וישכמו בבקר ויעלו אל ראש ההר לאמר הננו ועלינו אל המקום אשר אמר ד' כי חטאנו
The nation was chastened. They now realized that they had overreacted to the slanderous news conveyed by the meraglim, spies, and that they must do something to repair the rift created by their sins. Nonetheless, there is a time and place for everything. They had forfeited their chance to enter Eretz Yisrael. Without Hashem’s mandate and leadership they could never conquer the Land. Now was not the time. Some people simply do not understand the meaning of “no.” A group of Jews decided to prove that they were willing to move on, to wage war against the inhabitants of the…