(לט) וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה אֶֽל־כׇּל־בְּנֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּֽתְאַבְּל֥וּ הָעָ֖ם מְאֹֽד׃ (מ) וַיַּשְׁכִּ֣מוּ בַבֹּ֔קֶר וַיַּֽעֲל֥וּ אֶל־רֹאשׁ־הָהָ֖ר לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֶּ֗נּוּ וְעָלִ֛ינוּ אֶל־הַמָּק֛וֹם אֲשֶׁר־אָמַ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה כִּ֥י חָטָֽאנוּ׃ (מא) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֛ה אַתֶּ֥ם עֹבְרִ֖ים אֶת־פִּ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וְהִ֖וא לֹ֥א תִצְלָֽח׃ (מב) אַֽל־תַּעֲל֔וּ כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם וְלֹא֙ תִּנָּ֣גְפ֔וּ לִפְנֵ֖י אֹיְבֵיכֶֽם׃ (מג) כִּי֩ הָעֲמָלֵקִ֨י וְהַכְּנַעֲנִ֥י שָׁם֙ לִפְנֵיכֶ֔ם וּנְפַלְתֶּ֖ם בֶּחָ֑רֶב כִּֽי־עַל־כֵּ֤ן שַׁבְתֶּם֙ מֵאַחֲרֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה וְלֹא־יִהְיֶ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה עִמָּכֶֽם׃ (מד) וַיַּעְפִּ֕לוּ לַעֲל֖וֹת אֶל־רֹ֣אשׁ הָהָ֑ר וַאֲר֤וֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָה֙ וּמֹשֶׁ֔ה לֹא־מָ֖שׁוּ מִקֶּ֥רֶב הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃ (מה) וַיֵּ֤רֶד הָעֲמָלֵקִי֙ וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י הַיֹּשֵׁ֖ב בָּהָ֣ר הַה֑וּא וַיַּכּ֥וּם וַֽיַּכְּת֖וּם עַד־הַֽחׇרְמָֽה׃ {פ}
(39) When Moses repeated these words to all the Israelites, the people were overcome by grief. (40) Early next morning they set out toward the crest of the hill country, saying, “We are prepared to go up to the place that the Eternal has spoken of, for we were wrong.” (41) But Moses said, “Why do you transgress the Eternal's command? This will not succeed. (42) Do not go up, lest you be routed by your enemies, for the Eternal is not in your midst. (43) For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there to face you, and you will fall by the sword, inasmuch as you have turned from following the Eternal and the Eternal will not be with you.” (44) Yet defiantly they went up toward the crest of the hill country, though neither the Eternal's Ark of the Covenant nor Moses stirred from the camp. (45) And the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that hill country came down and dealt them a shattering blow at Hormah.
Number 14:44 Translations
"But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain;" -JPS 1917
"Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country" -NIV
"But they dared to go up to the crest of the hill" -New English Translation
(מא) וַֽתַּעֲנ֣וּ ׀ וַתֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלַ֗י חָטָ֘אנוּ֮ לַיהֹוָה֒ אֲנַ֤חְנוּ נַעֲלֶה֙ וְנִלְחַ֔מְנוּ כְּכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֖נוּ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וַֽתַּחְגְּר֗וּ אִ֚ישׁ אֶת־כְּלֵ֣י מִלְחַמְתּ֔וֹ וַתָּהִ֖ינוּ לַעֲלֹ֥ת הָהָֽרָה׃ (מב) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י אֱמֹ֤ר לָהֶם֙ לֹ֤א תַֽעֲלוּ֙ וְלֹא־תִלָּ֣חֲמ֔וּ כִּ֥י אֵינֶ֖נִּי בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם וְלֹא֙ תִּנָּ֣גְפ֔וּ לִפְנֵ֖י אֹיְבֵיכֶֽם׃ (מג) וָאֲדַבֵּ֥ר אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם וְלֹ֣א שְׁמַעְתֶּ֑ם וַתַּמְרוּ֙ אֶת־פִּ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה וַתָּזִ֖דוּ וַתַּעֲל֥וּ הָהָֽרָה׃ (מד) וַיֵּצֵ֨א הָאֱמֹרִ֜י הַיֹּשֵׁ֨ב בָּהָ֤ר הַהוּא֙ לִקְרַאתְכֶ֔ם וַיִּרְדְּפ֣וּ אֶתְכֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעֲשֶׂ֖ינָה הַדְּבֹרִ֑ים וַֽיַּכְּת֥וּ אֶתְכֶ֛ם בְּשֵׂעִ֖יר עַד־חׇרְמָֽה׃ (מה) וַתָּשֻׁ֥בוּ וַתִּבְכּ֖וּ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וְלֹֽא־שָׁמַ֤ע יְהֹוָה֙ בְּקֹ֣לְכֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א הֶאֱזִ֖ין אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃
(41) You replied to me, saying, “We stand guilty before the Eternal. We will go up now and fight, just as the Eternal our God commanded us.” And you all girded yourselves with war gear and recklessly started for the hill country. (42) But the Eternal said to me, “Warn them: Do not go up and do not fight, since I am not in your midst; else you will be routed by your enemies.” (43) I spoke to you, but you would not listen; you flouted the Eternal's command and wilfully went up into the hill country. (44) Then the Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you like so many bees and chased you, and they crushed you at Hormah in Seir. (45) Again you wept before the Eternal; but the Eternal would not heed your cry or give ear to you.
Our commentators have been puzzled by this. Arama thus words the difficulty in his Akedat Yizhak:
After they had presumed to go up to the top of the mountain, Why did not the ark of the Lord and Moses move from the camp and why were the gates of repentance shut against them? Does not this story violate the golden rule that he who acknowledges his sin and forsakes it shall find grace? Was it not the Lord’s desire that they should overcome their fear, that they should not be afraid of the people of the land and go up and fight? Were they not bidden: "Go up! Be not afraid, neither be dismayed". Was not their action in ascending the mountain what was expected of them? Or had the Lord changed his mind?...
The work of rebuilding could not be contemplated before the process of destruction and uprooting had been endured. The same applies to our subject. Their inability to go and occupy the land became clearly manifest in the statement: "Let us appoint a leader and let us return to Egypt", in that weeping that they wept on that night. Now matters could not be remedied without them accepting what had been imposed on them. Their words: "Lo we are here and we will go up" constituted no repentance unless they accepted their sentence, humbled themselves and bore their punishment. Divine punishment is itself the cure for their ills, the path of repentance.
Ma'apilim by Rabbi Julian Sinclair, Jewish Chronicle 2008
On the shores of Israel’s Mediterranean coast lies a defunct detention camp that now serves as a museum of the legacy of the Ma’apilim. These were the immigrants who, in spite of Britain’s strict limitations on Jewish immigration from 1934 until 1948, came to Israel, often in old, damaged boats.
One of the ships carrying hopeful immigrants was called Hama’apilim, hence the name for the entire movement.
The story of the first ma’apilim appears in the Torah (Numbers 14:39-45). After Moses announces the punishment for the sin of the spies, that the generation who left Egypt will have to spend 40 years in the desert and will never enter the Land, some people declare that they will go up to Israel anyway. Moses warns them against it as God will not be behind them.
But they go anyway and are completely wiped out by local tribes. Their premature attempt to enter Israel is described by the word vaya’apilu, a word deriving from ofel, which means a fort or tower, whose verb form connotes some type of fortitude.
Commentators are divided on the exact meaning of vaya’apliu. Onkelos defines it as a type of deliberate sinfulness, while Rashi slightly softens the negative verdict with his definition of hardness and strength. In his dictionary, Ben Yehuda defines it as bravery.
This case is a perfect example how the definition of one word reveals a commentator’s perspective on an entire biblical episode.