The Sins of the Fathers, the Sins of the Sons

          Early in his farewell address, Moses reprimanded the Children of Israel for their response to the spies' report. At first glance, it seems that Moses' reprimand is entirely misdirected. The entire adult generation which had left Egypt had already died in the desert, so Moses was speaking to the children who apparently were not culpable in the matter of the spies.

          Parashat Devarim is always read the Shabbat before Tisha b'Av, which commemorates the destruction of both Temples. Our Sages teach that any generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt must see itself as the generation in which the Temple was destroyed. The reason is simple: if our generation has not merited rebuilding the Temple, it is because we are guilty of the same sins which caused the destruction. (This is especially true of sin'at ḥinam, baseless hatred, which is the cause of the destruction of the Second Temple.)

          Facing the generation about to enter the Land, the generation which was not involved in the sin of the spies, and addressing it as if were the guilty generation, Moses was issuing a warning not to repeat the sin of their father's generation. In essence, Moses' message was: if your generation fails to appreciate the Land of Israel and the unique divine providence which the Land enjoys, then you indeed will be as guilty as your fathers' generation.