These are the words that Moses spoke to all of Israel. We do not find anywhere else in Scripture that Moses spoke to all of Israel at once, and how could it be possible for him to speak to 600,000 men at one time? This phrasing is not found anywhere else in Scripture except here and in the section about Hakhel [the gathering], where it says, You shall read this Torah before all of Israel in their hearing (Deuteronomy 31:11). And the Sages said (Sotah 41a) that the king would read from These are the words and onward. For certainly there is a connection and similarity between them, because throughout the Torah it says “the children of Israel,” but here it says Israel. Did he speak to Israel? Wasn’t it to the children of Israel that he spoke all his words?

And now it is reasonable to understand that whenever it mentions “the children of Israel,” it is speaking about the general masses of the people, for they are all the children of Israel. But in places where it mentions “Israel,” it is speaking to the great individuals of Israel, each of whom is called by the name of Israel the patriarch and resembles him. And since the great individuals of Israel have the obligation to rebuke the people, and if they do not rebuke them, then the guilt of the people rests upon them, therefore Moses urged them about this. This is because they have no excuse to exempt themselves from punishment by saying, “It is revealed to us that rebuke will not be effective because rebuke will not help a stiff-necked people.” For if it is revealed before God, who has revealed it to them? And the prophet similarly blamed them, saying And after things that do not profit they have gone (Jeremiah 2:8). They attributed their lack of rebuke to the claim that it would not benefit the people because they refused to listen, but this is truly not a valid claim because in any case, the one who rebukes should do his part. Nevertheless, he taught them the way of rebuke, for any rebuker who wants his words to be heeded and not rejected should rebuke with hints rather than explicitly, in a way that only the person who feels within himself that he is the one being addressed will understand the words. But with open rebuke, they will likely reject it. Therefore, the Holy One, Blessed be He, told Moses to read this Torah, which refers to the words of moral instruction in this portion, and these are directed at all of Israel, because all rebuke consists of harsh words that challenge all of Israel. And he should read them “in their ears,” meaning with hints, which is like speaking in whispers in a way that will only enter the ears of the one who knows within himself that he is guilty of the matter. And this is the hint in These are the words that Moses spoke to all the great individuals who are called by the name of Israel. And what did he speak to them? In the wilderness, in the Arabah, etc. — meaning, “Learn from me and do likewise” to rebuke with hints, for this is a significant factor in the acceptance of rebuke.

And some say that specifically to the great ones, whom he called “Israel,” he spoke in hints out of respect, but in the following it says Moses spoke to the children of Israel meaning the common people, and to them he did not show respect but explicitly told them about the incident of the spies and the golden calf. And even though the great ones presumably were not guilty of all the things he spoke about in hints, nevertheless, since they did not rebuke the people, he attributed the blame to them in hints. And it seems to me that this resolves what the commentators have asked: why doesn’t it say “And it was in the fortieth year” at the beginning of the portion? Because the main reason for mentioning this time is to inform us that rebuke is best given close to death so that one does not rebuke and then rebuke again. That is to say, perhaps today or tomorrow the rebuked person would have a chance to say to the rebuker, “Remove the beam from your own eye, etc.” (Arakhin 16b). And such a bad thing, while it might possibly be found among the general populace, nevertheless, any person of valor with many accomplishments would never utter such words. Therefore, for the first rebuke, which was directed only to the great ones, there was no need to write this timing, because even at other times, rebuke is good for them, as they would not kick back by saying “Remove the beam from your own eye,” which only a despicable, contemptible person who holds onto cords of scorn would say. And any God-fearing person would not let such words be heard from his mouth. Furthermore, specifically the rebukes that were said explicitly, from And it was in the fortieth year and onward, for these there is concern that one should not rebuke and then rebuke again, lest they say “Remove the beam, etc.” But regarding this first rebuke, which was said in hints, there is no concern for this, because each person can act as if he does not know [it is a rebuke].

Another explanation: The first rebuke, since Moses said it on his own initiative, therefore he mentioned it in a hint, because he was afraid lest he be burned by their coals, as happened to him when he said Listen now, you rebels (Numbers 20:10). But shortly after it says Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the Lord had commanded him for them — he needed to say the words as they were [directly].

Between Paran and between Tofel. The phrase between… and between does not make any sense or have any reasonable explanation according to Rashi’s interpretation. Furthermore, it is difficult to understand why Moses did not at least hint at the incident of the waters of Meribah, as it is written They provoked Him at the waters of Meribah, and it went badly for Moses because of them (Psalms 106:32). If they were the ones who provoked God, why didn’t Moses mention this incident among all the provocations they committed? It must be that he hinted to them with the language of between… and between, because in Paran was the incident of the spies, and “Tofel” refers to when they complained [taflu] about the manna, saying our soul loathes this worthless bread (Numbers 21:5). And in between these two incidents occurred the matter of the waters of Meribah. Even though Korah’s rebellion is written after the incident of the spies, it nevertheless preceded it, as Rashi explained that “Hazeroth” refers to Korah’s rebellion which took place in Hazeroth, and it is written They journeyed from Hazeroth and camped in the desert of Paran (Numbers 12:16). And from there the spies were sent out. This indicates that between the incident of the spies in Paran and the incident of “Tofel,” they had committed only the provocation at the waters of Meribah. It is as if Moses was saying, “Remember what you did between these two boundaries.” This is a hint within a hint, because Moses also sinned in this matter and was afraid they might say to him, “Remove the beam from between your own eyes,” therefore he embedded this sin between what came before and after, using their actions as evidence that they were the cause, and the main sin depends on them. For see what you did in Paran, when you said let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt (Numbers 14:4), and similarly at Tofel you said, Why did you bring us up from Egypt? (Numbers 21:5). And likewise at the waters of Meribah you said, Why did you bring us up from Egypt? (Numbers 20:5). From this there is evidence that one transgression leads to another similar one, and the before and after indicates that this sin which was committed in between should also be attributed to you and not to me.

Between Paran and between Tophel. The phrase between… and between gives me room to add my own hand and explain it about that which occurs between the 17th of Tammuz and the ninth of Av. For “Paran” refers to the incident of the spies, where they cried needlessly, and crying was established for generations on the night of the ninth of Av. And “Tophel” refers to the golden calf that they made. For what Rashi explained, that they complained about [made “taflu”] the manna, has no parallel in Scripture. It would have been more appropriate if Rashi had explained it from the language Can that which is tasteless [tafeil] be eaten without salt? (Job 6:6), for anything without taste is called “tafeil,” and this would have agreed with Rashi’s words. But according to our approach, it makes more sense that “tophel” alludes to the incident of the golden calf, because we find this term used for idolatry in several places. In Jeremiah (23:13) it is written: And in the prophets of Samaria I have seen folly [tiflah]; they prophesied by Baal, etc. And it is written (Lamentations 2:14): Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive [tafeil] visions, etc. And similarly, Ezekiel called them plasterers of folly [tafeil] (13:11). And so said the makers of the golden calf, These are your gods, O Israel (Exodus 32:4). With this, they attributed falsehood [tiflah] to God, and this occurred on the 17th of Tammuz, and on that same day the tablets were broken. And the breaking of these stones was established for generations, for on the 17th of Tammuz the wall of the city and its stones were breached. And between these two boundaries, Israel lies crouching between the borders, and this is the meaning of between… and between mentioned here, as it is written (Lamentations 1:3): All her pursuers overtook her between the straits. For between the sin of the golden calf and the sin of the spies, [Israel] crouched and bowed down, and they could not rise, because naturally there is no salvation from the distress of the enemy except in one of two ways, or both together: Either through the providence of God, who saves all who cling to Him, even if they are not naturally strong, nevertheless when they fulfill you shall love the Lord your God, which causes attachment to God, then He saves all who cling to Him; or naturally, when they fulfill love your neighbor as yourself. Then each person helps his fellow, even if they are sinners and God has departed from them. Still, they have some hope naturally if the heavenly orchestration does not oppose them.

And in these two times, Israel lost both at once, and if so, to whom shall they flee for help? For on the 17th of Tammuz when they made the [Golden] Calf, on that very day they turned backwards and turned their backs, not their faces, to God, in the month whose zodiac sign is Cancer, whose manner is to walk backwards — so too did they turn backwards, and thus they lost the salvation that comes from Divine providence. And on the 9th of Av was the incident of the spies; on that very day was born the trait of baseless hatred among Israel, as it is written And you said: Out of the Lord’s hatred for us, He brought us out [of Egypt]… (Deuteronomy 1:27). Rashi interprets, “What is in your heart about your friend, you assume is in his heart about you” (Yalkut Shimoni, Deuteronomy 805). For they reasoned that since each of them hates his fellow, so presumably the Holy One, blessed be He, also hates them. And furthermore, since they erred in saying that the Holy One, blessed be He, hates them without cause, then certainly the nature of the matter compels each one to hate his fellow. And this trouble conceived and gave birth to this evil trait which destroyed the First and Second Temples. For in the First Temple, there was baseless hatred among the leaders of Israel, and in the Second Temple, the affliction spread among all of Israel, as stated in Yoma (9b). And this was in the month of Av, whose zodiac sign is Leo, for each one’s likeness is as a lion longing to tear apart his fellow. And thus they lost also the natural salvation, for if there is no love between them and there is no one supporting and helping his fellow, who will stand up for Jacob, for he is small and poor (Amos 7:2). Thus, between these boundaries, the bundle came completely apart, for they turned quickly away from God, and they also turned away from each other. And so it was that the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av are a fence on this side and a fence on that side, and there is no way to turn right or left; therefore, all her pursuers overtook her between the straits (Lamentations 1:3). All implies that even a weak pursuer of any kind could prevail over them, because at one time they spurned the Holy One of Israel, they profaned the holiness of Israel which depends on the unity of the nation, and at another time they turned backwards from the Divine Presence, and to whom shall they flee for help?

Therefore, Moses said in this rebuke, “See that you stand between these two boundaries, between the straits, due to the incident of Paran and the incident of Tofel.” And to urge them to repentance, he said this, because if they do not repent, then the incident of Paran will establish for them weeping for generations, for in it they rejected the Holy Land; therefore their judgment will be to be exiled from it, as they were indeed exiled on the ninth of Av. And through the incident of Tofel, they will cause the breaching of the city on the seventeenth of Tammuz. And in between, they will lie between the boundaries, and [even] a meager enemy will pursue them. And according to this interpretation, we need to say that the word and Lavan [White] hints at their complaint about the manna, which was white, as Rashi explains. And Di-zahav [Enough gold] hints at the sin of the children of Gad and Reuben, whose wealth was more precious to them than their own bodies, even though they had enough.

And in my composition “City of Strongmen” we explained by way of allusion, the verse eleven days journey from Horeb as referring to the 11 days that we mourn for the destruction of the Temple throughout the year, namely the nine days of the month of Av, the 17th of Tammuz, and the 10th of Tevet. And since this explanation is far from the plain meaning, we have kept it brief [here], but the language of between… and between supports the interpretation [before it] even according to the plain meaning.

“You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. Turn and journey on.” This is the first rebuke regarding the people who hated the Land and settled at this mountain as a permanent dwelling, and did not turn their faces toward the Land, the special place for fulfilling the commandments. And you have dwelt long enough [rav lachem] is in the same sense as you take too much upon yourselves, sons of Levi (Numbers 16:7), meaning, “Is this rebellion and trespass too little? For truly it is too much [rav] for you to dwell permanently at this mountain. Turn, direct your faces toward the Land, and journey on [seu lechem, literally, journey to yourselves], to your essential source, for from there the material of Adam was formed,” just as He said to Abraham, Go forth [lech lecha]. And later he gives a clear explanation of this rebuke, saying, So we traveled from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness (Deuteronomy 1:19). He should have said, “And we turned and traveled from Horeb,” as he said [here], Turn and journey. But this is what he said to them: “You are still persisting in your recklessness, for I said Turn and journey, meaning that when you leave Mount Horeb, the place where you learned Torah, you should turn your faces toward the Land, the place of observing the Torah, for study is not the main thing, but rather deed. But when you left Horeb, another spirit was with you, to journey from a place dedicated to Torah study, and you did not turn your faces toward the place of observing the commandments, and you persist in your rebellion by hating the Land.” Therefore he said, So we traveled from Horeb and went through all that wilderness — each of you set your face toward the wilderness and not toward the Land, for the spies said, Let us return to Egypt (Numbers 14:4). But after the incident with the spies, when a great punishment was decreed for them, they repented unwillingly, and there it says, Then we turned and journeyed (Deuteronomy 2:1).

There is an opinion that says He [Moses] accused them of fleeing from Mount Horeb like a child running away from school, and about this he said It is much for you because the days that you dwelled on the mountain were not in your eyes like a few days that you loved, but rather like many days of suffering. And this is the meaning of It is much for you — that it was much and excessive for you to dwell on this mountain — for you and not for me. And it seems that this resolves what is written, You have come to the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God gives to us (Deuteronomy 1:20). From the fact that it says to us, he should have said “we have come to the mountain of the Amorites.” Rather, this is what he meant: “You have come to the mountain of the Amorites” — but not I, because you have diverted your minds and thoughts completely from Mount Horeb, but my thoughts are constantly wandering there as if I am still there, because that glorious event is always before my eyes.

And I said to you at that time, saying. At that time points with a finger to the time when he said to them, Come and possess the land, for I saw that at that time there was a necessity of the hour to appoint judges, because this merit would be sufficient for you to settle on the land, as it is written: Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may live and inherit the land (Deuteronomy 16:20). Rashi explained: “The appointment of proper judges is worthy to give life to Israel and to settle them on their land.” And so we explained above in Parashat Yitro on the verse And all the people will come to their place in peace (Exodus 18:23). Since it does not say “will return in peace,” we can learn that it speaks of a place they have not yet reached, and since it does not say “each man to his place,” we learn that it speaks of a place designated for all the people collectively, and this is the entire Land of Israel in general, which all of Israel will inherit by the merit of appointing judges. Therefore he said, Provide for yourselves men — if you do not want to do it for my sake, to ease my burden, nevertheless do it for yourselves, for your own benefit, so that you may inherit the land. And furthermore, as it is said: You will surely wear out, both you and these people (Exodus 18:18), therefore it says Provide for yourselves if not for my sake.

And what is said, “I cannot bear you alone.” And afterwards he said, How can I bear alone your burden, etc. This can be interpreted in two ways. The first is that the expression I cannot indicates something that is impossible and completely unfeasible, while the expression “how can I bear” indicates something that is possible but not appropriate to do. I cannot also implies the future, because at that time, in that place, the matter was possible and not impossible, as Rashi explains: “Is it possible that Moses was not able to judge Israel, the man who brought them out of Egypt, etc.?” If so, in that generation, according to the number they were at that time, he certainly was able, but if the Lord your God adds to you a thousand times more, then it would certainly become impossible. And when he said, How can I bear alone, he was speaking about that time, even though it was possible, it was nevertheless not appropriate. And when he said, I cannot, he meant that eventually, in the future, “I will not be able to bear alone,” and he gave a reason for this: because now the Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of heaven in multitude. Your own merit alone, from the aspect that He is your God, has established you at this numerical level, and this amount I can endure. However, when the merit of the forefathers is added to this, from the aspect that He is the God of your forefathers, He will certainly add to you a thousand times more, etc. And regarding this time that is bound to come at any moment, I am saying that I will eventually not be able at all, and even now it is not appropriate, and about the present I am saying, How can I bear alone, etc.

The second interpretation agrees with Rashi’s explanation that “the Lord your God has multiplied you.” He took the punishment from you and placed it on the judges. This judgment is true justice, because one who wrongfully holds onto money believes the law is on his side, since the judge ruled in his favor, and thus he truly believes it belongs to him. Therefore, it is proper that the judgment stands while the judge bears the burden of this person’s actions. It seems this is why he said, And behold, you are today like the stars of heaven, which are enduring, and this endurance comes to you because the Lord your God has multiplied and magnified you and placed your punishment on the judges. This is also why he said, I will place them as your heads, meaning the guilt of the people is always suspended upon their leaders, as the role of judges serves as the prototype for the entire Torah. Regarding the punishment, he said I cannot bear you alone — he did not say “I cannot bear your troubles and burdens,” because one who bears the punishment of another is like carrying that person’s very being upon himself. The punishment I cannot bear at all, because the Lord your God has multiplied you, etc., as Rashi explained. But afterward, concerning bearing their troubles, burdens, and disputes — although this is possible, it is nevertheless not appropriate, and about this he said, How can I bear alone, etc.

“Give yourselves men, etc.” At first he [Moses] delegated to them, to Israel, that they would appoint [judges] from among themselves. And afterward he said, and I will place them at your heads, implying that they would be appointed by Moses. Furthermore, what is the purpose of the letter “bet” in “berasheichem” [at your heads]? For it should have said, “and I will place them [as] your heads.” And our Sages interpreted (Sifrei 1:13) that the guilt of the people is dependent on their leaders. However, it is necessary to explain this according to the plain meaning, and I say that the heads that are mentioned are not the judges but rather the tribal chiefs. And Moses said: “You have the power to appoint judges who will govern your tribes, but you do not have the power to make them rule over the chieftains as well — only I [have that power].” And therefore he said, You give yourselves men… for your tribes who will govern all your tribes, and I will place them at your heads, that they will also govern the chieftains who are your leaders.

And I commanded your judges at that time, saying. What is meant by saying? To whom should the judges say this? And at that time seems completely superfluous. It appears that he warned them about delaying justice, but [the meaning is] at that time, saying — at the time when it is clear to the judge which way the judgment leans, immediately he should say “So-and-so, you are innocent; so-and-so, you are guilty.” And what Rashi explained — “from here [we learn] to be deliberate in judgment” — perhaps Rashi also believes that its meaning is to warn against delaying justice. Nevertheless, we learn from this also to be deliberate in judgment, because otherwise, why would the verse mention it? Are we dealing with wicked people who delay judgment needlessly? Rather, certainly every judge needs to be deliberate in judgment, and there is concern that through this he might come to delay justice and take longer than appropriate. Therefore it says at that time, saying. And it could be that Rashi’s intention is to explain and I commanded similar to what is written in Parashat Va’etchanan (4:23): And you make for yourselves an image of anything that the Lord your God has commanded you [not to do] (Deuteronomy 4:23). Rashi explains commanded you means “commanded you not to do,” and the word commanded is a language of warning — that He warned you not to do. Similarly, and I commanded your judges is a language of warning, meaning: I warned you about at that time, saying — that one should not decide the judgment hastily at that time, but rather be deliberate in judgment. And this is a correct interpretation from a linguistic perspective.

“And I commanded you at that time, etc.” Rashi explains these are the ten differences between monetary cases and capital cases, which are listed in the Sifrei, mentioned by the Re’em. Among these is that monetary cases can be concluded on the same day, whether for acquittal or conviction, while capital cases can be concluded on the same day for acquittal but only on the following day for conviction. It seems that regarding this he said, And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do, and this is an inverted verse, as if he said, And I commanded you all the things that you should do at that time, or on the following day. And about this the prophet rebuked them, saying It was full of justice, righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers (Isaiah 1:21). For in capital cases, they would delay the conviction and conclude immediately for acquittal, but they reversed the method: righteousness lodged in it — if it seemed to them that he was righteous in his judgment, then lodged in it — they would delay the acquittal, perhaps they would find grounds for conviction. But now murderers — if on that same day it seemed to them that he deserved conviction, then now immediately, without delay, they were ready to murder him and conclude his judgment for conviction.

I still have difficulty with this interpretation, why did it say and I commanded you — it should have said “and I commanded your judges.” It seems we can resolve this in the way we find (in Sanhedrin 8a) where Rabbi Nachman bar Yitzchak explained what is said, And the matter that is too difficult for you, bring to me and I will hear it. Meaning “I will hear it from the Almighty,” and this is appropriate because how could Moses, a humble man, attribute this to himself? Yet Moses had not mentioned that after he hears from the Almighty, he would answer them what God said. It appears that regarding this he said, And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do. This verse is connected to what was stated above: For the matter that is too difficult for you, bring to me, and I will consult with the Almighty and hear it, and after I hear from the Almighty, I will command you. That is to say, I will give you an answer immediately without delay, but at that time when you ask me, I will answer you what you should do. And do not think “who knows if at such a time I will reach the King of Kings to ask Him a matter of law” and perhaps because of this there will be a delay of justice. Rather, immediately at that time I will answer those who ask a question, for I am assured of this, as it says Stand still and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you (Numbers 9:8). Rashi explains: “Fortunate is one born of woman who is so assured that whenever he wished, he could speak with the Divine Presence.” Therefore it says, Stand still and I will hear — do not go from here, but stand here and immediately I will hear what the Lord commands. And regarding this he said, And I commanded you at that time, etc. And this is a precious interpretation.

“And you all approached me.” Rashi explained that they came in a confused throng… the approach at the giving of the Torah was proper… Why would he mention now the approach at the giving of the Torah? Rather, this is all part of the rebuke, saying “Now I am faulting you regarding the approach at the giving of the Torah.” And thus he said to them: At the giving of the Torah, I judged you favorably when I saw young people honoring the elders and sending them ahead, I said, “If only their hearts would remain like this always.” However, when you came to send the spies, you came in a disorderly crowd, with young people pushing aside the elders. This revealed retroactively that even the approach at the giving of the Torah was not properly done for the sake of Heaven. On the contrary, it is evidence that all your desires were for bodily acquisitions, while the acquisition of Torah was far from your innermost thoughts. That is why the young people sent the elders ahead, saying, “You should be first to receive the Torah because wisdom is found in the elderly, and we will come last because the Torah is not fitting for us.” For you said, “Since every elder’s natural heat [passion] has already diminished and he doesn’t yearn after the desires of this world as much, as it is said Can your servant taste what he eats? (Second Samuel 19:36), therefore it is appropriate for them to engage in wisdom, while we will indulge in pleasures while the day is still long, and there will be plenty of time for the voices of God to be in our tents in old age when our strength fails.” This was the reason for their honor — that they honored the elders.

And the proof of this is that its end reveals its beginning, for when you came to send spies in order to inherit the land which lacks nothing good, you pushed aside the elders with both hands, saying “We take precedence in enjoying the delights of this world which originate from the land.” And even today, this trait persists among Israel: specifically in matters of Torah study they honor each other, and sometimes the honor is to lighten one’s own burden and place the yoke of Torah upon others. But when it comes to matters of money, honor has departed from Israel, for the young never honor the elders to say, “This is an elder and it is beneath his dignity to deal with silver and gold, and it is proper to give him precedence in a certain benefit.” Rather, whoever is stronger prevails, and wisdom and understanding count for nothing before them. It appears that Rashi deduced all this from their saying and they will explore the land for us. The word for us is superfluous, but this is its interpretation: When Moses saw this approach, that the young ones preceded the elders, he asked them why this was so, and they answered him, “So they will explore the land for us” — for us and not for them, because all the desirable things of the land are valuable only to us. This implies that specifically the land is “for us,” but the acquisition of Torah is for them. From this I understood from their words that even their approach at the giving of the Torah was improper. And regarding what is said, And the matter pleased me, he [Moses] said, “Even if it would be as you say, that the land will be yours, and for me and all my elderly peers, the Torah will be our inheritance, for this division is certainly proper in my eyes and I am willing to accept it. Nevertheless, you are guilty both for removing the yoke of Torah from yourselves and for being so eager for the acquisition of wealth.”

Another explanation for “as you said ‘they will bring us back word’”: And it was good in my eyes the matter that they would bring back [a report], because I was confident in the Holy One, blessed be He’s promise that they would bring back [news that] the land is good. And before I heard their response, it was good in my eyes the matter that they would ultimately respond. But all of their affairs were not good in my eyes — both the matter of sending the spies and the improper approach [of the people]. Therefore, he detailed the matter. And from this improper approach, it seems to me to resolve what our Sages said (Chagigah 14b), “Isaiah cursed Israel with 18 curses, and his mind was not cooled until he said, The youth will be insolent toward the elder.” Were the prophets, God forbid, happy at their [Israel’s] downfall, to say that his mind was cooled? Rather, this is the explanation: In all the curses, his heart was heated within him from the burning doubt to know why and for what reason God had made their blows so wondrous, and which particular sin caused them all this. And his mind was not cooled by his heart not telling him from whose belly all these troubles came forth, until the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, The youth will be insolent toward the elder. Then it became known to him that all these punishments stemmed from the sin of the spies, where the children pushed ahead of the elders, and by this they established weeping for generations. Even today we have not purified ourselves from this bad trait, which is what destroyed both Temples, and its hand is still outstretched until God looks down and sees.

“The Lord was also angry with me because of you, etc.” In this verse, most commentators have tried to gather explanations but have not found a sufficient reason for how it inserted Moses’ decree in between [the account of] the spies. See Ramban, Maharil, and other commentators. According to what we have explained above in Parashat Chukat (20:8) regarding the sin of the waters of Meribah, that if the Israelites had been faithful children and not of little faith, Moses’ punishment would not have been so severe for not causing them to believe, as it is written Because you did not believe/cause belief in Me (Numbers 20:12). It does not say “you did not believe” [in the simple form] but rather you did not cause belief [in the causative form], which is a transitive verb affecting two parties — that you did not cause the Israelites to strengthen their faith. And who needs strengthening? One who is of little faith. But if they had been strong in faith from the beginning, there would not have been such a need to perform miraculous acts before them to strengthen their hearts in faith. And although it was already said And they believed in the Lord, etc. (Exodus 14:31), nevertheless, the spies caused them to return to being unfaithful children, as Moses himself said to them regarding the incident of the spies, Yet in this thing you do not believe in the Lord, etc. And an admission from a litigant is equivalent to a hundred witnesses, for Moses admitted that through the incident of the spies, they became unbelievers. How much more so should he have performed the act of bringing forth water from the rock in a way that would restore their original faith, but he did not. Therefore, it was decreed upon him that he would not enter there. Thus, after the verse Yet in this thing you do not believe, etc., he said, The Lord was also angry with me because of you, saying: You too shall not go in there. What is the meaning of you too? Just as the spies would not enter there because they did not believe in the Lord as stated, so too you shall not enter there for the same reason, as it says, Because you did not cause to believe in Me. For one who causes the multitude to sin bears the sin of the multitude.

Another explanation as to why it inserted Moses’s decree here is because one is dependent on the other. Due to the decree regarding the spies, they were delayed in the desert for 40 years, and during this time, Miriam’s time to die arrived. With her death, the well ceased, and they lacked water, which led to the incident of the waters of Meribah. If the spies had not sinned, they would have entered the land immediately along with Miriam, and Moses would not have come to this punishment.

And what is written “because of you” [biglalchem] and not “for your sake” [ba’avurchem], can be explained according to what our Sages of blessed memory said (Sotah 14a) that Moses was buried opposite Beit Peor in order to atone for the incident of Peor, where they would expose themselves to it with excrement and dung [galal]. Therefore, it says because of you [biglalchem] from the language of as dung is burned away (1 Kings 14:10). And that is why it also says you too to include his bones, as Rashi explained on the verse Behold, I am about to die; I am not crossing over (Deuteronomy 4:22) — “even my bones will not cross over,” and all this was to atone for the incident of Peor.