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Why do we fast on the 17th of Elul when the wicked Meraglim died? The shiur reveals that we don't mourn their punishment but rather the terrifying lesson they represent. In just 40 days, these righteous leaders transformed into spiritually dead beings, teaching us that radical change—both positive and negative—is always possible.
Rabbi Zweig addresses a difficult halachic question regarding the fast of the 17th of Elul, which the Bahag identifies as the yahrzeit of the Meraglim. The Beis Yosef asks why we would fast on the death of wicked people, when their destruction should be cause for celebration ("avod reshaim rinah"). The Bach suggests we fast because the Jewish people were punished for listening to their lashon hara, but Rabbi Zweig finds this explanation inadequate since we already have Tisha B'Av for that purpose. The shiur develops a profound insight based on Rashi (רש"י)'s comment that the Meraglim were "tzadikim ba'ot hahi" - righteous at that time. They were not merely good people but leaders (nesi'im, roshei Yisrael). What occurred was not ordinary sin but a complete metamorphosis - in just 40 days, they transformed from tzadikim to completely spiritually dead beings. This represents a fundamental change in their essence, not merely a moral failing.
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Parshas Shelach
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