דברים, פרק א׳, פסוק ל״ה

God issues a final, absolute oath declaring that the generation of the wilderness will not enter the Promised Land [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This severe punishment operates on a precise principle of measure for measure. Since the people rejected the land and refused to enter it, God grants their wish exactly as they asked—they will never see it. Meanwhile, Joshua and Caleb, the only ones who truly desired the land, are the ones who will ultimately enter [בכור שור].

Labeling the entire group as an evil generation raises a difficult question, as not everyone in the camp deserved such a harsh punishment. Many merely made a mistake or were misled by others. However, because a faction of the people completely threw off their responsibilities and denied God's providence, it triggered a moment of intense divine wrath. During this time of anger, even those with minor offenses were swept up alongside the major sinners, leaving no one spared from the decree [העמק דבר]. The sweeping nature of this judgment eventually encompassed even the highest leaders of the Israelites. Moses and Aaron, who lived and led among the congregation, were also bound by the decree and prevented from entering [קיצור בעל הטורים].

This historical event also serves as a practical foundation for the concept that passing away at the age of sixty is considered a natural death. Because the decree applied specifically to Israelites who were twenty years old and above when they left Egypt, and they wandered in the desert for forty years, these individuals passed away at the exact age of sixty [תורה תמימה].

Furthermore, when God mentions the promise made to the ancestors, He addresses the younger, surviving generation directly, linking the forefathers to them rather than to the generation that died in the desert. God deliberately avoids associating the honorable and holy title of the forefathers with the evil generation that sinned [ביאור יש״ר].