Commento su Numeri 14:27

לעדה הרעה וגו׳ [HOW LONG SHALL I BEAR] WITH THIS EVIL CONGREGATION — This refers to the spies (not to the whole congregation); from here we learn that an עדה, “a congregation” is technically a gathering of at least ten persons (Megillah 23b).

?עד מתי לעדה הרעה הזאת, even though I have forgiven them in accordance with your own stipulation not to decree immediate death for them, instead of letting all of them die already now, I did not include the actual spies themselves in this partial forgiveness. אשר המה מלינים עלי, seeing they were the ones who orchestrated the people slandering Me. They are directly responsible for the sin committed by the multitude. They do not deserve any extension of their lives, I will punish them immediately; concerning them I utter an oath

עד מתי לעדה הרעה הזאת, "How long will this evil congregation, etc." The "evil congregation" referred to here are the ten spies. This view is confirmed by Sanhedrin 108. G'd continues: את תלונות בני ישראל; this is a reference to the rest of the people. The words עד מתי imply that even now the spies were still exerting their evil influence on the people preventing them from identifying with G'd. This is the reason that G'd calls these ten men עדה רעה, an evil congregation. When G'd says אשר המה מלינים עלי, He underlines that not only are these people wicked themselves but they attempt to turn the Israelites into wicked people.

These are the spies. But not the whole of Yisroel, for the Torah writes “[who] provoke Me; the complaints of Bnei Yisroel” which implies those who caused Yisroel to complain.

V. 27. עד מתי לעדה וגו׳ wird Megilla 23b von den zurückgekehrten Botschaftern verstanden, welche מלינים עלי, welche den Aufruhr gegen Gott angestiftet. Es wird daran die allgemeine Bestimmung nachgewiesen, dass je zehn zu einem Zwecke vereinigte Männer den Begriff einer עדה darstellen. — מלינים siehe zu Schmot 16, 2.

אשר המה מלינים [THIS EVIL CONGREGATION] WHICH MAKE the Israelites MURMUR עלי AGAINST ME.

That [a congregation] is ten. There were twelve spies; without Yehoshua and Caleiv who were not part of the conspiracy there were ten who are referred to as a “congregation”.

את תלונות בני ישראל שמעתי, "I have heard the complaints against Me by the children of Israel." It was necessary to inform us that G'd heard, i.e. He only heard the complaints of the Israelites, not the wicked words of the spies. The meaning of the verse is as follows: "The complaints of the Israelites which have been inspired by the spies I have heard, whereas I have not listened to the spies who have inspired these complaints." The words of the spies were so despicable that G'd did not even want to consider if there was any basis for them that He could find an excuse for.

את תלנות בני ישראל אשר המה THE MURMURINGS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WHICH THEY, the spies, מלינים MAKE them MURMUR עלי, AGAINST ME, שמעתי I HAVE HEARD.

The Israelites against me. Rashi adds the word “Israelites” between the words “provoke” and “[against] me” in order that one not explain the word מלינים [translated as provoke [complaint] but which could conceivably mean “complain”] as referring to the spies. This is not true, because the spies delivered a slanderous report about the Land of Israel, but it was Yisroel who were complaining.