Chasidut על במדבר 14:49
Kedushat Levi
Another aspect of the opening line of our portion: Rashi, commenting on the word לך explains it as short for לדעתך, “in accordance with your opinion,” as opposed to “in accordance with MY opinion.” G’d, while not opposing the mission, did not specifically approve it. This is hard to understand in light of the fact that the Torah describes the dispatch of the spies as having occurred על פי ה', “at the command of Hashem.” (13,3)
In the Talmud Shabbat 87, the point is made that there were three instances in which Moses added to G’d’s instructions without first obtaining G’d’s consent but that subsequently G’d thanked Moses for having added these items arbitrarily. One is that he divorced his wife, another that he smashed the first set of the Tablets, the third one quoted there being the third preparatory day before the revelation at Mount Sinai. [If Moses’ addition was approved by G’d, why is it not listed as another addition made by Moses and subsequently approved, which would account for the words: על פי ה' in verse 3? Ed.]
On folio 57 in Pessachim the Talmud relates a conversation between the king [Agrippas II ? Ed.] and his queen when the king and queen disagreed as to which animal provides tastier meat, the king preferring a young kid, whereas the queen preferred lamb. In order to settle their disagreement they agreed to abide by the opinion of the High Priest. The High Priest, in a quandary and forced to use diplomacy, waved his hand, and said that if a kid were better, surely it would be required as the animal to be used for the daily communal sacrifices. The king, angry at the High Priest for having waved his hand, a sign of disrespect for the king, ordered his right hand to be cut off. [The Talmud continues with this story. Ed.] Our author questions the relevance of this story in the Talmud to the fate of this High Priest, which is described in further detail there in the Talmud.
Our author also has a problem with the Talmud’s blanket statement that the generation of the adult Israelites that wandered through the desert after leaving Egypt have no share in the world to come. (Sanhedrin 110) [There too this statement is challenged and has to be qualified. Ed.] The statement appears firmly founded on Numbers 14,35 זאת אעשה לכל העדה הרעה הזאת הנועדים עלי, במדבר הזה יתמו ושם ימותו, “Thus I will do to all that wicked community that banded together against Me; in this very desert they will expire, and there they will die “
We shall explain all this so that it will become clear. There are times in the year when the Creator awakens in man feelings that stir his desire to worship Him with a full heart. Such times have been described in the Torah as מועדים לשמחה חגים וזמנים לששון, “festivals for rejoicing and assemblies and festivals for rallying the seasons, etc.” (from the amidah prayer on every holiday.) On those predetermined days G’d and His angels are in a joyous frame of mind, and the joy that has communicated itself to His angels results in a spillover of joyful inspiration for His people who observe the rituals prescribed for these days. Having experienced this psychological lift, the Jew on these holydays finds it far easier to devote his attention both in prayer and in gratitude to his Creator.
Moses’ intention when telling the people to prepare themselves for the revelation at Mount Sinai for an extra day was that they should use their own spiritual resources to generate the right frame of mind to get the maximum spiritual benefit from G’d’s manifesting Himself on Mount Sinai. Every Jew experiences some degree of heavenly assist, as we have a tradition that a heavenly voice calls to man every day asking him to return to G’d through penitence. (Chagigah 15). If a person has accumulated sufficient merits he hears this heavenly voice. When a person has attained the level when he hears this voice but ignores it, he forfeits his claim to life in the hereafter. The Jewish people, collectively, were on an extremely high spiritual level while in the desert, seeing that they hosted the Tabernacle, G’d’s residence on earth, but they did not respond to this heavenly assist to become penitents.
In the Talmud Shabbat 87, the point is made that there were three instances in which Moses added to G’d’s instructions without first obtaining G’d’s consent but that subsequently G’d thanked Moses for having added these items arbitrarily. One is that he divorced his wife, another that he smashed the first set of the Tablets, the third one quoted there being the third preparatory day before the revelation at Mount Sinai. [If Moses’ addition was approved by G’d, why is it not listed as another addition made by Moses and subsequently approved, which would account for the words: על פי ה' in verse 3? Ed.]
On folio 57 in Pessachim the Talmud relates a conversation between the king [Agrippas II ? Ed.] and his queen when the king and queen disagreed as to which animal provides tastier meat, the king preferring a young kid, whereas the queen preferred lamb. In order to settle their disagreement they agreed to abide by the opinion of the High Priest. The High Priest, in a quandary and forced to use diplomacy, waved his hand, and said that if a kid were better, surely it would be required as the animal to be used for the daily communal sacrifices. The king, angry at the High Priest for having waved his hand, a sign of disrespect for the king, ordered his right hand to be cut off. [The Talmud continues with this story. Ed.] Our author questions the relevance of this story in the Talmud to the fate of this High Priest, which is described in further detail there in the Talmud.
Our author also has a problem with the Talmud’s blanket statement that the generation of the adult Israelites that wandered through the desert after leaving Egypt have no share in the world to come. (Sanhedrin 110) [There too this statement is challenged and has to be qualified. Ed.] The statement appears firmly founded on Numbers 14,35 זאת אעשה לכל העדה הרעה הזאת הנועדים עלי, במדבר הזה יתמו ושם ימותו, “Thus I will do to all that wicked community that banded together against Me; in this very desert they will expire, and there they will die “
We shall explain all this so that it will become clear. There are times in the year when the Creator awakens in man feelings that stir his desire to worship Him with a full heart. Such times have been described in the Torah as מועדים לשמחה חגים וזמנים לששון, “festivals for rejoicing and assemblies and festivals for rallying the seasons, etc.” (from the amidah prayer on every holiday.) On those predetermined days G’d and His angels are in a joyous frame of mind, and the joy that has communicated itself to His angels results in a spillover of joyful inspiration for His people who observe the rituals prescribed for these days. Having experienced this psychological lift, the Jew on these holydays finds it far easier to devote his attention both in prayer and in gratitude to his Creator.
Moses’ intention when telling the people to prepare themselves for the revelation at Mount Sinai for an extra day was that they should use their own spiritual resources to generate the right frame of mind to get the maximum spiritual benefit from G’d’s manifesting Himself on Mount Sinai. Every Jew experiences some degree of heavenly assist, as we have a tradition that a heavenly voice calls to man every day asking him to return to G’d through penitence. (Chagigah 15). If a person has accumulated sufficient merits he hears this heavenly voice. When a person has attained the level when he hears this voice but ignores it, he forfeits his claim to life in the hereafter. The Jewish people, collectively, were on an extremely high spiritual level while in the desert, seeing that they hosted the Tabernacle, G’d’s residence on earth, but they did not respond to this heavenly assist to become penitents.
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Kedushat Levi
When the Talmud in Sanhedrin 110 begins by stating that the people of the generation who had left Egypt have no share in the hereafter, the word אין, normally translated as “not”, means that these people considered themselves as totally insignificant, devoid of ego; since this was so, the very fact that they had acquired this level of humility qualified them for an afterlife. The word מדבר used there in the Talmud, usually translated as “desert,” is not used by the sages there in that sense, but is derived from medaber,” they were only speaking,” i.e. their worship of G’d expressed itself through their mouths, prayer, praise and thanksgiving, and the word יתמו in the quotation from Numbers 14,35 does not refer to their “expiring,” but is derived from תמים, “perfection,” the Torah testifying that these people had, as a result of their grievous sin rejecting the land of Israel as their future domicile, realized that they had sinned and had accepted their fate without protest.
They had tried to perfect their personalities by refining their speech so that no improper words should cross their lips. When the Torah adds in Numbers 14,35 שם ימותו, normally translated as “there they will die,” [which would be a repetition of what the Torah had already said, Ed.], the meaning is that they had achieved while on earth what the average person achieves only by reason of his soul leaving its body behind on earth. Moses had hoped that the men he had chosen to explore the goodness of the land of Canaan would approach their task in a spirit that would place them beyond material considerations that are commonplace on earth. G’d was aware of Moses’ lofty aspirations, but did not feel that He should deprive Moses of the opportunity to realize his high hopes for his people. When the Torah writes that the mission proceeded על פי ה', this does not literally mean “at the command of G’d,” but rather: “in the spirit of G’d.” It would be quite wrong for us to give G’d part of the blame for the failure of these men to live up to the trust Moses had placed in them.
The author proceeds to remind us that the sages have said that wherever the Torah associates the death of a person with the word שם, as in Numbers 14,35, this is an allusion that the person or persons concerned died by means of a heavenly kiss, i.e. a kiss from G’d. Rashi spells this out in connection with the death of Miriam, reported in Numbers 20,1, שםwhere the Torah, having already told us of the location where this took place, adds the word שם twice.
[Rashi adds that the reason the Torah did not make this clear beyond doubt by writing: על פי ה', “by the mouth of G’d,” as we find when Moses died in Deuteronomy, 34,5, is seeing that G’d is masculine, it would have given some blasphemer an opportunity to read a sexual nuance into that.” Ed.]
At any rate, we are entitled to understand the words ושם ימותו in Numbers 14,35 as promising each one of the Israelites who had left Egypt as adults but did not get to the Holy Land that they would be given a Divine “kiss” when their souls would leave their bodies.
Whereas it is true that Moses had not had clear proof that these men had already enjoyed a “heavenly” assist, as does every Jew on the festivals we have discussed, he felt that they were of the caliber that could generate this by their own efforts seeing that the mission for which they had been selected was of such significance.
They had tried to perfect their personalities by refining their speech so that no improper words should cross their lips. When the Torah adds in Numbers 14,35 שם ימותו, normally translated as “there they will die,” [which would be a repetition of what the Torah had already said, Ed.], the meaning is that they had achieved while on earth what the average person achieves only by reason of his soul leaving its body behind on earth. Moses had hoped that the men he had chosen to explore the goodness of the land of Canaan would approach their task in a spirit that would place them beyond material considerations that are commonplace on earth. G’d was aware of Moses’ lofty aspirations, but did not feel that He should deprive Moses of the opportunity to realize his high hopes for his people. When the Torah writes that the mission proceeded על פי ה', this does not literally mean “at the command of G’d,” but rather: “in the spirit of G’d.” It would be quite wrong for us to give G’d part of the blame for the failure of these men to live up to the trust Moses had placed in them.
The author proceeds to remind us that the sages have said that wherever the Torah associates the death of a person with the word שם, as in Numbers 14,35, this is an allusion that the person or persons concerned died by means of a heavenly kiss, i.e. a kiss from G’d. Rashi spells this out in connection with the death of Miriam, reported in Numbers 20,1, שםwhere the Torah, having already told us of the location where this took place, adds the word שם twice.
[Rashi adds that the reason the Torah did not make this clear beyond doubt by writing: על פי ה', “by the mouth of G’d,” as we find when Moses died in Deuteronomy, 34,5, is seeing that G’d is masculine, it would have given some blasphemer an opportunity to read a sexual nuance into that.” Ed.]
At any rate, we are entitled to understand the words ושם ימותו in Numbers 14,35 as promising each one of the Israelites who had left Egypt as adults but did not get to the Holy Land that they would be given a Divine “kiss” when their souls would leave their bodies.
Whereas it is true that Moses had not had clear proof that these men had already enjoyed a “heavenly” assist, as does every Jew on the festivals we have discussed, he felt that they were of the caliber that could generate this by their own efforts seeing that the mission for which they had been selected was of such significance.
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Kedushat Levi
Numbers 14,17. “Hashem’s forbearance is long lasting;” when the Israelites committed the sin of the golden calf, this was a sin of direct disobedience of the second of the Ten Commandments, i.e. a sin that directly provoked G’d. In this instance, the sin of the spies was a provocation of Israel’s image, i.e. they did not believe that their fellow Jews had sufficient faith in G’d to overturn the numerical and physical superiority of their adversaries the Canaanites’, by the power of their prayers. This attribute called רחום, is G’d’s ability to attach Himself closely to the “lower” parts of His universe, just as a rich man who displays true empathy for the poor needs to share the poor man’s pain so that he can truly have mercy on him. The two Divine attributes of רחום וחנון are therefore practically inseparable, as the latter implies that the victim in need of this attribute has found grace in G’d’s eyes. Seeing that the spies underestimated the Jewish people’s faith in G’d, Moses omitted coupling the attribute the two attributes of רחום וחנון but appealed only to ארך אפים, G’d’s attribute of forbearance.
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Kedushat Levi
14,20. “Hashem said: ‘I have forgiven according to your word.’” In his commentary on this verse Rashi amends the word דברך, “your word” (singular), to דבריך “your words.” He does so, in order that we understand that Moses’ “word” which G’d referred to would be understood clearly as the “words” מבלתי יכולת ה', “that G’d had killed His people because he was not able to make good on His promise to dispossess the Canaanites in their favour,” and surely G’d would not wish to create such an impression. At first glance we do not see what Rashi’s commentary added to the understanding of this verse.
I believe that what Rashi had in mind was that the principal concern in Moses’ prayer at this time was to avoid that the Israelites’ sin would result in a public desecration of G’d’s name, i.e. the impression being created that G’d was not omnipotent. Moses specifically pointed to the reaction the destruction of the Jewish people would cause in Egypt, the Egyptians being able to point out that the Israelites had been far better off while they had been slaving for them before their Exodus. Surely this is a very weak argument seeing that G’d is able to mislead human beings in the conclusions they draw when observing certain events.
[There comes to mind an example cited by the Torah itself in Exodus 14,2 when G’d commanded the Israelites to encamp at פי החירות for the express purpose of making the Egyptians think that they had lost their way. Ed.] Seeing that G’d is free to do this, Moses’ argument appears to be very feeble.
We must however remember that the mere words uttered by G’d make an indelible impression. [The author quotes Job 22,28 “You will decree and it will be fulfilled” in support of this. Ed.] It would follow from the above that the mere mention of the possibility of an act by G’d that would result in His name being desecrated worldwide, would undermine a subsequent reversal when the decree is not carried out.
I believe that what Rashi had in mind was that the principal concern in Moses’ prayer at this time was to avoid that the Israelites’ sin would result in a public desecration of G’d’s name, i.e. the impression being created that G’d was not omnipotent. Moses specifically pointed to the reaction the destruction of the Jewish people would cause in Egypt, the Egyptians being able to point out that the Israelites had been far better off while they had been slaving for them before their Exodus. Surely this is a very weak argument seeing that G’d is able to mislead human beings in the conclusions they draw when observing certain events.
[There comes to mind an example cited by the Torah itself in Exodus 14,2 when G’d commanded the Israelites to encamp at פי החירות for the express purpose of making the Egyptians think that they had lost their way. Ed.] Seeing that G’d is free to do this, Moses’ argument appears to be very feeble.
We must however remember that the mere words uttered by G’d make an indelible impression. [The author quotes Job 22,28 “You will decree and it will be fulfilled” in support of this. Ed.] It would follow from the above that the mere mention of the possibility of an act by G’d that would result in His name being desecrated worldwide, would undermine a subsequent reversal when the decree is not carried out.
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Kedushat Levi
Numbers 14,21. “nevertheless, as I live and as the Lord’s Presence fills the whole world, etc.”
The opening words of the verse following the above, i.e. כי כל האנשים, “for all the men, etc.,” certainly seem to be inaccurate, besides what does this have to do with G’d’s glory filling the universe? It almost sounds as if the people who were going to die in the desert would thereby become the instrument of demonstrating G’d’s glory?
Numbers 14,21. “nevertheless, as I live and as the Lord’s Presence fills the whole world, etc.”
The opening words of the verse following the above, i.e. כי כל האנשים, “for all the men, etc.,” certainly seem to be inaccurate, besides what does this have to do with G’d’s glory filling the universe? It almost sounds as if the people who were going to die in the desert would thereby become the instrument of demonstrating G’d’s glory?
In order to understand verses 21-23, we need to preface our remarks with a well known fact about the subject of man’s free choice, i.e. having the choice of obeying the Creator or not. G’d has equipped each one of us with the power to overcome the temptation to do evil and to instead choose to do good and thereby to assure ourselves of life. We must always remember that were it not for the evil urge which constantly lies in wait to deceive us about our true interests, the fact that a human being serves the Creator would not arouse the slightest attention, as it is something that would be taken for granted. Also, as far as G’d is concerned, if man did not have an urge to do evil, how could G’d experience joy and satisfaction that he had not chosen to do so but serves Him instead?
A slave-owner does not derive special pleasure when the slave performs his duties satisfactorily, whereas the father whose son does his bidding without questioning it, causes his father joy precisely because he had the option to refuse to carry out his father’s bidding. We know from experience that many children have friends and companions who try to convince them to disobey their parents.
In spite of this, a clever son disregards the temptation to disobey his father’s wishes and instead goes out of his way to comply with his father’s wishes, as he realizes that by so doing he is adding joy to his father’s life as his father has reason to be proud of him. Something very similar occurs in our relations with our Creator, Who has told us specifically that He considers us, the Jewish people, as His children. (Deut. 14,1) His joy is reinforced as he realizes that by having given us free choice of how we arrange our lives His glory throughout the universe is enhanced.
The opening words of the verse following the above, i.e. כי כל האנשים, “for all the men, etc.,” certainly seem to be inaccurate, besides what does this have to do with G’d’s glory filling the universe? It almost sounds as if the people who were going to die in the desert would thereby become the instrument of demonstrating G’d’s glory?
Numbers 14,21. “nevertheless, as I live and as the Lord’s Presence fills the whole world, etc.”
The opening words of the verse following the above, i.e. כי כל האנשים, “for all the men, etc.,” certainly seem to be inaccurate, besides what does this have to do with G’d’s glory filling the universe? It almost sounds as if the people who were going to die in the desert would thereby become the instrument of demonstrating G’d’s glory?
In order to understand verses 21-23, we need to preface our remarks with a well known fact about the subject of man’s free choice, i.e. having the choice of obeying the Creator or not. G’d has equipped each one of us with the power to overcome the temptation to do evil and to instead choose to do good and thereby to assure ourselves of life. We must always remember that were it not for the evil urge which constantly lies in wait to deceive us about our true interests, the fact that a human being serves the Creator would not arouse the slightest attention, as it is something that would be taken for granted. Also, as far as G’d is concerned, if man did not have an urge to do evil, how could G’d experience joy and satisfaction that he had not chosen to do so but serves Him instead?
A slave-owner does not derive special pleasure when the slave performs his duties satisfactorily, whereas the father whose son does his bidding without questioning it, causes his father joy precisely because he had the option to refuse to carry out his father’s bidding. We know from experience that many children have friends and companions who try to convince them to disobey their parents.
In spite of this, a clever son disregards the temptation to disobey his father’s wishes and instead goes out of his way to comply with his father’s wishes, as he realizes that by so doing he is adding joy to his father’s life as his father has reason to be proud of him. Something very similar occurs in our relations with our Creator, Who has told us specifically that He considers us, the Jewish people, as His children. (Deut. 14,1) His joy is reinforced as he realizes that by having given us free choice of how we arrange our lives His glory throughout the universe is enhanced.
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Kedushat Levi
Genesis 15,2. “Avram said: ‘My Lord, what will You give me., seeing that I walk on earth without a biological heir?’”
15,7. G’d responded immediately, by saying:והנה דבר ה' אליו לאמור וגו', it is difficult to understand the word לאמור, “saying, or to say,” since to whom was Avram supposed to tell what follows next?
We may better understand this formulation by looking at Numbers 14,13-20 where Moses asks G’d how by wiping out the Jewish people at that time, His name would be exalted amongst the gentiles; on the contrary the gentiles would interpret this as a sign of G’d’s inability to keep His promise to His people. Upon listening to Moses’ argument at that time, G’d relented and forgave the people in accordance with Moses’ argument. On the last words, Rashi comments: “on account of Moses having said due to G’d’s inability, etc.” It is difficult to see in what way Rashi added anything to what Moses had said, as reported by the Torah.
Upon reflection, Moses’ comment to G’d about what the Egyptians would say if G’d were to wipe out the Jewish nation is difficult. Did Moses really think that omniscient G’d needed him to tell Him about this? It appears from the fact that Moses bothered to mention this to G’d that the words of a tzaddik do have an influence on G’d’s decisions. This is confirmed in Job 22,28, ותגזר אומר ויקם לך, “you will decree and it will be fulfilled;” In the verses quoted from Numbers 14 we find that G’d immediately responded to Moses’ argument by changing the decree. Had G’d wanted to prevent the Egyptians to make the kind of comments Moses had assumed they would make if Israel would be destroyed, He could have brought this about. The fact that He did not, and preferred to cancel His own decree, bears witness to the effectiveness of Moses’ prayer. Moses’ prayer prompted G’d to say: סלחתי, “I have forgiven, etc.” It is this that Rashi had in mind when he commented on our verse above by saying. “on account of Moses having said, etc.”; Rashi meant if Avram not mentioned the fact that he had no biological heir to G’d, G’d would not have changed a heavenly decree that had been in existence since before he had been born. In order for the decree that Avram would not sire any children to be rescinded or altered, he himself had to mention his grief about such a decree in a prayer. Only then could G’d respond to this prayer. G’d had to use provocative statements in order to get the obedient and unquestioningly loyal Avram to be provoked into making a comment that appeared to question G’d’s promise that he would have children to be converted. The word לאמור in verse 1 is the Torah’s hint that G’d engaged Avram in the conversation following in order for him in the course of this conversation to reveal to Him that he experienced mental anguish at not having children of his own. Once Avram had revealed this in an unmistakable manner, G’d was able to take into consideration the prayer of a tzaddik and to change the decree Avram had read in the stars. Accordingly, Avram had to be induced to say that Eliezer would be his heir.
15,7. G’d responded immediately, by saying:והנה דבר ה' אליו לאמור וגו', it is difficult to understand the word לאמור, “saying, or to say,” since to whom was Avram supposed to tell what follows next?
We may better understand this formulation by looking at Numbers 14,13-20 where Moses asks G’d how by wiping out the Jewish people at that time, His name would be exalted amongst the gentiles; on the contrary the gentiles would interpret this as a sign of G’d’s inability to keep His promise to His people. Upon listening to Moses’ argument at that time, G’d relented and forgave the people in accordance with Moses’ argument. On the last words, Rashi comments: “on account of Moses having said due to G’d’s inability, etc.” It is difficult to see in what way Rashi added anything to what Moses had said, as reported by the Torah.
Upon reflection, Moses’ comment to G’d about what the Egyptians would say if G’d were to wipe out the Jewish nation is difficult. Did Moses really think that omniscient G’d needed him to tell Him about this? It appears from the fact that Moses bothered to mention this to G’d that the words of a tzaddik do have an influence on G’d’s decisions. This is confirmed in Job 22,28, ותגזר אומר ויקם לך, “you will decree and it will be fulfilled;” In the verses quoted from Numbers 14 we find that G’d immediately responded to Moses’ argument by changing the decree. Had G’d wanted to prevent the Egyptians to make the kind of comments Moses had assumed they would make if Israel would be destroyed, He could have brought this about. The fact that He did not, and preferred to cancel His own decree, bears witness to the effectiveness of Moses’ prayer. Moses’ prayer prompted G’d to say: סלחתי, “I have forgiven, etc.” It is this that Rashi had in mind when he commented on our verse above by saying. “on account of Moses having said, etc.”; Rashi meant if Avram not mentioned the fact that he had no biological heir to G’d, G’d would not have changed a heavenly decree that had been in existence since before he had been born. In order for the decree that Avram would not sire any children to be rescinded or altered, he himself had to mention his grief about such a decree in a prayer. Only then could G’d respond to this prayer. G’d had to use provocative statements in order to get the obedient and unquestioningly loyal Avram to be provoked into making a comment that appeared to question G’d’s promise that he would have children to be converted. The word לאמור in verse 1 is the Torah’s hint that G’d engaged Avram in the conversation following in order for him in the course of this conversation to reveal to Him that he experienced mental anguish at not having children of his own. Once Avram had revealed this in an unmistakable manner, G’d was able to take into consideration the prayer of a tzaddik and to change the decree Avram had read in the stars. Accordingly, Avram had to be induced to say that Eliezer would be his heir.
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