Regarding the difference between Yehoshua and Calev, I find that this is the difference between what the Tanya classifies as a "Tzaddik", the "righteous" man, who he defines as someone who doesn't have a Yetzer Horah, and a "Beinoni", the "ordinary" man, who is classified as someone who has a Yetzer Horah but overcomes it when he is faced with a Nisayon.
As the Heiliga Bardichev said, since Yehshua, as a result of Moshe's Bracha, didn't have any fight, he was in this respect a "Tzaddik". Calev, who had a yetzer, was the prototypical "Beinoni". He therefore stopped off in Chevron to daven and plead at the Maaras Hamachpela, enlisting the aid of zchus avos, so he wouldn't fall into the trap of the Meraglim.
What I take from here is the following:
1. If I want to daven for a Yoshua, to be saved from a nisayon, then the best place to daven is at the kever of my Avos, the grave of my ancestors. Thereore, I should at least make one trip to the base Hachayim so that tefilo is combined with all the others I daven on that subject. If that is impossible because of distance, then I think that Kivrai Tzaddikkim will also be good since they are also classified as the fathers of klal Yisroel
2. It is clear the purpose for Calev's diversion to the Maaras Hamachpela was not to daven Shachris, Mincha or Maariv, (the customary prayers of the day) while he was there.
He davened a personal tefila, (prayer) for salvation from the situation. This teaches us the importance of personal tefilos. Reb Nachman in Lekutai Maharan Torah Tzaddik Zayin in chelek bais writes that the reason why people can't concentrate while they are davening is because these tefilos are ones that they didn't author. It is therefore very difficult to tie your heart to the tefilos. On the other hand, personal tefilos come from your heart and are therefore much easier to connect to. Another more kabblistic reason for this difference is that regular tefilos have defined routes as they ascend to shomayim. On these routes, the evil forces are waiting to grab the tefilos so they don't ascend. This is analagous to highway robbers who will wait by the "well traveled" highways to rob the travelers. On the other hand, personal tefilos are
new highways so they are not grabbed by the evil forces because they don't know it exists. For these two reasons, the standard Tefilos (which are still the basis for our relationship) are not enough to forge a complete relationship with Hashem and have to be supplimented by personal tefilos. A combination of both will allow us to build a place for Hashem in our heart (Bilvovi Mishkan Evneh).
(Paranthetically, Reb Nachman is very short but his idea is brought out in the Sefer Bisdai Yuar on page 33 by Rav Shalom Arush. It is a sefer that presents ideas to create a real kesher, a connection with Hashem through personal tefilos (which in Breslov terminology is Hisbodidus). He has written a must must read sefer on Emuna called Gan Emuna (also in English) and a must must must read Sefer (also in English) on Shalom Bayis called Gan Hasholom (only for men). I am in the middle of reading another sefer of his called Bigan Eden Mikedem for both men and women. You can contact him at 02-5812210 or 052-2240696.) 3. Tefilo can help even in the face of peer pressure
4. You might debate me on this (but not on this thread
)but from the fact that Calev's name was mentioned and not Yehoshua, it seems that there is a certain Nachas Ruach (satisfaction) that Hakodosh Boruch Hu has from the struggles of the Beinuni that is not present in the Tzaddik. The bigger the struggle, the bigger the Nachas Ruach. My Tanya Rebbi referred to the 2 avodos as sweet and sour. The Avodah of a Tzaddik is sweet, pure harmony. The Avodah of the Beinuni is "sour"- plenty of struggle and never ending. When you put both of them together, Hashem gets a delicious meal.
La'asos Nachas Ruach!
Pintele Yid
