(Devarim 1:28) "Whither are we going up? Our brothers have melted our hearts, saying, etc.": They said to him: Moses, our teacher, if we had heard such words from others, we would not believe them, but (we heard them) from those whose sons are our sons, and whose daughters are our daughters!
"cities great and fortified in heaven": R. Shimon b. Gamliel says: Scripture (here) speaks hyperbolically, as it does in (Ibid. 9:1) "Hear, O Israel, you are crossing over the Jordan this day." But when the Holy One Blessed be He says to our father Abraham (Bereshith 26:4) "And I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven," and (Ibid. 13:16) "I will make your seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, so will your seed be numbered" — this is not hyperbole. (Devarim, Ibid.)
"and also the sons of giants did we see there" — whence we are taught that they saw giants atop giants, as in (Psalms 73:6) "Therefore, pride bestrides them as a giant." (Devarim, Ibid. 20)
"And I said to you, etc.", (32) "and in this thing, etc.": I say this to you not of myself, but at the behest of the Holy One Blessed be He. (29) "Do not break and do not fear them":
Why? (30) "(For) the L-rd your G-d who goes before you, etc." He said to them: He who wrought miracles for you in Egypt, and all of these miracles is destined to perform miracles for you upon your entering the land.
(דברים א כח) אָנָה אֲנַחְנוּ עֹלִים אַחֵינוּ הֵמַסּוּ אֶת לְבָבֵנוּ לֵאמֹר, אָמְרוּ לוֹ, רַבֵּינוּ מֹשֶׁה, אִלּוּ מִבְּנֵי אָדָם אֲחֵרִים הָיִינוּ שׁוֹמְעִים דְּבָרִים הַלָּלוּ לֹא הָיִינוּ מַאֲמִינִים, אֶלָּא מִבְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁבָּנֵינוּ בְּנֵיהֶם וּבְנוֹתֵינוּ בְּנוֹתֵיהֶם.
(Devarim 1:28) "Whither are we going up? Our brothers have melted our hearts, saying, etc.": They said to him: Moses, our teacher, if we had heard such words from others, we would not believe them, but (we heard them) from those whose sons are our sons, and whose daughters are our daughters!
עַם גָּדוֹל, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהָיוּ גְבוֹהִים בְּקוֹמָה.
"a great people": great in numbers.
וָרָב, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהָיוּ מְרֻבִּים בְּאוּכְלוּסִים.
"higher than we": (i.e.,) taller.
עָרִים גְּדוֹלוֹת וּבְצוּרוֹת בַּשָּׁמָיִם, רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר: דִּבְּרוּ כְתוּבִים לְשׁוֹן הֲבַיי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ט א): ״שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עֹבֵר הַיּוֹם אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן״, אֲבָל מַה שֶׁאָמַר הַמָּקוֹם לְאַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ (בראשית כו ד): ״וְהִרְבֵּיתִי אֶת זַרְעֲךָ כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם״, (בראשית יג טז) ״וְשַׂמְתִּי אֶת זַרְעֲךָ כַּעֲפַר הָאָרֶץ״ – אֵינָם דִּבְרֵי הֲבַיי.
"cities great and fortified in heaven": R. Shimon b. Gamliel says: Scripture (here) speaks hyperbolically, as it does in (Ibid. 9:1) "Hear, O Israel, you are crossing over the Jordan this day." But when the Holy One Blessed be He says to our father Abraham (Bereshith 26:4) "And I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven," and (Ibid. 13:16) "I will make your seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, so will your seed be numbered" — this is not hyperbole. (Devarim, Ibid.)
וְגַם בְּנֵי עֲנָקִים רָאִינוּ שָׁם, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁרָאוּ שָׁם עֲנָקִים עַל גַּבֵּי עֲנָקִים, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים עג ו): ״לָכֵן עֲנָקַתְמוֹ גַאֲוָה״.
"and also the sons of giants did we see there" — whence we are taught that they saw giants atop giants, as in (Psalms 73:6) "Therefore, pride bestrides them as a giant." (Devarim, Ibid. 20)
(דברים א כט) וָאֹמַר אֲלֵכֶם, אָמַר לָהֶם: לֹא מֵעַצְמִי אֲנִי אוֹמֵר לָכֶם, אֶלָּא מִפִּי הַקֹּדֶשׁ אֲנִי אוֹמֵר לָכֶם.
"And I said to you, etc.", (32) "and in this thing, etc.": I say this to you not of myself, but at the behest of the Holy One Blessed be He. (29) "Do not break and do not fear them":
לֹא תַעַרְצוּן וְלֹא תִירְאוּן מֵהֶם, מִפְּנֵי מָה? – כִּי (דברים א ל) ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַהוֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיכֶם, אָמַר לָהֶם: מִי שֶׁעָשָׂה לָכֶם נִסִּים בְּמִצְרַיִם וְכָל הַנִּסִּים הָאֵלּוּ הוּא עָתִיד לַעֲשׂוֹת לָכֶם נִסִּים בִּכְנִיסַתְכֶם לָאָרֶץ.
Why? (30) "(For) the L-rd your G-d who goes before you, etc." He said to them: He who wrought miracles for you in Egypt, and all of these miracles is destined to perform miracles for you upon your entering the land.
כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אִתְּכֶם בְּמִצְרַיִם לְעֵינֵיכֶם, אִם אֵין אַתֶּם מַאֲמִינִים לְהַבָּא – הַאֲמִינוּ לְשֶׁעָבַר.
"as all that He did with you in Egypt before your eyes": If you do not believe in the future, believe in the past.