Taking a Closer Look (Rabbi Dov Kramer)
“And My servant Kalev, as a result of there being a different spirit with him, and his following after Me completely, I will bring him [in]to the land that he came, and his descendants will inherit it” (Bamidbar 14:24). What about Yehoshua? Wasn’t he also an exception, whereby everybody else but he and Kalev died in the desert? Why didn’t G-d tell Moshe that his faithful student Yehoshua would also be allowed to enter the Promised Land?
Okay, I know. Yehoshua is mentioned with Kalev later (14:30) as being the exceptions, but why did it take so long for G-d to let Moshe know this? Although the commentators do differentiate between Kalev and Yehoshua insofar as Moshe prayed for Yehoshua (see Rashi on 13:16) whereas Kalev had to pray for himself (see Rashi on 13:22), Kalev spoke up first (13:30) while Yehoshua only joined Kalev in disagreeing with the other spies later (14:7-9), and only Kalev had children and could actually inherit the land, it still seems awkward that Yehoshua was totally ignored initially, leaving his teacher and mentor (Moshe) not knowing (until later) that his student would also be allowed to enter the land.
Which brings us to a different, perhaps even more difficult, question: Why was the decree against the nation repeated, as if Moshe didn’t already know that the generation was not going to make it to the Promised Land? First, G-d threatens to wipe out the entire nation completely and start a new one from Moshe (14:12). Moshe responds by arguing why G-d can’t (or shouldn’t) do so (14:13-16), followed by his prayer on their behalf (14:17-19). G-d relents (14:20), but only as far as not wiping out the entire nation and starting anew with Moshe (see Or Hachayim). G-d swears (14:21) that no one but Kalev will make it to the Promised Land (14:22-24), again, without mentioning that Yehoshua will also be allowed to go. After telling Moshe that they will therefore have to turn back towards the Sea of Reeds (14:25), the paragraph ends. The tragic story seems to have been told; except for Kalev, the generation will not be allowed to complete their journey.
But then, in a new paragraph, G-d speaks to Moshe again (14:26), this time with Aharon, although Chazal tell us that that just means that Moshe told Aharon and then together they told the nation (not that Aharon received the message directly from G-d). G-d asks how long He must tolerate the complaints (14:27, compare with 14:11), and tells Moshe and Aharon to tell the nation that He swears that He will kill out the entire generation (14:28-29) so that none of them, except for Kalev and Yehoshua, will make it to the Promised Land (14:30). Why was this repetition necessary, and why was Yehoshua only mentioned the second time?
As the Or Hachayim and the Netziv point out, the first “paragraph” was told only to Moshe, without any instructions for him to relay the information to anyone else. Only the second time is the word “laimor,” (“saying”) added, i.e. the permission or instruction to tell over what G-d told him to others. The question then becomes why didn’t G-d just tell Moshe that he could/should tell the nation what His decree was the first time? Why did there have to be two paragraphs, one just for Moshe’s ears and one to be shared with everyone else? By taking a closer look at the two paragraphs, an interesting picture emerges.
When G-d first speaks to Moshe about destroying the nation (14:11), He asks, “until what point will this nation anger Me.” On top of the unwarranted complaining done when the journey to the Promised Land first started (11:1), the crying over the newly-forbidden relationships (see Rashi on 11:10), the insult of the heavenly manna (11:6), the craving for meat (11:4) and the indulgence in it after it was provided (11:32-33), the nation now believed the spies assessment that the inhabitants of Canaan were too powerful for G-d to drive out (see Rashi on 13:31). They cried all night (14:1), wishing they had either died in Egypt or in the desert rather than trying to conquer Canaan (14:2), and tried to organize themselves to head back to Egypt (14:4). The words “until what point” refer to the level of irritation they had brought G-d to (as it were). G-d was so fed up with them that he wanted to wipe them out and start a new nation with Moshe. In this private conversation between G-d and Moshe, after Moshe convinces G-d not to wipe them out there is no mention at all of G-d killing them (even over time). All that G-d says (and swears to) is that “all of those that went against Me will never make it to the Promised Land.”
Before explaining the difference between not being able to enter the Promised Land and dying in the desert, let’s get back to Kalev and Yehoshua. If they never “went against G-d,” i.e. never angered Him, then they would not have been included with those that wouldn’t be allowed to enter the land. Rather than the question being why was Yehoshua being an exception omitted, the question is really why did G-d have to mention Kalev being an “exception to the rule” if he was never part of the “rule” in the first place (i.e. never angered G-d so wasn’t excluded from being allowed to enter the land).
Rashi (11:24) tells us that at first Kalev did make it seem as if he agreed with the other spies, telling them that he was on their side (so that they would let him speak) even though he never really was. Malbim takes it a step further, saying that initially Kalev did agree with the rest of the spies, which is why he went to the burial place of the forefathers to pray to be saved from such an outlook. If Kalev initially was with the spies, that means that he had been against G-d. Even if he was never really “with” them (only pretended to be) was saying he was with them enough to be included with those who went against G-d, and therefore excluded from being allowed to enter the Promised Land? In order to make it perfectly clear that Kalev was not, G-d told Moshe that Kalev would cross into the land. Moshe already knew that Yehoshua was not part of that group, so G-d didn’t have to tell him that Yehoshua could go. That Kalev could, on the other hand, was not as obvious, so G-d pointed out that Kalev could go too.
So G-d told Moshe that He listened to his prayer and he wouldn’t wipe the nation out, but He still wouldn’t let them enter the Promised Land. Does this mean they must die first? The assumption is that the only way for them to not enter the land is if they die before the rest of the nation crosses into it. But is that really true? Isn’t it possible for them to stay alive on the east side of the Jordan River while the rest of the nation crosses over to the west side? Moshe was forbidden from entering the land, but he conquered the lands of Sichon and Og, didn’t he? And the Tribes of Reuvain and Gad settled their families there before everyone else crossed, didn’t they? Had Reuvain and Gad not asked for their inheritance to be there, wouldn’t all 12 Tribes have shared equally on the eastern side (and the western side)? In the first paragraph, the private conversation with Moshe, once G-d agreed not to destroy the nation there is no mention of anyone dying. The rest of the conversation is only about entering or not entering the land.
Immediately prior to telling Moshe that He wants to destroy the nation, “G-d’s glory appeared to all of the Children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting” (14:10). The Yalkut Shimoni (643) tells us that G-d appeared to them hoping it would get them to repent. Although the context is getting to repent from throwing stones at Moshe and Aharon (or Kalev and Yehoshua; see Rashi), it could be suggested that G-d was hoping that they would also repent from the slander they had said/believed about Him and His land. Had they done so, although G-d had already sworn that they couldn’t enter His land, they wouldn’t have had to die prematurely, and/or in the desert. They could have joined the rest of the nation while they conquered the lands of Sichon and Og, and lived there until they died of natural causes. Their children would have crossed onto the western side of the Jordan and conquered Canaan while they stayed on the eastern side, thus keeping with G-d’s oath while letting them live out the rest of their lives. But, unfortunately, they didn’t repent, and continued to bemoan the thought of having to conquer.
G-d had enough of their complaining, requiring a second communication with Moshe, this time to be repeated to the nation. G-d asked “how long” this evil congregation would keep complaining (14:27). Not “how much” (14:11, see Netziv), but “how long.” G-d had given them time to reconsider their attitude, but nothing had changed. How long did G-d wait before losing His patience (as it were) and upping the decree from not entering the land to “dying in the desert” (14:29 and 32, as if to drive the point home that now death was part of the decree, whereas it wouldn’t have been had they repented)? “And the men that spoke badly about the land died on the seventh day of Elul” (Targum Yonasan, 14:37). That’s a full month after the spies came back with their report. Some (see Tur/Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 580:2) say it was the seventeenth of Elul, which makes for an interesting symmetry of having 40 days to repent for the 40-day mission. Either way, though, initially G-d swore that they couldn’t enter the land, but didn’t say that they needed to die in the desert. Perhaps they didn’t even need to wander for 40 years in the desert, as this part of the punishment is also only mentioned in the second paragraph. After giving them plenty of time to repent, G-d told Moshe to tell them that now it’s too late. Not only wouldn’t anyone (besides Kalev and Yehoshua) be allowed to enter the land, but they would all die in the desert during the 40 years the nation would have to spend wandering. This way, G-d still kept his word that they wouldn’t die all at once, but they would get what they wished for (14:2), dying in the desert rather than crossing into the Promised Land.
The commentators on the Tur/Shulchan Aruch ask why the seventeenth (or seventh) of Elul is a fast day based on the spies dying on that day if the death of the wicked is usually celebrated. Based on the above, we can understand not just why there are two separate paragraphs detailing the decree after the sin of the spies, and why Yehoshua is not mentioned as an exception in the first paragraph. If the nation had 30 or 40 days to repent and didn’t, it makes sense to try even more than usual to repent on that day. If nothing else, realizing the consequences of not repenting should help get us to improve our ways.
“And My servant Kalev, as a result of there being a different spirit with him, and his following after Me completely, I will bring him [in]to the land that he came, and his descendants will inherit it” (Bamidbar 14:24). What about Yehoshua? Wasn’t he also an exception, whereby everybody else but he and Kalev died in the desert? Why didn’t G-d tell Moshe that his faithful student Yehoshua would also be allowed to enter the Promised Land?
Okay, I know. Yehoshua is mentioned with Kalev later (14:30) as being the exceptions, but why did it take so long for G-d to let Moshe know this? Although the commentators do differentiate between Kalev and Yehoshua insofar as Moshe prayed for Yehoshua (see Rashi on 13:16) whereas Kalev had to pray for himself (see Rashi on 13:22), Kalev spoke up first (13:30) while Yehoshua only joined Kalev in disagreeing with the other spies later (14:7-9), and only Kalev had children and could actually inherit the land, it still seems awkward that Yehoshua was totally ignored initially, leaving his teacher and mentor (Moshe) not knowing (until later) that his student would also be allowed to enter the land.
Which brings us to a different, perhaps even more difficult, question: Why was the decree against the nation repeated, as if Moshe didn’t already know that the generation was not going to make it to the Promised Land? First, G-d threatens to wipe out the entire nation completely and start a new one from Moshe (14:12). Moshe responds by arguing why G-d can’t (or shouldn’t) do so (14:13-16), followed by his prayer on their behalf (14:17-19). G-d relents (14:20), but only as far as not wiping out the entire nation and starting anew with Moshe (see Or Hachayim). G-d swears (14:21) that no one but Kalev will make it to the Promised Land (14:22-24), again, without mentioning that Yehoshua will also be allowed to go. After telling Moshe that they will therefore have to turn back towards the Sea of Reeds (14:25), the paragraph ends. The tragic story seems to have been told; except for Kalev, the generation will not be allowed to complete their journey.
But then, in a new paragraph, G-d speaks to Moshe again (14:26), this time with Aharon, although Chazal tell us that that just means that Moshe told Aharon and then together they told the nation (not that Aharon received the message directly from G-d). G-d asks how long He must tolerate the complaints (14:27, compare with 14:11), and tells Moshe and Aharon to tell the nation that He swears that He will kill out the entire generation (14:28-29) so that none of them, except for Kalev and Yehoshua, will make it to the Promised Land (14:30). Why was this repetition necessary, and why was Yehoshua only mentioned the second time?
As the Or Hachayim and the Netziv point out, the first “paragraph” was told only to Moshe, without any instructions for him to relay the information to anyone else. Only the second time is the word “laimor,” (“saying”) added, i.e. the permission or instruction to tell over what G-d told him to others. The question then becomes why didn’t G-d just tell Moshe that he could/should tell the nation what His decree was the first time? Why did there have to be two paragraphs, one just for Moshe’s ears and one to be shared with everyone else? By taking a closer look at the two paragraphs, an interesting picture emerges.
When G-d first speaks to Moshe about destroying the nation (14:11), He asks, “until what point will this nation anger Me.” On top of the unwarranted complaining done when the journey to the Promised Land first started (11:1), the crying over the newly-forbidden relationships (see Rashi on 11:10), the insult of the heavenly manna (11:6), the craving for meat (11:4) and the indulgence in it after it was provided (11:32-33), the nation now believed the spies assessment that the inhabitants of Canaan were too powerful for G-d to drive out (see Rashi on 13:31). They cried all night (14:1), wishing they had either died in Egypt or in the desert rather than trying to conquer Canaan (14:2), and tried to organize themselves to head back to Egypt (14:4). The words “until what point” refer to the level of irritation they had brought G-d to (as it were). G-d was so fed up with them that he wanted to wipe them out and start a new nation with Moshe. In this private conversation between G-d and Moshe, after Moshe convinces G-d not to wipe them out there is no mention at all of G-d killing them (even over time). All that G-d says (and swears to) is that “all of those that went against Me will never make it to the Promised Land.”
Before explaining the difference between not being able to enter the Promised Land and dying in the desert, let’s get back to Kalev and Yehoshua. If they never “went against G-d,” i.e. never angered Him, then they would not have been included with those that wouldn’t be allowed to enter the land. Rather than the question being why was Yehoshua being an exception omitted, the question is really why did G-d have to mention Kalev being an “exception to the rule” if he was never part of the “rule” in the first place (i.e. never angered G-d so wasn’t excluded from being allowed to enter the land).
Rashi (11:24) tells us that at first Kalev did make it seem as if he agreed with the other spies, telling them that he was on their side (so that they would let him speak) even though he never really was. Malbim takes it a step further, saying that initially Kalev did agree with the rest of the spies, which is why he went to the burial place of the forefathers to pray to be saved from such an outlook. If Kalev initially was with the spies, that means that he had been against G-d. Even if he was never really “with” them (only pretended to be) was saying he was with them enough to be included with those who went against G-d, and therefore excluded from being allowed to enter the Promised Land? In order to make it perfectly clear that Kalev was not, G-d told Moshe that Kalev would cross into the land. Moshe already knew that Yehoshua was not part of that group, so G-d didn’t have to tell him that Yehoshua could go. That Kalev could, on the other hand, was not as obvious, so G-d pointed out that Kalev could go too.
So G-d told Moshe that He listened to his prayer and he wouldn’t wipe the nation out, but He still wouldn’t let them enter the Promised Land. Does this mean they must die first? The assumption is that the only way for them to not enter the land is if they die before the rest of the nation crosses into it. But is that really true? Isn’t it possible for them to stay alive on the east side of the Jordan River while the rest of the nation crosses over to the west side? Moshe was forbidden from entering the land, but he conquered the lands of Sichon and Og, didn’t he? And the Tribes of Reuvain and Gad settled their families there before everyone else crossed, didn’t they? Had Reuvain and Gad not asked for their inheritance to be there, wouldn’t all 12 Tribes have shared equally on the eastern side (and the western side)? In the first paragraph, the private conversation with Moshe, once G-d agreed not to destroy the nation there is no mention of anyone dying. The rest of the conversation is only about entering or not entering the land.
Immediately prior to telling Moshe that He wants to destroy the nation, “G-d’s glory appeared to all of the Children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting” (14:10). The Yalkut Shimoni (643) tells us that G-d appeared to them hoping it would get them to repent. Although the context is getting to repent from throwing stones at Moshe and Aharon (or Kalev and Yehoshua; see Rashi), it could be suggested that G-d was hoping that they would also repent from the slander they had said/believed about Him and His land. Had they done so, although G-d had already sworn that they couldn’t enter His land, they wouldn’t have had to die prematurely, and/or in the desert. They could have joined the rest of the nation while they conquered the lands of Sichon and Og, and lived there until they died of natural causes. Their children would have crossed onto the western side of the Jordan and conquered Canaan while they stayed on the eastern side, thus keeping with G-d’s oath while letting them live out the rest of their lives. But, unfortunately, they didn’t repent, and continued to bemoan the thought of having to conquer.
G-d had enough of their complaining, requiring a second communication with Moshe, this time to be repeated to the nation. G-d asked “how long” this evil congregation would keep complaining (14:27). Not “how much” (14:11, see Netziv), but “how long.” G-d had given them time to reconsider their attitude, but nothing had changed. How long did G-d wait before losing His patience (as it were) and upping the decree from not entering the land to “dying in the desert” (14:29 and 32, as if to drive the point home that now death was part of the decree, whereas it wouldn’t have been had they repented)? “And the men that spoke badly about the land died on the seventh day of Elul” (Targum Yonasan, 14:37). That’s a full month after the spies came back with their report. Some (see Tur/Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 580:2) say it was the seventeenth of Elul, which makes for an interesting symmetry of having 40 days to repent for the 40-day mission. Either way, though, initially G-d swore that they couldn’t enter the land, but didn’t say that they needed to die in the desert. Perhaps they didn’t even need to wander for 40 years in the desert, as this part of the punishment is also only mentioned in the second paragraph. After giving them plenty of time to repent, G-d told Moshe to tell them that now it’s too late. Not only wouldn’t anyone (besides Kalev and Yehoshua) be allowed to enter the land, but they would all die in the desert during the 40 years the nation would have to spend wandering. This way, G-d still kept his word that they wouldn’t die all at once, but they would get what they wished for (14:2), dying in the desert rather than crossing into the Promised Land.
The commentators on the Tur/Shulchan Aruch ask why the seventeenth (or seventh) of Elul is a fast day based on the spies dying on that day if the death of the wicked is usually celebrated. Based on the above, we can understand not just why there are two separate paragraphs detailing the decree after the sin of the spies, and why Yehoshua is not mentioned as an exception in the first paragraph. If the nation had 30 or 40 days to repent and didn’t, it makes sense to try even more than usual to repent on that day. If nothing else, realizing the consequences of not repenting should help get us to improve our ways.
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