ספר במדבר

‎14,20. “Hashem said: ‘I have forgiven according ‎to your word.’” In his commentary on this verse Rashi ‎amends the word ‎דברך‎, “your word” (singular), to ‎דבריך‎ “your ‎words.” He does so, in order that we understand that Moses’ ‎‎“word” which G’d referred to would be understood clearly as the ‎‎“words” ‎מבלתי יכולת ה'‏‎, “that G’d had killed His people because he ‎was not able to make good on His promise to dispossess the ‎Canaanites in their favour,” and surely G’d would not wish to ‎create such an impression. At first glance we do not see what ‎Rashi’s commentary added to the understanding of this verse.‎I believe that what Rashi had in mind was that the ‎principal concern in Moses’ prayer at this time was to avoid that ‎the Israelites’ sin would result in a public desecration of G’d’s ‎name, i.e. the impression being created that G’d was not ‎omnipotent. Moses specifically pointed to the reaction the ‎destruction of the Jewish people would cause in Egypt, the ‎Egyptians being able to point out that the Israelites had been far ‎better off while they had been slaving for them before their ‎Exodus. Surely this is a very weak argument seeing that G’d is ‎able to mislead human beings in the conclusions they draw when ‎observing certain events.‎[There comes to mind an example cited by the Torah ‎itself in Exodus 14,2 when G’d commanded the Israelites to ‎encamp at ‎פי החירות‎ for the express purpose of making the ‎Egyptians think that they had lost their way. Ed.] Seeing ‎that G’d is free to do this, Moses’ argument appears to be very ‎feeble.‎We must however remember that the mere words uttered by ‎G’d make an indelible impression. [The author quotes Job ‎‎22,28 “You will decree and it will be fulfilled” in support of this. ‎Ed.] It would follow from the above that the mere ‎mention of the possibility of an act by G’d that would result in ‎His name being desecrated worldwide, would undermine a ‎subsequent reversal when the decree is not carried out.‎