דברים, פרק ט׳, פסוק ו׳

Right before entering the promised land, Moses demands honest introspection from the Israelites, shattering the illusion that their personal merit earned them this achievement. He asks them to arrive at a deep, clear recognition of the truth rather than a superficial understanding [העמק דבר]. This requires a profound level of self-awareness [רש ר הירש]. If the people need concrete proof that they are not inherently righteous, they only need to look back at their recent history and remember how frequently they angered God [ביאור יש״ר].

One might wonder if the nation had simply repented, allowing their current state of righteousness to earn them the right to inherit the land. However, even during the times when the Israelites actively rebelled against God on their journey, their progress toward the land never stopped. This continuous movement proves that their entry is entirely due to His covenant with their ancestors, rather than any personal merit [אור החיים]. The unbroken chain of rebellions stretching from the departure from Egypt all the way to the plains of Moab—most notably the sin of the Golden Calf, which occurred immediately after hearing the Ten Commandments—serves as undeniable evidence of this reality [רלב״ג].

The root cause of their lack of righteousness lies in their stubborn and rebellious nature [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. They possess a fierce disposition that is incredibly difficult to break [העמק דבר], making it hard for them to let go of the flawed character traits they absorbed while living in Egypt [רלב״ג]. The primary approach among commentators is that this stubbornness completely contradicts the ideals of justice and integrity, making it impossible for someone with such an unyielding nature to be truly righteous or upright in heart.

The essence of this stubbornness is blindly following one's own desires. Even when a guide presents clear proof that their thinking is wrong and leads to destruction, they refuse to listen. Metaphorically, their neck is as rigid as an iron tendon, leaving them unable to turn their gaze to the right or the left to see the truth. Instead, they march blindly forward on their stubborn path [ספורנו, הכתב והקבלה]. Because of this deeply ingrained trait, any righteous behavior the Israelites display is merely the result of habit, rather than true, internal uprightness of heart [העמק דבר].