Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Deuteronomy 1:26/אור החיים על דברים א׳:כ״ו
אוְלֹא אֲבִיתֶם וְגוֹ׳. וַהֲגַם שֶׁעֲשָׂרָה אָמְרוּ עֵדוּת כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר בְּסָמוּךְ ״אַחֵינוּ הֵמַסּוּ״ וְגוֹ׳, כְּבָר אָמַר לָהֶם ה׳ שֶׁאֵין הוֹרָשַׁת הָעִיר מִצַּד גְּבוּרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא בְּמַתָּנָה מֵה׳, כְּמוֹ שֶׁדִּיַּקְנוּ בְּפָרָשַׁת שְׁלַח (במדבר י״ג:ב׳) מִמַּאֲמַר ״אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נוֹתֵן״ כִּי הוּא יוֹרִישׁ מִפְּנֵיהֶם יוֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר גַּם כֵּן בְּסָמוּךְ ״ה׳ וְגוֹ׳ הוּא יִלָּחֵם לָכֶם״, וְאֵין בְּמַאֲמָר זֶה סְתִירָה לְהַכְחִישׁ הַפְלָאַת תּוֹקֶף הָעִיר וַאֲנָשֶׁיהָ שֶׁאָמְרוּ הַמְּרַגְּלִים, וּבָזֶה לֹא קָשָׁה קֻשְׁיַת רַמְבַּ״ן.
1 ולא אביתם לעלות, "and you did not want to ascend (to the land of Canaan)." Even though ten spies testified, as will be mentioned shortly where Moses describes the ten as demoralising the whole people, conquest of the land of Canaan had never been made subject to the Israelites' prowess or otherwise. It was a gift from G'd as we explained in detail on Numbers 13,2 based on the words "which I (the Lord) am about to give to you." G'd Himself was going to dispossess the Canaanites as mentioned in verse 29, i.e. "He will wage war on your behalf." None of these words represent a contradiction to the report of the spies describing the cities of Canaan and their inhabitants as exceedingly powerful. Nachmanides' objections are quite unfounded, therefore. [The author assumes that we are all familiar with the commentary by Nachmanides who questioned how one could fault the people for believing 10 spies rather than 2 spies. Ed.]