The spies came back with the report that it was “A land that devours its inhabitants”
We know that Hashem purposely made that these funerals happen so the people would be distracted in order to give the spies a safe mission. When they saw the funerls they assumed it must be a place where people die all the time as everyone was at the funerals.
Logically though, if it was “A land that devours its inhabitants” (poeple are always dying) then there wouldn’t be a large number of people for each funeral as society wouldn’t function-rather only close friends and family would go. The Meraglim here saw what they wanted to see. They already had a negative outlook on the land so interpreted the episode in this fashion. The Gemorrah in Gittin relates the story of Rabbi Ilish who was imprisoned at one time. While sittintg in his cell, a bird flew in and what semmed to the Rav to say “Ilish, Escape” However, not conviced, he asked his cell mate if he heard what the bird said. The cell mate replied “Ilish, Escape” After the confirmation, Rabbi Ilish did infact escape. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz explains that Rav Ilish did understand the conversation of Birds as the “Seder Olam” says but still asked his cellmate as that was what Rav Ilish wanted to hear so needed an objective opinion.
A person sees what he wants to see and hears what he wants to hear based on his outlook and opinion of something.
We could all learn to take a positive outlook in life and always judge things in the positive way as well as always being objective to all cases even at the worse of times when things are looking glum.
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