If they confess their sins, why does Hashem say, “I, too, will behave toward them with casualness”? Why does He not accept their repentance? Horav Shimon Schwab, z.l., explains that when one peruses the parsha, he will note that the underlying sin for which Klal Yisrael is held in contempt is the sin of keri, casualness. Their lackadaisical attitude to everything is what led to their downfall. Yet, when they confess, they admit only to avonam, their actual sin. They also happen to confess to their casualness – disregarding the fact that it was specifically this apathetic observance that catalyzed their…
