Moses' Prayer after the Sin of the Spies

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Moses' Plea for Mercy

TANAKH

Moses' prayer highlights God's attributes of mercy and forgiveness, even in the face of severe transgressions. In the book of Numbers, Moses intercedes on behalf of the Israelites, invoking God's forbearance and kindness to mitigate their punishment.

Therefore, I pray, let my Lord’s forbearance be great, as You have declared, saying, ‘יהוה ! slow to anger and abounding in kindness; forgiving iniquity and transgression; yet not remitting all punishment, but visiting the iniquity of parents upon children, upon the third and fourth generations.’ Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to Your great kindness, as You have forgiven this people ever since Egypt.”

Numbers 14:17-19

Moses' Prayer and the Future of the Temple

CHASIDUT

The sages of the Talmud connect the offense of the people's reaction to the spies' report with the destruction of the Temple. In Likutei Moharan, Nachman of Breslov, an 18th-19th century Chassidic master, explores the interconnectedness of sin, retribution and atonement throughout history, and highlights Moses' prayer for forgiveness after the incident of the spies as being about much more than that single occurrence.

For it was on account of the sin of the spies that Moshe Rabbeinu pleaded: “Please forgive the iniquity of this people” (Numbers 14:19). And it was the sin of the spies that caused the destruction of the Holy Temple. As our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: God said to them, “You wept without cause; I shall institute for you a weeping for generations” (Taanit 29a). For that night was the evening of Tisha b’Av, on which the Holy Temple was destroyed. It was over this that Moshe Rabbeinu pleaded “Please forgive!” For all transgressions are linked to this sin and fault…

Likutei Moharan, Part II 7:11:2-4

Moses' Strategic Prayer

COMMENTARY

Moses strategically chose not to invoke certain divine attributes in his prayer for forgiveness. The 13th-century Torah commentary Chizkuni explains Moses' reasoning and the significance of the attributes he did and did not invoke.

ה׳ ארך אפים, “the Lord is slow to anger;” Moses does not mention the attribute “el” here in connection with erech apayim, though it usually is mentioned. The reason for this is that it normally reflects aspects of G-d’s power, and Moses did not want G-d to display His power against Israel. He also did not mention the attributes of rachum v’chanun aspects of G-d’s mercy and grace, as these attributes are used when describing G-d as bestowing gifts on mankind, as we know from Psalms 37,21: וצדיק חונן ונותן, “and the righteous excels in generosity and keeps giving…

Chizkuni, Numbers 14:18:1

The Model of Atonement

COMMENTARY

Moses' prayer after the sin of the spies uses language that hearkens back to the thirteen attributes of God that Moses expressed in an earlier intimate encounter with God following the sin of the golden calf. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explores how this prayer has shaped Jewish repentance rituals and underscores its enduring significance in Jewish faith.

The sages understood this episode as the moment in which God taught Moses, and through him future generations, how to pray when atoning for sin (Rosh HaShana 17b). Moses himself used these words with slight variations during the next crisis, that of the spies. Eventually they became the basis of the special prayers known as Seliḥot, prayers of penitence. It was as if God were binding Himself to forgive the penitent in each generation by this self-definition. God is compassionate and lives in love and forgiveness. This is an essential element of Jewish faith.

Essays in Ethics; A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, Ki Tissa; Can There Be Compassion Without Justice? 6

When God Concedes

TALMUD

God ultimately conceded to Moses' plea, highlighting the special relationship between Moses and God. The Talmudic tractate Berakhot discusses the significance of Moses' prayer after the sin of the spies and the praiseworthiness of a teacher conceding to a student.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: From where is it derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, ultimately conceded to Moses? As it is said: “And the Lord said: I have forgiven according to your word” (Numbers 14:20). The Sages of the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: According to your word, it will be, as indeed in the future the nations of the world will say this. The Gemara concludes: Happy is the student whose teacher concedes to him as the Lord conceded to Moses.

Berakhot 32a:29-30

Divine Patience and Human Sin

TALMUD

Moses' plea for mercy after the sin of the spies raises the question of whether God's attribute of 'slow to anger' should apply to the unrighteous. In the Talmudic tractate Sanhedrin, the rabbis include Moses' prayer within a longer debate between God and Moses about forgiveness and evil.

Rabbi Ḥanina ben Gamla says: He saw the attribute of slow to anger; and the Rabbis say: He saw the attribute of truth. It is taught in a baraita in accordance with the opinion of the one who said: He saw the attribute of slow to anger, as it is taught in a baraita: When Moses ascended on high, he discovered the Holy One, Blessed be He, sitting and writing: Slow to anger. Moses said before Him: Master of the Universe, is Your attribute of slow to anger only to be used for the righteous? God said to him:…

Sanhedrin 111a:12-111b:1

Moses the Divine Mediator

TANAKH

Moses' direct confrontation with God to save the Israelites showcases his unparalleled role as an intercessor. The Book of Psalms includes various prayers and songs, some of which highlight Moses' interventions to avert divine wrath.

He would have destroyed them
had not Moses His chosen one
confronted Him in the breach
to avert His destructive wrath.

Psalms 106:23

The Everlasting Forgiveness

LITURGY

God’s forgiveness is not a one-time event but a continuous process that has been ongoing since the Exodus. The Kol Nidrei prayer, recited at the start of Yom Kippur, reflects on the themes of repentance and forgiveness, emphasizing the historical continuity of God's mercy.

Please pardon the sins of this nation in accordance with the greatness of Your lovingkindness; and as You forgave this people from when it left Mitzrayim until now. And there it is said:

Machzor Yom Kippur Ashkenaz, Kol Nidrei 10

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The Spies

Moses

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