יהוה ארך אפים. לַצַּדִּיקִים וְלָרְשָׁעִים; כְּשֶׁעָלָה מֹשֶׁה לַמָּרוֹם מְצָאוֹ לְהַקָּבָּ"ה שֶׁהָיָה יוֹשֵׁב וְכוֹתֵב יהוה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם, אָמַר לוֹ, לַצַּדִּיקִים? אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּבָּ"ה אַף לָרְשָׁעִים, אָמַר לוֹ רְשָׁעִים יֹאבֵדוּ, אָמַר לוֹ חַיֶּיךָ שֶׁתִּצְטָרֵךְ לַדָּבָר; כְּשֶׁחָטְאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעֵגֶל וּבַמְּרַגְּלִים הִתְפַּלֵּל מֹשֶׁה לְפָנָיו בְּאֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּבָּ"ה וַהֲלֹא אָמַרְתָּ לִי לַצַּדִּיקִים? אָמַר לוֹ וַהֲלֹא אָמַרְתָּ לִי אַף לָרְשָׁעִים, יגדל נא כח יהוה לַעֲשׂוֹת דִּבּוּרְךָ (סנהדרין קי"א):
יהוה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם “The Lord is long suffering” towards both the righteous and the wicked. When Moses ascended to Heaven to receive the Law he found the Holy One, blessed be He, engaged in writing: “The Lord is long-suffering”. He asked, “Surely only to the righteous?” The Holy One, blessed be He, answered him, “To the wicked also!” Whereupon Moses said: “The wicked — let them perish!” He (the Lord) replied to him: “I swear by your life that you shall eventually need this thing (the extension of My mercy also to the wicked)”. When the Israelites sinned at the incident of the Golden Calf and at that of the spies, Moses offered prayer before Him, with mention of God’s attribute of ארך אפים (of His being long suffering). The Holy One, blessed be He, then said to him: Did you not say, “Surely only to the righteous!?” Whereupon Moses replied, “But did You not tell me, ‘To the wicked also’?” Let then — Moses added — the strength of My Lord be great [even as Thou didst say] — by fulfilling Thy statement and not mine! (Sanhedrin 111a).
ונקה. לַשָּׁבִים:
ונקה AND HE CLEARS those who repent,
לא ינקה. לְשֶׁאֵינָן שָׁבִים (יומא פ"ו):
לא ינקה BUT DOES NOT CLEAR those who do not repent (Yoma 86a; cf. Onkelos and Rashi on Exodus 34:7).
פוקד עון אבות על בנים. מאריך עד דור רביעי שאם יחזיקו מעשה אבותיהם בידיהם ויוסיפו להרע תתמלא סאתם בדור שלישי ותאבד תקות תשובתם ויפרע מהם ואם יחזיקו במעשה אבותיהם ולא יוסיפו להרע מהם ימתין עד דור רביעי ואז תתמלא סאתם באפס תקוה לתשובה ויאבדו:
פוקד עון אבות על בנים, this may extend until the fourth generation, i.e. if the fourth generation of the original sinner will still continue in the wicked ways of their forbears that will make the measure of sin of those families in the third generation so full that it has become irreversible and G’d will take the appropriate action. If the sons and grandsons continued in the evil ways of their forbears but not until the fourth generation, G’d will suspend retribution to see how the fourth generation would conduct themselves before exacting retribution.
ויקרא משה להושע וגו'. הִתְפַּלֵּל עָלָיו יָהּ יוֹשִׁיעֲךָ מֵעֲצַת מְרַגְּלִים (סוטה ל"ד):
ויקרא משה להושע וגו׳ AND MOSES CALLED HOSHEA [THE SON OF NUN JEHOSHUA] — By giving him this name יהושע which is a compound of יה and הושע “God may save”, he in effect prayed for him: “May God save you from the evil counsel of the spies” (Sotah 34b).
וטעם אלה שמות האנשים. אחר שאמר ואלה שמותם להודיע כי כן היה שמותם לעולם ולא השתנו כמו הושע:
[THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE MEN.] The reason that Scripture states, these are the names of the men, after earlier stating, And these were their names (v. 4), is to teach us that, unlike Hoshea, their names were never changed.
ויקרא משה להושע בן נון יהושע לא שקראו עתה יהושע אלא כך הפירוש הוא שקראו משה יהושע כבר כשנעשה משרתו ומצא חן בעיניו שכן הוא המנהג שכן מצינו באברהם ושרה ויעקב דניאל חנניה מישאל ועזריה צדקיה שכבר שמו מתניה ונחמיה שנקרא התרשתא. וי״מ שינה שמו על שהוצרך להיות מן המרגלים ולעבור דרך עמלק בשם הושע.
ויקרא משה להושע בן נון יהושע, “Moses renamed Hoshea bin Nun as Joshua. The Torah does not mean that Moses renamed Hoshea at this time; we have to understand this verse as follows: Moses had renamed Hoshea from the time he had appointed him as his personal valet. The Torah merely wishes to tell us that the Joshua whom Moses has appointed as one of the spies, was the one whom he had renamed at the time of his previous appointment as Moses’ personal servant, seeing that at that time already he had found favour in his eyes, and he wanted to express this by adding a letter to his name. We know that G-d had renamed Avram after he had found favour in his eyes by adding a letter to his name, just as He had changed a letter in Sarai’s name for a similar reason. Both Yaakov and Joseph experienced name changes, as did Daniel and the last King of Yehudah, Matnaya, whom Nebuchadnezzar renamed Tzedekiah. Also Nechemyah, underwent such a name change as we know from Nechemyah 8,9.
רִבִּי הוּנָא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי אָחָא. יוֹ״ד שֶׁנָּטַל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֵאִמֵּינוּ שָׂרָה נִיתַּן חֶצְיוּ עַל שָׂרָה וְחֶצְיוּ עַל אַבְרָהָם. תַּנֵּי רִבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָה. עָלָה יוֹ״ד וְנִשְׁתַּטַּח לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְאָמַר. רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים. עָקַרְתָּנִי מִן הַצַּדֶּקֶת הַזֹּאת. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. צֵא לָךְ. לְשֶׁעָבַר הָיִיתָ נָתוּן בְּשֵׁם נְקֵיבָה וּבְסוֹף תֵּיבָה. חַיֵּיךָ שֶׁאֲנִי נוֹתְנָךְ בְּשֵׁם זָכָר וּבְרֹאשׁ תֵּיבָה. הָדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיִּקְרָ֥א מֹשֶׁ֛ה לְהוֹשֵׁ֥עַ בִּן־נ֖וּן יְהוֹשֻֽׁעַ׃
Rebbi Huna in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: The י which the Holy One, praise to Him, lifted from our mother Sarah was given half to Sarah and half to Abraham. Rebbi Hoshaiah stated: The י ascended, bowed down before the Holy One, praise to Him, and said to Him: Master of the Universes, you uprooted me from this just woman! The Holy One, praise to Him, said to him: leave. In the past you were the last letter of a woman’s name. By your life, I shall make you the first letter of a man’s name. That is what is written: Moses called Hoshea bin Nun Yehoshua.
״וְנִקֵּיתִי מִפֶּשַׁע רָב״, שֶׁלֹּא יִכָּתֵב סִרְחוֹנִי. אָמַר לוֹ: אִי אֶפְשָׁר. וּמָה יוֹד שֶׁנָּטַלְתִּי מִשָּׂרַי עוֹמֵד וְצוֹוֵחַ כַּמָּה שָׁנִים, עַד שֶׁבָּא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְהוֹסַפְתִּי לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה לְהוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן נוּן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ״. כׇּל הַפָּרָשָׁה כּוּלָּהּ – עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה!
David requested: “And I shall be clear from great transgression” (Psalms 19:14), meaning that my transgression with Bathsheba and Uriah will not be written in the Bible. God said to him: That is impossible. And just as the letter yod that I removed from the name of Sarai, wife of Abraham, when I changed her name to Sarah, was standing and screaming several years over its omission from the Bible until Joshua came and I added the yod to his name, as it is stated: “And Moses called Hosea, son of Nun, Joshua [Yehoshua]” (Numbers 13:16); the entire portion of your transgression, which is fit to be included in the Bible, all the more so it cannot be omitted.
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כְּבָר בִּקֵּשׁ מֹשֶׁה עָלָיו רַחֲמִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה לְהוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן נוּן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ״, יָהּ יוֹשִׁיעֲךָ מֵעֲצַת מְרַגְּלִים. וְהַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב: ״וְעַבְדִּי כָלֵב עֵקֶב הָיְתָה רוּחַ אַחֶרֶת עִמּוֹ וְגוֹ׳״.
The Gemara explains: Joshua did not go to the graves of the forefathers because Moses had already prayed for mercy for him, as it is stated: “And Moses called Hoshea son of Nun Joshua [Yehoshua]” (Numbers 13:16), meaning: God will save you [Ya yoshiakha] from the counsel of the spies. And this is the meaning of that which is written: “But My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and has followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land where into he went” (Numbers 14:24), which implies that Caleb changed his mind over time. Joshua, however, was opposed to the intentions of the other spies from the outset.
וַיִּקְרָא משֶׁה לְהוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן נוּן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (במדבר יג, טז), מָה רָאָה משֶׁה לְהוֹסִיף עַל שְׁמוֹ שֶׁל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ יוּ"ד, אֶלָּא כָּלֵב נָטַל שְׂכָרוֹ מִן הָאָרֶץ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יהושע יד, ט): אִם לֹא הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר דָּרְכָה רַגְלְךָ בָּהּ לְךָ תִהְיֶה לְנַחֲלָה וּלְבָנֶיךָ עַד עוֹלָם, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ נָטַל שְׂכַר עֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים שֶׁל מְרַגְּלִים, שֶׁנִּתּוֹסַף בּוֹ יוּ"ד יַתִּיר, יו"ד עֲשָׂרָה, (במדבר יג, טז): וַיִּקְרָא משֶׁה לְהוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן נוּן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה משֶׁה אוֹתָן שֶׁהָיוּ רְשָׁעִים אָמַר לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ יָהּ יוֹשִׁיעֲךָ מִן הַדּוֹר הַזֶּה.
“Moses called Hoshea son of Nun, Joshua [Yehoshua]” (Numbers 13:16). What did Moses see that led him to add a yod to Joshua’s name? It is, rather, that Caleb took his reward from the Land, as it is stated: “Surely, the land on which your foot trod will be an inheritance for you and for your children forever” (Joshua 14:9), and Joshua took the reward of the ten men who constituted the spies, as an extra yod was added to him; yod equals ten. “Moses called Hoshea son of Nun, Joshua.” Alternatively, when Moses saw them, that they were wicked, he said to Joshua [Yehoshua]: “May the Lord deliver you [ya yoshiakha] from this generation.
אֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת הָאֲנָשִׁים (במדבר יג, טז), מָה הָיוּ שְׁמוֹתָן (במדבר יג, יג טו): סְתוּר בֶּן מִיכָאֵל, נַחְבִּי בֶּן וָפְסִי, גְּאוּאֵל בֶּן מָכִי, יֵשׁ בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁשְּׁמוֹתָם נָאִים וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כְּעוּרִים, שְׁמוֹתָם כְּעוּרִים וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם נָאִים, שֶׁשְּׁמוֹתֵיהֶם נָאִים וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם נָאִים, שְׁמוֹתֵיהֶם וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כְּעוּרִים. שְׁמוֹתֵיהֶם נָאִים וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כְּעוּרִים, זֶה יִשְׁמָעֵאל וְעֵשָׂו, יִשְׁמָעֵאל, שׁוֹמֵעַ אֵל, עֵשָׂו, עוֹשֶׂה רְצוֹן עוֹשָׂיו, וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם רָעִים. שְׁמוֹתֵיהֶם כְּעוּרִים וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם נָאִים, אֵלּוּ עוֹלֵי גוֹלָה (עזרא ב, נג): בְּנֵי בַרְקוֹס בְּנֵי סִיסְרָא בְּנֵי תָמַח. שְׁמוֹתֵיהֶם כְּעוּרִים וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כְּעוּרִים, אֵלּוּ הַמְּרַגְּלִים, מַה כְּתִיב בָּהֶן, סְתוּר, שֶׁסְּתָרוֹ מִן הָעוֹלָם.
“These were the names of the men” (Numbers 13:16). What were their names? They were “Setur son of Mikhael…Naḥbi son of Vofsi…Geuel son of Makhi” (Numbers 13:13–15). There are people whose names are pleasant but their actions are repulsive; their names are repulsive but their actions are pleasant; their names are pleasant and their actions are pleasant; their names and their actions are repulsive. Whose names are pleasant but their actions are repulsive: This is Ishmael and Esau. Ishmael – God listens [shome’a el]; Esau – he performs [oseh] the will of his Maker [osehu]. Their names are repulsive but their actions are pleasant: These are those who ascended from the exile: “The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Tamaḥ” (Ezra 2:53). Their names are repulsive and their actions are repulsive, these are the spies: What is written in their regard? “Setur” – He eliminated him [shesetaro] from the world.