jericho. Yehoshua and his army circled the city seven times and the priests blew their trumpets. The walls came tumbling down, and Yehoshua and his army easily conquered the land.
Today, many people will go visit the tomb of Yehoshua at Timnat Sarach in the mountains of Ephraim in Israel. People pray there day and night in honor of this righteous hero who was not only a great general, but also a Torah giant who composed some of the prayers we still say today, such as Yistabach and portions of Bircat ha Mazon (blessings after a meal). Kabbala says that, when a righteous person dies, his or her soul exists in the world in a more powerful way than when it was confined in a body. Anyone who has been to the tomb of a great Jewish hero or sage can certainly sense how the soul’s energy can break the bonds of death.