Difference between revisions of "The Story of the Spies in Bemidbar and Devarim/2"
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<p>The differences between the two accounts are not fundamental, but simply the result of literary variation. When recounting events, Torah is often brief in one place and lengthy in another, relying on the reader to fill in the gaps from knowledge of the combined accounts.</p> | <p>The differences between the two accounts are not fundamental, but simply the result of literary variation. When recounting events, Torah is often brief in one place and lengthy in another, relying on the reader to fill in the gaps from knowledge of the combined accounts.</p> | ||
− | <mekorot>perhaps <multilink><a href="RYosefKaraShofetim13-12" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Kara</a><a href="RYosefKaraShofetim13-12" data-aht="source">Shofetim 13:12</a><a href="R. Yosef Kara" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Kara</a></multilink>,<fn>As R | + | <mekorot>perhaps <multilink><a href="RYosefKaraShofetim13-12" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Kara</a><a href="RYosefKaraShofetim13-12" data-aht="source">Shofetim 13:12</a><a href="R. Yosef Kara" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Kara</a></multilink>,<fn>As R. Yosef Kara is not directly addressing our question, it is unclear if he thinks this approach accounts for all the differences between the accounts or only a select few.</fn> perhaps <multilink><a href="RYosefBekhorShorBemidbar16-2" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a><a href="RYosefBekhorShorBereshit31-3" data-aht="source">Bereshit 31:3</a><a href="RYosefBekhorShorBemidbar13-30" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 13:30</a><a href="RYosefBekhorShorBemidbar13-33" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 13:33</a><a href="RYosefBekhorShorBemidbar16-2" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 16:2</a><a href="R. Yosef Bekhor Shor" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a></multilink><fn>As R"Y Bekhor Shor is addressing one specific point, tt is unclear to what extent he would apply this approach to other differences between the accounts.</fn></mekorot> |
<point><b>The initiator</b> – R"Y Kara claims that both Hashem and the nation requested that the spies be sent.<fn>He is not explicit, but might be assuming that there were two stages.  First the nation asked to send spies and then Hashem agreed to their request.</fn> The Torah omitted the nation's request in Bemidbar knowing that this detail would be supplied in Devarim. As such, the two accounts do not contradict but rather complement each other.</point> | <point><b>The initiator</b> – R"Y Kara claims that both Hashem and the nation requested that the spies be sent.<fn>He is not explicit, but might be assuming that there were two stages.  First the nation asked to send spies and then Hashem agreed to their request.</fn> The Torah omitted the nation's request in Bemidbar knowing that this detail would be supplied in Devarim. As such, the two accounts do not contradict but rather complement each other.</point> | ||
<point><b>Moshe's encouragement</b> – R"Y Bekhor Shor suggests that Bemidbar13:30, "וַיַּהַס כָּלֵב אֶת הָעָם אֶל מֹשֶׁה". means that Calev hushed the people so that they could hear Moshe's words of encouragement. The content of Moshe's speech is only alluded to in Bemidbar, as it is relayed in full in Devarim..</point> | <point><b>Moshe's encouragement</b> – R"Y Bekhor Shor suggests that Bemidbar13:30, "וַיַּהַס כָּלֵב אֶת הָעָם אֶל מֹשֶׁה". means that Calev hushed the people so that they could hear Moshe's words of encouragement. The content of Moshe's speech is only alluded to in Bemidbar, as it is relayed in full in Devarim..</point> |
Latest revision as of 12:25, 22 October 2022
The Story of the Spies in Bemidbar and Devarim
Exegetical Approaches
Purposeful Recasting
The differences introduced in Devarim are intentional changes made by Moshe so as to best get across his message to the new generation. Moshe purposefully presents the story in a way that emphasizes the guilt of the nation rather than the sin of the individual spies.
Two Perspectives
The variations between the two books can be explained by positing that each is telling the story from a different perspective, with Sefer Bemidbar focusing on one aspect of the mission and Sefer Devarim on another.
Literary Variation
The differences between the two accounts are not fundamental, but simply the result of literary variation. When recounting events, Torah is often brief in one place and lengthy in another, relying on the reader to fill in the gaps from knowledge of the combined accounts.
- Our story is one of many in which a character repeats an incident to another and some of the details are found only in the original story or only in the retelling. See, for example, Ramban on Bereshit 42:21, Radak on Bereshit 41:17, R"Y Bekhor Shor on Bereshit 31:3, and R"Y Kara on Shofetim13:12 who suggest that these are all cases of the same literary trend.
- Ramban notes also the similar phenomenon in which Torah might mentions a command but not its fulfillment or the opposite.11
Local Harmonization
Many other commentators relate to each difference individually, without trying to account for all of the changes together. Some examples follow: