Pisqa’ 20¹⁴⁶

1. “Then all of you approached me” (Dt. 1:22)— as a confused mob. Elsewhere He says: “Then all the heads of your tribes and elders approached me” (Dt. 5:20)— the children respecting the elders, and the elders respecting the leaders.

“And all of you approached me” (Dt. 1:22)— as a confused mob, children shoving the elders, **and elders shoving the leaders.**¹⁴⁷

footnotes: ¹⁴⁶ H:43;JN1:57-58 ¹⁴⁷ Cf. Sifre Nu 136.

2. “And you said: let us send men in advance to scout the Land for us” (Dt. 1:22). Said R. Shimon: What contemptible people! For this is how they requested scouts!¹⁴⁸ 23.1.

When you were in a deserted land of brush you didn’t request any scouts. Now, when you are entering a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, **you ask for scouts?**¹⁴⁹

footnotes: ¹⁴⁸ For a similar expression of revulsion, see Pisqa’ ¹⁴⁹ Cf. Sifre Nu 82.

3. “And they returned to us with this proposal”¹⁵⁰; literally, “word.” (Dt. 1:22)— which language do they speak [in the Land]?¹⁵¹ The assonance of davar and midaberim, in addition to the shared root, d-b-r, explains this exegesis.

footnotes: ¹⁵⁰ Heb: davar ¹⁵¹ Heb: midabrim.

“And the path of our ascent” (Dt. 1:22)— you can find no path without its twists, nor a path without ambushes, nor a path without crossroads, [all of which hinder invasion].

“And the cities by which we shall come upon them” (Dt. 1:22)— to know by which path we should attack.