Three Leaders and Their Place
The Lord said to Moshe and to Aharon, 'Because you did not have faith in me to sanctify Me before the eyes of the Children of Israel – therefore you shall not bring this congregation to the land that I have given them. (Bemidbar 20:12)
Yisrael arrived, the entire congregation, at the wilderness of Zin in the first month [of the fortieth year] ... (Bamidbar 20:1) Here we are finally introduced to the second generation, who will succeed where their predecessors had failed.
Much debate has surrounded the question of what exactly the sin of Moshe and Aharon at Mei Meriva is. The scope of this shiur does not allow for a comprehensive review of all of the various opinions (the Abravanel counts no less than eleven of them!). Instead, let us try to define the parameters of the exegetical problem by noting the different types of solutions and evaluating them.
In Parashat Chukat, the children of the generation that left Egypt start out on their journey towards the conquest of Eretz Yisrael. The journey starts at the same point where it was halted 38 years previously – at Kadesh. This is a new beginning, with a new nation.
In this shiur, we will discuss the complaints of Bnei Yisrael described in Parashat Chukat. These are the complaints of those destined to enter into Eretz Yisrael, but they seem similar to those of the earlier generation. What can we learn about these complaints based on God's reaction to them?
