📜 Daily Chumash & Rashi – Parshas Devarim: Revi’i – The aftermath of the spy incident and the failed battle

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• The aftermath of the spy incident and the failed battle: Your children who you said would become spoils of the enemy will inherit the land, and now you should turn around and return to the desert towards the reed sea. You then regretted what you did and had a change of heart to gather an army and go fight to conquer the land. However, Hashem warned me that it is too late, and He will not assist you, and hence you should desist from going. I tried convincing you, but yet, here too you did not listen to the word of G-d and ascended to wage battle against them. They destroyed you and chased you like bees and you sat and cried before Hashem but He refused to listen to you. You therefore sat in Kadeish for many days [for a total of 19 years]. We then traveled to Mount Seir and went around it for many days.

📘 Rashi Q&A — Devarim 1:39–46 & 2:1

1:39 — The Children Will Enter

Q1. Who would inherit the Land instead of the generation of the spies?

1. Their children, whom they feared would become prey.

Q2. Why are the children described as not knowing good and evil?

1. They were too young to be held accountable for the sin of the spies.

Q3. What promise did Hashem make regarding them?

1. They would enter and inherit the Land.

 

1:40 — Turn Back

Q4. What did Hashem command after the decree?

1. To turn back toward the wilderness and the Sea of Reeds.

Q5. What opportunity did Israel lose?

1. They could have entered the Land directly through Edom.

Q6. Why were they forced to turn back?

1. Because of their misconduct and lack of faith.

Q7. How were they now required to travel?

1. Around the southern side of Mount Se’ir, from west to east.

 

1:41 — Israel Tries to Reverse the Decree

Q8. How did the people respond?

1. They admitted their sin and offered to go fight.

Q9. What does “ותהינו” mean?

1. You prepared yourselves and made yourselves ready.

Q10. What did they do?

1. They armed themselves and prepared to ascend the mountain.

 

1:42–43 — The Forbidden Battle

Q11. What message did Hashem send through Moshe?

1. Do not go up and do not fight.

Q12. Why?

1. Hashem was no longer with them in that battle.

Q13. What does “Do not go up” imply according to Rashi?

1. It would be a descent, not an ascent.

Q14. Did the people listen?

1. No.

Q15. What does “ותמרו” mean here?

1. They rebelled against Hashem’s command.

 

1:44 — Defeat by the Amorites

Q16. What happened when they attacked anyway?

1. The Amorites came out and defeated them.

Q17. How does the Torah describe the attack?

1. Like bees chasing and stinging.

Q18. What does Rashi learn from the comparison to bees?

1. Just as bees die after stinging, many of their attackers also died in the encounter.

Q19. How far were Israel driven back?

1. To Chormah.

 

1:45 — Tears Without Acceptance

Q20. What did the people do after their defeat?

1. They returned and wept before Hashem.

Q21. Did Hashem accept their repentance at that time?

1. No.

Q22. What does “Hashem did not listen” imply?

1. Divine mercy was withheld because they had already rejected His command.

 

1:46 — Remaining at Kadesh

Q23. How long did they remain at Kadesh?

1. Nineteen years.

Q24. How does Rashi calculate this?

1. The verse states they remained there as long as in all their other encampments combined, totaling thirty-eight years, meaning nineteen years at Kadesh and nineteen years wandering.

Q25. What source does Rashi cite?

1. Seder Olam.

 

📘 Devarim 2:1 — Circling Mount Se’ir

Q26. What happened after leaving Kadesh?

1. Israel turned toward the wilderness and traveled around Mount Se’ir.

Q27. What would have happened had they not sinned?

1. They would have entered the Land through Mount Se’ir from south to north.

Q28. Why were they forced onto a different route?

1. The sin of the spies changed their destiny.

Q29. What path did they take instead?

1. They traveled between the Sea of Reeds and Mount Se’ir, following the same general route they had taken after leaving Egypt.

Q30. What does “we circled Mount Se’ir” mean?

1. They traveled around its entire southern side until reaching the area of Moab.