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וימצאו איש מקשש עצים ביום השבת... וירגמו אתו באבנים

And they found a man gathering wood on the Shabbos day… and they pelted him with stones. (15:32,36)

The mekoshesh eitzim, wood gatherer, who was the first mechalel Shabbos, desecrator of Shabbos, was executed by stoning. The Torah writes, Vayirgemu oso b’avanim, “And they pelted him with stones,” in the plural. Interestingly, when the mekallel, blasphemer, was executed by stoning, the Torah writes, Viyirgemu oso even, “And they stoned him to death,” in the singular (Vayikra 24:23). What is the reason for this change in the Torah’s vernacular? This question was asked of the Chidushei HaRim when he was a young boy. Known as a child prodigy, Rabbinic leaders would often pepper him with difficult questions to see…

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ונקה לא ינקה פקד עון אבות על בנים

And Who cleanses – but does not cleanse completely, recalling the iniquity of parents upon children. (14:18)

Children are held to task for the iniquities of their parents. Is this fair? Let each generation pay for its own sins – not those of its predecessors. We have enough to deal with from our own mistakes, why should we be responsible to pay for those of our parents? Chazal explain that this unique form of reparation applies when banim ochazin b’maaseh avosam, “Children maintain their father’s iniquities.” The son will be punished when he continues actively to expand and extol his father’s egregious behavior. Still, is this a reason for the son to pay for his father’s sins?…

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ונהי בעינינו כחגבים וכן היינו בעיניהם

We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, also we were in their eyes. (13:33)

Probably the most common catalyst for sinful behavior is low self-esteem, which is often the precursor of depression. While depression alone is not a sin, it leads one to commit the most egregious transgressions. When one thinks ill of himself, he has little reason to act positively. After all, who cares? This, explains the Kotzker Rebbe, zl, was the motivation for the sin perpetrated by the meraglim, spies. They felt worthless; they had no chance of overcoming such a strong nation. Their negativity was infectious, causing the entire nation to feel bereft of their leadership. They all began to cry….

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כלם אנשים ראשי בני ישראל המה

They were all distinguished men; heads of Bnei Yisrael were they. (13:3)

There are many episodes in the Torah which are not easy to explain; yet, we try to explain them. The chet ha’meraglim, sin of the spies, is an aveirah, collective sin, which begs elucidation. Once we understand the sin, acknowledge its ramifications, and prepare for the consequences of its actions, we still must focus on its origin. Why did we act this way? What compels us to sin? How have we changed? Much has been written concerning the chet ha’meraglim. While the actual sin has been addressed, the “why” needs to be explained. These were no ordinary men. These were…

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