Kommentar zu Dewarim 9:22

And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that the meaning of the verse, And at Taberah, and at Massah etc.,¹⁴⁶Verse 22. The question is, why are these two places mentioned here together, when the offenses took place at different times — that in Massah, before they encamped at Sinai (Exodus 17:7) and that in Taberah, after they left Sinai (Numbers 11:1-3)? Besides, if they are to be mentioned together, then Massah, having occurred earlier, should have been mentioned first. Ibn Ezra answers that, since both offenses were of the same nature, Moses is saying that they acted in Taberah just as they had acted in Massah — they learned no lessons from their former experience. is that because at Taberah the people were as murmerers,¹⁴⁷Numbers 11:1. testing G-d with complaints, therefore Moses mentioned to them that “you angered G-d with the challenge of proving [His power] at Taberah just as you had already done another time at Massah¹⁴⁸Exodus 17:7. and you accepted no correction.”¹⁴⁹See Jeremiah 7:28. He [Ibn Ezra] explained it well. Behold, the sin of testing G-d is a great sin and of a serious nature, as he admonished against it, Ye shall not try the Eternal your G-d, as ye tried Him in Massah;¹⁵⁰Above, 6:16. therefore he cited it to them again here. So also he briefly mentioned to them once again the sin of the spies¹⁵¹Verse 23. because of the great sin it entailed, for with it he completed [this section], saying, Ye have been rebellious against the Eternal from the day I knew you.¹⁵²Verse 24. He stated from the day I knew you in order to allude to their murmurings before the Giving of the Torah.

ובתבערה ובמסה, even though you have seen with your own eyes that because you had made G’d angry the Tablets He had made Himself were shattered, and I had to pray for you and fast for 40 consecutive days and nights, you repeatedly angered G’d again at the locations I just mentioned, as if putting G’d to the test each time.

ובתבערה, ובמסה, ובקברות התאוה, Ibn Ezra says that תבערה, is the name of a place, and that the people never made camp there for longer than a single day. This is the reason why this place has not been listed in the stopovers in Parshat Massey. The reason why Moses lumped together Taveyrah and Massa, is because at both of these locations the people had been guilty of complaining and putting G’d on trial, testing Him. Before the incident at Massa nothing had happened to the people at all. Some scholar says that the attack by Amalek was triggered by the people’s conduct at Massa, and that although Amalek had attacked the rearguard or stragglers of the people, Moses described G’d’s anger as “burning,” concentrating on the more serious sins of the people.

V. 22. ׳ובתבערה וגו. V. 21 war mehr Parenthese und setzt V. 22 den mit der Egelverirrung begonnenen Gedankengang fort. Wie beim Egel, so verfielen sie auch in תבערה und מסה einem zum Abfall sich steigernden Irrewerden an der göttlichen Führung. תבערה war eine Unzufriedenheit mit der göttlichen Führung, מסה ein Zweifel an derselben, und während der Egelabfall sich in einer äußeren Gesamttat vollzog, waren beide, תבערה und מסה, ein mehr innerlich gebliebener, zunächst nur Gott offenbarer Gesinnungsabfall und geben warnend die Tatsache der bleibenden Erinnerung hin, wie selbst der bloße Gedanke, der höchstens in Wort sich äußernde Gedanke, Gott offenbar ist und selbst jeder einzelne mit seinen Gedanken, Gesinnungen und Reden vor Gott steht (siehe Bamidbar 11, 1 und Schmot 17 7). Wie aber innere Empörung das schwerere, dem äußeren Egelabfall verwandtere Verbrechen ist, als der innere Zweifel, so ist auch תבערה vor מסה genannt, obgleich der Zeit nach dieses jenem voranging. An diese geistigen Verirrungen schließt sich dann die Verirrung aus lüsterner Sinnlichkeit in קברות התאוה (Bamidbar 11,4 f).

ובתבערה, “and at Tav-eyrah;” here Moses refers to what happened in Numbers 11,1 we read ותבער בם אש ה', “and a fire from the Lord burned among them.” It consumed the people who had grumbled without spelling out their specific complaints.”

ובתבערה and at Taveyrah; this is a reference to Taveyrah, also known as kivrat hataavah, the burial ground of the greedy ones, where thousands had died for eating too much meat for too long. (Numbers 11,3.) Seeing that this place had two names, Moses mentions both of them.

ובקברת התאוה, when you demanded to eat meat.

ובמסה, “and at massah u’mrivah,” compare Exodus 17,7, where Moses had called this location: מסה ומריבה, “trying and strife;”

ובקברות התאוה, “and at the graves of lusting;” a reference to Numbers 11,34, where thousands died from ravenously eating too many quails.