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Why did Hashem (ה׳) punish the Jews after they seemingly did teshuvah following the sin of the spies? The Baal Shem Tov's reading reveals their fundamental error: they thought their sin was doubting the land was good. True teshuvah would mean obeying Hashem's command regardless of whether they understood the benefit.
This shiur examines the aftermath of the sin of the spies through the lens of the Baal Shem Tov's analysis. After the devastating report from the Meraglim, the Jewish people appeared to do teshuvah, saying "chatanu" (we have sinned) and declaring their readiness to go up to Eretz Yisrael. Yet Hashem (ה׳) punished them when they attempted to proceed. The Baal Shem Tov initially suggests a grammatical reading where the people claim they will go "to the place regarding which Hashem said we sinned," but Rabbi Zweig finds this interpretation forced and offers a more fundamental understanding.
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Parshas Shelach
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