Parshas Sh'lach

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem, Zekaini Moiri R' Baruch Moshe Aryeh ben Harav Zev Yehuda, My cousin Zev Yehuda ben Rav Shmuel Mordechai, Avraham ben R' Yitzchok Zev, R' Dovid Meir ben R' Shmuel.

In perek yud dalid posuk mem after the incident with the miraglim, and Hashem's response the posuk says "Vayashkimu baboker va'yaalu el rosh hahar laimor hinenu v'alinu el hamakom asher amar Hashem ki chatanu" "They awoke early in the morning and ascended toward the mountaintop saying, We are ready and we shall ascend to the place of which Hashem has spoken, for. We have sinned."

 After crying over the words of the miraglim and therefore not wanting to enter Eretz Yisroel, and then having Hashem tell them that Eretz Yisroel was no longer available to them, this group decided that they should have gone in originally and were going to go. These people went from wanting to run back to Mitzrayim so as not to be killed in the quest for Eretz Yisroel as the posuk says "V'lama Hashem mavi osanu el ha'aretz hazos linpol bacherev" "why did Hashem bring us here to fall by the sword", to all the sudden extreme desire to enter eretz Yiroel and be moser nefesh to conquer it.   What changed asks Rav Yaakov Neiman Ztl, why did they not want to go originally and now how such a desire?

 Rav Neiman brings down b'sheim the Alter mi'Kelm that when one is commanded to do something it is much more difficult to do it than when a person is not commanded. As long as someone is commanded to do something the Yetzer Hara is working full force to make sure that there is no success. As long as there was a mitzva to conquer Eretz Yisroel the Yetzer Hara was working on all cylinders and overpowered Klal Yisroel and convinced them against the idea. As soon as the mitzva was taken away the Yetzer Hara's job was done. Without the clouded vision Klal Yisroel could see Eretz Yisroel for what it was, and understood that it was worth it to be moser nefesh to conquer it.
 This is one of the reasons why "Gadol hamitzuve v'ose mi'mi she'aino mitzuve ve'ose" "greater is one who is commanded and does from one who is not commanded and does". The temptation not to is not as strong.
 The Yetzer Hara can turn seemingly obvious and easy decisions into extremely difficult ones. I don't think being aware of his tactics is foolproof but at least understanding that he is battling as hard as he can to keep us from doing whatever we are commanded can possibly keep us on our toes and help us in our battle against him..
 Good Shabbos