Ki Tavo תרל”א 3

ולא נתן ה’ לכם לב לדעת כו’ אזנים לשמוע כו’
And HaShem has not given you a heart to comprehend and ears to hear etc.
וברש”י ומד’ כשאמר הקב”ה מי יתן והי’ לבבם זה ליראה כו’ הי’ להם לומר תן כו’
In Rashi from the Medrash, when HaShem said if only their hearts will be like this (the way they were at the giving of the Torah). Bnei Yisrael should have responded: “Give us such heart..”
והלא בשעת מתן תורה פנים בפנים דיבר ה’ כו’ ואיתא לא הי’ בהן סומא וחרש כו’ ומה ולא נתן כו’
However this Medrash is eemkngly difficult for when HaShem gave us the Torah there was an absolute revelation where He spoke to us “face to face” and it further days that everyone was healed there was no one blind or deaf. So if so he did actually give us a heart to comprehend ears to hear and eyes to see. Why does Moshe now say they don’t have it?
אך הרצון והמבוקש מבנ”י להיות נטבע הראי’ והשמיעה לדבר ה’ אשר נצפן ונגנז תוך כל דבר קטן וגדול.
However the true will of HaShem for Bnei Yisrael is that the “seeing” and “hearing” the word of HaShem should be so ingrained into a person that he sees it in every single thing small and large.
ובשעת מתן תורה הי’ התגלות
However at the giving of the Torah there was a revelation (and the will of HaShem is that we will be able to discern even when there is a lack of clarity)
וכ’ לב לדעת ופי’ דעת שצריכין להבחין ולדבוק בהרגשת הפנימיות (א”כ) [*אכן] החיצוניות מסתיר כענין עה”ד טו”ר.
And it says that the heart is able to discern לדעת. Da’as is the ability to discern and connect with one’s inner feelings, however the external world covers up and confuses a person where one cannot discern so easily. As it says עץ הדעת טוב ורע that even though it was a tree of knowledge nevertheless there is good and evil mixed in.
אבל אז הי’ התגלות.
However at the giving of the Torah there was an absolute revelation (and they did not reach that stage where they could discern between good and evil and connect to HaShem even in the hiddenness, because there was absolute clarity.
וז”ש מי יתן והיי’ לבבם ב’ יצרים.
This is also hinted to in the continuation of the pasuk, והיה לבבם “…and their hearts should be like this all the days” the word heart לבבם means the two opposing forces for good and evil that lie within one’s heart. Both of those should be in service of HaShem. (That when one connects to the pnimius of everything then one can experience a connection even with the forces that seemingly oppose the revelation of HaShem.)
וז”ש ג”כ במד’ שרמז להם מרע”ה על שלא ביקשו מהש”י שיכנוס מרע”ה עמהם לא”י.
This is was is meant in the Medrash: That Moshe was hinting to Bnei Yisrael that they didn’t daven for Moshe to enter Eretz Yisrael. This means they didn’t have correct da’as. (The sin of the spies was that they didn’t want to go into Eretz Yisrael, because in the wilderness they had incredible understanding. However that was all in theory, when they would enter Eretz Yisrael it is a land of action. Just as all the mitzvos that are dependant on Eretz Yisrael are all practical mitzvos. And they didn’t want to lower themselves to this level of practicality.)
וי”ל כנ”ל שמרע”ה רצה שיביאו בחי’ הדעת גם במקום הנסתר ונכסה שיהי’ הכל אחד אצלם
Therefore we can explain that Moshe Rabeinu wanted to bring this element of da’as, where they can see with absolute clarity even in the dark and hidden places that really it is all one and the same. Whether it is amazing comprehension or it is simple practical mitzvos one should realise that it is all the same connection (on an internal level).
להבין ולראות ולשמוע דבר ה’ בכל מעשה קטן וגדול.
To understand, to see and to hear the word of HaShem even in the smallest of deeds or big ones.
ואז הי’ יכול לכנוס לא”י ג”כ והמש”י:
And if so that generation could have entered Eretz Yisrael (and wouldn’t have needed to die in midbar) had they understood this. והמשכיל יבין.