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Devarim -
Third Aliyah |
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The forty wilderness years were a punishment which ultimately wiped out an entire generation. Moses, now speaking to a new generation, explains how this decree came about: choosing spies out of distrust, the intensely negative report which the majority brought back, the people’s rebellion against G-d, and the ensuing punishment of that generation who were refused entry into Israel (Numbers 13:1-14:39). Indeed, Moses blames his own fate on the episode of the spies, whereas G-d’s punishment to Moses was due to his striking the rock.
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| Thoughts to Consider and Discuss |
1. Here Moses says it was the people’s idea to send the spies, whereas in the original account it was G-d’s idea. (see Numbers 13:1-2). Are these versions contradictory or complementary?
2. “G-d became angry with me too because of you...!” (1:37). To what extent must a leader accept responsibility for the failure of his flock?
3. What technique would you have used to discipline the people if you had been Moses?
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“Concerning the land’s goodness the spies were all agreed, and indeed they showed proof of it in the fruits they brought. Everything else was the subjective personal impression which the gigantic appearance of the country’s inhabitants had made of their timid souls. Had the people been filled with the right spirit, they would only have accepted the report of the country’s goodness and everything else would have left them quite untouched.”
Samson Raphael Hirsch on 1:25
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 | | Points to Ponder | |
How often do personal agendas, ulterior motives and anxious fears bring down worthy projects?
Can you think of instances where you have been misled into making a wrong decision by someone else’s negative or evil words?
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