Shabbos Parashas Devarim - 5777

Shabbos Parashas Devarim - 5777

Rabbi Hal Miller

But you would not go up, and you rebelled against the word of Hashem your G-d.

[Devarim 1:26]

The first verse in our parsha, the first verse in the Book of Devarim, tells us that this book

is "the words that Moshe spoke to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan" [1:1]. In our

parsha, Moshe describes the incident of the spies and the result, but his description here

contains numerous differences from what the Torah related in the Book of Bamidbar,

when the incident actually occurred. Did Moshe have a memory lapse, or were there

specific reasons for the differences?

Nechama Leibowitz reviews a number of differences. Some were easy to accept, such as:

"We came to the land to which you sent us and it is truly a land flowing with milk and

honey, and this is its fruit." [Bamidbar] "And they said, good is the land which the Lord

our G-d has given us." [Devarim]

Here, Moshe did not need to repeat the details, but his comment in our parsha is fully

consistent with the earlier text.

But how about:

"And the Lord spoke to Moshe saying," [Bamidbar] and, "And you all of you approached

Me saying," [Devarim].

Leibowitz says, "the difference is in the determining of the factor prompting the sending of

the spies. In Bamidbar it was prompted by a command of G-d, in our sidra it is described

as coming from the people." In the first instance, everybody knew that the people had

asked for this mission, and it is well explained that G-d merely acquiesced in their request.

Now, Moshe is speaking to the next generation, and he needed to remind them that the

original instigators were their parents, not G-d. Leibowitz continues with:

"We cannot go up against the people because they are stronger than we," [Bamidbar] and

"How can we go up? Our brothers have melted our hearts saying the people are greater

and taller than we, the cities are large and fortified to heaven, and we have seen the sons

of Anak are there." [Devarim]

Note here that the earlier ones said "we cannot go up" and gave a sound reason. The fact

that this reason did not take into account that it was G-d who was going to fight their war is

what resulted in their punishment, but from a nonbeliever's standpoint, the earlier verse

made sense. The second verse says, in effect, "I heard that it would be difficult." Certainly

the same or increased level of lack of faith, but there is also a blame situation here. In

Bamidbar, the people were afraid of an enemy they now had military intelligence for. In

Devarim, the people merely said, "someone told us, and we don't want to put forth the

effort to find out for ourselves."

This ties directly to our verse. Moshe chastised the earlier generation for not having

faith in G-d. This time the situation is worse, and he made his criticism stronger. These

people not only lacked faith, not only refused to go, but they rebelled outright against G-d.