By Moishe Chaimson
There are many stories of the Dor Hamidbar’s failures told to us in Chumash. The Misoninim, the Chet Heigel, etc why is the Meraglim the only one for which an entire generation is prevented from going into Eretz Yisroel and all must die out? For all the others it was sufficient that they got a potch or some sort of punishment and moved on?
Why is the Chet Hameraglim so deep that Chazal say that it happened on Tisha Bav and caused BeChiya LDoros for many more Tisha Bav’s?
In last weeks Parsha we find that in the 2nd year that Am Yisral came out of Mitzrayim they brought a Korban Pesach. We know that they brought it the first year right before Yetzias Mitzrayim and then besides for these 2 occasions we don’t find that they brought it again until they get to Eretz Yisroel with Yehoshua.
Not only did they not bring the Korban Pesach, they also didn’t do Bris Milah (except for Shevet Levi), we find that they did it the first year to be able to bring the Korban Pesach but not after that. Chazal say it’s because there was no Ruach Tzfonis to heal them. However it’s a little hard to understand how that can be so with all the major Nissim that happened, Man, Ananei Hakavod, their clothing grew with them and also didn’t wear out, they didn’t need the bathroom, how can it be that Hashem couldn’t blow a little bit of North wind?
We know that Pesach and Milah are the only two Mitzvos Aseh that have a Chiyuv Kares – so they are pretty fundamental – why were these not done in the Midbar?
To understand what’s going on here and answer all these questions, we have to take a walk back to the origin of Klal Yisroel and their purpose in creation.
Hashem’s introductory statement to the Avos Hakedoshim the “Founding Fathers” is “I am Hashem and I will be giving you Eretz Yisroel”. That’s the Shalom Aleichem. Why didn’t he say I am Hashem I’ll be giving you Shabbos? Better yet I’ll be giving you the Torah? Why did he single out Eretz Yisroel?
To answer this we’ll preface with a vort from Rav Hirsch that says that we see a concept that repeats itself throughout the Torah and that is “Bni Bchori Yisroel”. Klal Yisroel is Hashem’s firstborn. Hashem has many children, as in,  all the nations of the world were supposed to accept Ol Malchus Shamayim. After the Dor HaMabul failed and the dor Haflaga failed, Hashem entrusted the mission of bringing Hashem into the world to Avraham avinu and his descendants.
To accomplish that goal Hashem says that you will set up a country like all the other nations of the world, however this country will be different. It will be a country that is Godly – a Mamleches Koahim and a goy kadosh, when you create this tremendous light that shines so brightly the other nations will want to follow and that will light up all my other children as well so that umulah kol haaretz deah es Hashem’ &  ‘vhaya Hashem lemelch al kol Haaretz’.
Now we understand why Hashem introduces himself this way to Avraham Yitzchak & Yaakov. Hashem already chose Avraham to be his people and now he’s telling him the mission statement: Go and take your special ways and scale it up – country level. That’s why we wear this on our arms and heads, the Tefillin containing the Psukim ‘Kadesh Li Kol Bechor’ and ‘Vhaya Ki Yeviacha’ are a reminder of our mission statement.
Now we can understand why all the other aberrations in the Midbar were just minor flaws – cheating or breaking the rules in the game – someone can double dribble or carry in basketball or touch the ball in soccer etc. i.e. break some rules but still be in the game. But in the chet Hamreglaim Klal Yisroel gave up the game entirely – they basically said we want out of this game and we want to go back to Mitzrayim. We don’t want Eretz Yisroel, it’s too difficult we’re not gonna make it. The Oinesh of the whole generation dying out might not have been so much of a punishment as it was a reality. Hashem basically said I don’t have any players here – I’ll wait until the next generation comes along.
This is why this attitude is a Bechiya LDoros – if we can’t keep our eye on the ball that the point of Klal Yisroel is not just to have a large amount of people that all keep the same law but rather to establish a country that symbolizes Torah that would make the Avos Hakedoshim proud, then we won’t be able to hold it together and eventually it fell apart and we went into Galus.
Perhaps that’s why there was no Pesach and Milah in the Midbar after the 2nd year which is when the Miraglim story happens. Pesach and Milah are the only 2 items that have Issur Kares because the Mila = individual Bris and the Pesach = national bris between Hashem and Am Yisrael. A bris is a partnership between 2 parties and after this chet one party was out to lunch so there was no one to make a Bris with. That’s why when Yehoshua is bringing them into Eretz Yisroel – now we’re back in the game – lets make a bris.
Baruch Hashem we have the opportunity of Eretz Yisroel once again and we can get back in the game! The challenges may seem daunting at first glance but they don’t scare us because we know it’s Hashem’s project and ultimately it will succeed!