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Rashi explains everythingthat we need to know tounderstand

the simple meaning of every

.verse in the Torah

In other words,if we see what seems like

a question that Rashi doesnt

answer, either he answered italready, or it is not really aquestion.

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In Chapter 1, Verse 22

Moshe begins telling the Jews

about sending the spies

to the land of Israel.

Yet in our Parshah

we find a question that many

commentaries ask,

yet Rashi mentions nothing!

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34. And the Lord heard the sound ofyour words, and He became angry and

swore, saying,35. 'If any of these men of this evil

generation sees the good land, which Iswore to give your forefathers,

36. except Caleb the son of Jephunneh

he will see it, and I will give him the landhe trod upon, and to his children,

because he has completely followed theLord."

After Moshe says that Calebwould enter the land,

and before he says thatJoshua

will also enter the land, heinterrupts with something

else.

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He first says:37. The Lord was also angry with

me because of you, saying,"Neither will you go there.

Then he resumes listing thetwo people who will enter theland and says:

38. But Joshua the son of Nun,who stands before you he willgo there; strengthen him, forhe will cause Israel to inherit

it.

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This leaves us withA number of questions!

he obvious question is

hy the Torah interrupts between Caleb and Joshua?

he verses imply that Moshe is also not permitted

o enter the land because of the spies. However weknow

that the only reason Moshe was not allowed to enter

srael was because of hitting the rock.

he two incidents happened nearly forty years apart!

he spies were sent at the beginning of the

orty years, and Moshe hit the rock near

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The Ramban answers this question bystating that the Torah is listing peoplewho would not be allowed to enter the

land because of sins.

However, this does not fit in with the simple

meaning of the verse:

Before Moshe and after Moshe the verse

discusses the spies! Why should we switch in

midstream?

The generation of the spies passed away

before the sin of hitting the rock. Why did

Moshe say to them that they told him to sendspies, and G-d punished him because of them?

Moshe should have said that Hashem punished

him because of the Jewish people right after

the verse said that the generation of the spies

will not see the land!

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There are commentaries who give adifferent answer!

.

Moshe was also punished because ofthe incident with the spies. Even

though he didnt accompany them, heallowed them to go! G-d left it up to

his discretion. Despite the fact thatMoshe was punished because of therock, it could be that he was punished

because of the combination of boththings together!

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As good as this answer sounds, itdoesnt work for Rashi!

Rashi explicitly states that Moshe wasonly punished because of the rock!

Moshe says that G-d was filled withanger at me on your account! That

would be pretty severe for not evenparticipating in the incident!

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There is another possibleexplanation!

he Torah may be trying to compare

he sin of the rock to the sin of the spies.

his is as Rashi explained above,

nd therefore doesnt have to explain again,Why is the passing of Miriam stated near thelaw of the red cow? In order to teach us that

just as sacrifices atone, so does the passing ofthe righteous.

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This explanation is untenable!

e already know how serious

he sin of the rock was

t was a desecration of G-ds name!

side from that, if the point is to show

he severity of the sin of the rock,

t should have been mentioned by name!

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The Explanation!

espite the fact that Caleb and Joshua were

oth allowed into Israel, there was a major

ifference between them.

aleb entered the land and was given a

ortion in it.

n the other hand, Joshua entered

he land, lead the Jewish people,

and divided it amongst them.

herefore we say that G-d was

ngry at Moshe because of you!

hat was why Joshua lead the Jews,

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The Explanation!

he mention of Moshe here is

nly parenthetical, to explain why Joshua

ill lead the Jews. This is something we

ind throughout the Torah, hence Rashi

as no need to explain it. He also has

o need to explain why Moshe declares

hat he was punished

because of you, in other words

he generation that will enter the land.

his is because we know that he was

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The Explanation!

he mention of Moshe here is

nly parenthetical, to explain why Joshua

ill lead the Jews. This is something we

ind throughout the Torah, hence Rashi

as no need to explain it. He also has

o need to explain why Moshe declares

hat he was punished

because of you, in other words

he generation that will enter the land.

his is because we know that he was

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The Explanation!

his is also the reason that the Torah says thatMoshe was punished because of the rock

specifically. He did not want it thought

hat he was guilty of the same sin as

he spies!