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Abarbanel on Torah
Abarbanel on Torah — Sefaria Community Translation
Unverified edition · DEU-1
Reading language: eng · Original language (catalog): English
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Abarbanel on Torah, Deuteronomy 1:22:1
Why did our master, Moshe, not want to inform them in this recounting how God, may He be blessed, commanded him about the sending [of the spies], with His saying, "Send spies for yourself, etc.?" Rather he attributed the thing to [the people] and to himself... And also why did he not recount the commands that our teacher, Moshe - peace be upon him - commanded the spies, that they should see the people, the land and the cities? And also why did he not present what the spies said, "it is a land that eats up its inhabitants?" The reason for all of this is that he was speaking with the second generation - their children that arose after them. And if they heard the truth of the incident as it happened, they would say that the reason for the delay in the desert was God, may He be blessed... They would say, "Why did God put a stumbling block in front of the blind?" And they would also speak about Moshe, thinking that he was also truly a cause for their delay, since he - peace be upon him - commanded things to the spies that the people had not asked for and [God] had not commanded... For behold it is these questions [of Moshe's] that necessitated [the spies'] answers... And they would say that... [God] and Moshe, his servant, were the ones that caused the delay of their fathers in the desert all of this long time. This is the opposite of what Moshe was trying to explain to them, to internalize the praise of the commandments and their observance... And Moshe also saw that if he told them what the spies had said - [that] the land was one that ate up its inhabitants - perhaps this would melt the hearts of the people now as well, and they would be afraid and intimidated from going [into the Land of Israel], like their fathers had done. Behold that it is because of this that he left out the recounting of the three things mentioned: God's command of the [mission]; Moshe's command to the spies regarding the land, the people and the cities; and the evil speech that the spies spoke. And about this did the Sages say (Yevamot 65b), "It is permitted to alter [the truth] for the sake of peace." ...
Abarbanel on Torah, Deuteronomy 1:34:6
And since Israel sinned willingly, and he, peace be upon him, sinned by mistake and with a good intention, God, may he be blessed, wanted to to spare the honor of Moshe, [such that] his decree should not be amidst the decree of the people in Parshat Shelach Lecha Anashim. And [so] He delayed His anger upon him, as He delayed His anger upon Aharon for the story of the [golden] calf. And when in Parshat Zot Chukat HaTorah the people complained about the water, and in their complaint, they pointed out how Moshe and Aharon were the cause of the people's death and that they [would] not enter the land - as they said (Numbers 20:4), "And why did you bring the congregation of the Lord to this wilderness to die there, us and our cattle" - the verse mentioned that Moshe and Aharon went from in front of the congregation to the tent of meeting, mourning and with covered heads; and [they were] like embarrassed women at the mention of their sins. And thus did the word [of God] come to them that they should speak and do the act that He mentioned to extract the water. And when Moshe came to anger in his saying (Numbers 20:10), "Listen now, you rebels," the Holy One, blessed be He, became full of anger with him; since Israel caught him fittingly and He did not admit in his heart that which he sinned, and [so] got angry with them. And therefore He saw at this time to give [Moshe and Aharon] their punishment for their earlier sins. And, if so, the Waters of Merivah were the means to the thing and not the actual cause for it.
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Recorded completeness: PARTIAL: all supplied nonempty community English leaves only; many Hebrew sections have no English counterpart.. Available reading sections are listed below.
Limited body coverage in this view · eng
39 chapter/reading unit(s) · 134 nonempty passage record(s).
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