חטא המרגלים, עיכוב ישראל, ותגובת ה'

The verse says, "And your small children, whom you said would be for spoil, and your children who today do not know good and bad, they will come there, and to them I will give it, and they will inherit it." The teacher explains that Hashem is telling Bnei Yisrael that the very children they claimed would be lost in the desert—both the very young (tapchem) and the older children who do not yet know to distinguish between good and bad (uvneichem asher lo yodu hayom tov vara)—these are the ones who will actually enter and inherit the land. The adults who sinned will not enter, but their children, whom they thought would be destroyed, will be the ones to receive the land.

The verse continues, "And you, turn for yourselves and journey to the wilderness by the way of the Yam Suf." The teacher explains that Hashem is instructing the people to turn back and head towards the desert, specifically in the direction of the Yam Suf. This is a command to reverse course, to go away from Eretz Yisrael and back towards the area they had come from, as a consequence of their actions. The teacher notes that Rashi will explain the geography of this instruction in detail.

On the phrase Pnu lochem, Rashi says: "I said to transfer you by the width of the land of Edom, to the north, to enter the land. You ruined it and caused yourselves a delay." The teacher explains that Hashem's original plan was to bring Bnei Yisrael through the width of Edom, which is to the south of Eretz Yisrael, and then to enter the land from the north. However, because of their actions, they ruined this plan and caused themselves a delay in entering Eretz Yisrael. The teacher elaborates that the Yidden were on the other side of Edom, and Hashem was going to cut them through Edom to enter the land, but because of their sin, they had to turn back.

The teacher explains the verse as follows: Pnu lochem means to turn backwards, that is, to the south, to get closer to the Yam Suf. The people were to journey in the desert, towards the Yam Suf. The desert they were traveling in was to the south of Har Seir, and this desert separated the Yam Suf from Har Seir. The teacher describes the geography: Egypt (Mitzrayim) is lower down, then comes Edom and Moav, with Edom and Har Seir in the middle of the southern side of Eretz Yisrael. The midbar (desert) was between the Yam Suf (by Egypt) and Har Seir (higher up in the south). Now, instead of heading north towards Eretz Yisrael, Hashem tells them to go south, towards the Yam Suf, and to circle around Har Seir, traveling along the entire southern side of Har Seir from west to east. The teacher notes that this is a reversal of direction, away from the land, and discusses some of the complexities in Rashi's explanation of the geography, including how the Yam Suf and the midbar relate to Har Seir and Eretz Yisrael. He points out that the midbar was further south of Har Seir, and the Yam Suf was even further south, so the journey was away from Eretz Yisrael, circling the southern side of Har Seir.

The verse says, "And you answered and said to me, 'We have sinned to Hashem; we will go up and fight, as Hashem our God has commanded us.' And each man girded his weapons of war, and you were ready to go up the mountain." The teacher explains that after hearing Hashem's decree, the people responded by admitting their sin and declaring their intention to go up and fight as Hashem had originally commanded. They prepared themselves for battle, each person arming himself and getting ready to ascend the mountain, attempting to reverse the decree through their own initiative.

On the word vatehinu, Rashi says it is the language of "hen," meaning "yes" or "behold." The teacher explains that this is the language the people used when they said, "We are ready to go up to the place." It is not an expression of climbing, but rather of being prepared or saying "yes, we are ready." Rashi is clarifying that the word here means they were prepared and eager to go up, not that they actually ascended yet.

The verse says, "And Hashem said to me, 'Say to them: Do not go up and do not fight, for I am not among you, and you will not be smitten before your enemies.'" The teacher explains that Hashem is warning the people not to proceed with their plan to go up and fight, because He is not with them. If they go, not only will they not succeed, but they will actually be defeated by their enemies. The teacher notes that Rashi learns from the language of the verse that not only will they not ascend, but it will actually be a descent—they will suffer defeat if they try to go up without Hashem's presence.

On the words Lo Sa'alu, Rashi explains that this is not going to be an ascent for you, but rather a descent. In other words, not only will you not go up, but it will actually be a downfall for you. Rashi is teaching that this is not just a prohibition against going up, but a warning that if you try, it will result in your defeat and humiliation. The teacher points out that Rashi learns from the wording that it's not just a matter of not ascending, but that there will be a descent, and he discusses how Rashi knows this from the verse.

The verse says, "And I spoke to you, and you did not listen, but you defied the mouth of Hashem, and you acted intentionally, and you went up to the mountain." The teacher explains that after Moshe told the people what Hashem had said, they responded that they had sinned and decided to go up and wage war, as Hashem had commanded. Each person prepared himself with weapons and was ready to go up the mountain. The teacher notes that the word VaTezidu means they acted intentionally, and that they went up to the mountain even though they were told not to. He also mentions that Rashi explains the language here as referring to their preparedness and determination to go up, despite the warning.

This verse describes how the Emori, who lived in that mountain, came out towards the people and chased them like bees do, and struck them in Seir until Khorma. The teacher explains that the Emori here is the same as Har Seir, as Rashi said earlier. The Emori came out and pursued the Jews just as bees chase after someone. The teacher notes that the comparison to bees will be explained in Rashi. He also points out that the place Khorma is the same Khorma mentioned later in the Torah, at the end of Sefer Bamidbar, where it says that Yisrael called the place Khorma after a later battle. Here, too, it is called Khorma because of what happened at this time.

On the words Ka'asher Ta'asena HaDvorim, Rashi explains: Just as a bee, when it strikes a person, immediately dies, so too, when the Emori touched you, they immediately died. The teacher elaborates that the Torah compares the Emori to bees to teach that, although the Emori chased and struck the Jews, when they actually made contact, they themselves died, just as a bee dies after stinging. The teacher notes that while the verse seems to be increasing the punishment, Rashi interprets it as describing what actually happened: the Emori died upon contact, just as bees do when they sting.

This verse says, "And you returned and cried before Hashem, but Hashem did not listen to your voice and did not pay attention to you." The teacher explains that after the defeat, the people cried out to Hashem, but Hashem did not listen or pay attention. He notes that there is a double expression here—Hashem did not listen to your voice and did not pay attention. The teacher wonders if Rashi is addressing this double language, and points out that Rashi says it is as if, so to speak, you made Hashem's attribute of mercy appear cruel, because He did not respond to your cries.

On the words VeLo Shama Hashem BeKolchem, Rashi explains that, so to speak, you made Hashem's attribute of mercy appear as if it was cruel. The teacher elaborates that by acting as they did, the people caused Hashem to respond in a way that seemed harsh, even though Hashem is merciful. The use of the double language in the verse emphasizes how their actions led to this response from Hashem.

The verse says, "And you dwelled in Kodesh for many days, like the days that you dwelled." The teacher explains that this refers to Kodesh Barnea, where the people stayed after the events with the spies. He notes that Rashi will explain how long they stayed there and how it relates to the total years in the desert. The teacher recalls that there were two places called Kodesh, and that Kodesh Barnea is where they were sent from in the story of the spies. He also mentions that the verse is saying they stayed there for many days, equal to the days they stayed in other places during their journeys.

On the words VaTeshevu BeKodesh Yamim Rabim, Rashi explains that this means 19 years. The teacher explains how Rashi arrives at this number: The verse says, "like the days that you dwelled in the other journeys," and the total time in the desert was 38 years. Of those 38 years, 19 were spent in Kodesh, and the other 19 were spent wandering and being unsettled, after which they returned to Kodesh. Rashi brings a proof from the verse in Bamidbar, "VaYeniyem BaMidbar," that Hashem moved them around in the desert. The teacher walks through the calculation and the sources Rashi uses, noting that this is found in Seder Olam as well.

This verse says, "And we turned and journeyed into the wilderness by the way of the Yam Suf, as Hashem spoke to me, and we circled Mount Seir for many days." The teacher explains that this is a continuation of Moshe recounting the events after the sin of the spies. Hashem had told the people to turn back and go into the wilderness, specifically by the way of the Yam Suf. The teacher notes that this phrase, Derech Yam Suf, is the same as used earlier, where Hashem told them to turn and journey toward the Yam Suf. He elaborates on the geography: the wilderness they traveled in was south of Mount Seir, and this wilderness was between the Yam Suf (which was by Egypt) and Mount Seir (which was higher up, south of Eretz Yisrael). Egypt was at the bottom, then Edom and Har Seir, then Moav. The wilderness was in between the Yam Suf and Har Seir. The teacher describes how, instead of going north into Eretz Yisrael, Hashem told them to go south, towards the Yam Suf, and to circle around Mount Seir, covering the entire southern side, from west to east. He points out that this was a reversal of their intended route, which would have taken them north into the land, but because of their sin, they were sent south and east, away from Eretz Yisrael, circling the mountain for many days.

On the Rashi for VeNefen VeNisa HaMidbarah, the teacher explains that if the people had not sinned, they would have crossed through Mount Seir to enter Eretz Yisrael, going from the south to the north. However, because they sinned, they were turned towards the side of the wilderness, which is between the Yam Suf and the southern side of Mount Seir. The teacher details that the wilderness was south of Har Seir, and this wilderness separated the Yam Suf (which was further south, near Egypt) from Har Seir. He clarifies that the people traveled along the southern side of Har Seir, from west to east, which is what the verse means by Derech Yam Suf—the way of the Yam Suf, the same path they took when leaving Egypt. The teacher notes that this is the southwestern corner of Eretz Yisrael, and from there, they would travel eastward. He discusses the difficulty in understanding the exact geography, noting that the Yam Suf was by Egypt, and the wilderness was south of Har Seir, so the people were traveling from the west (Egypt) to the east (towards Moav), circling the southern side of Har Seir. He points out that the Torah calls this whole area Har Seir, and that the people were supposed to go up the mountain from the front, but instead, they circled around it due to their sin.

On the Rashi for VeNasov Es Har Seir, the teacher explains that this means they circled the entire southern side of Mount Seir until they reached the land of Moav. He elaborates that Moav was further east along the southern side of Eretz Yisrael, so the people traveled from the west to the east, circling the southern border of Har Seir, rather than going directly north into Eretz Yisrael. This was a result of their sin, and it was a significant detour from the direct route they could have taken.