The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand discussed the sin of the Meraglim and focused on Moshe's efforts to convince Hashem not to destroy the Jews after they complained as a result of hearing the report of the Meraglim. Moshe took two approaches - first he said to Hashem in Bamidbar 14:13-15 that the nations of the world would think that He could not bring the Jews into the Land of Israel and then stated in 14:16 - מִבִּלְתִּ֞י יְכֹ֣לֶת יְהֹוָ֗ה לְהָבִיא֙ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֣ע לָהֶ֑ם וַיִּשְׁחָטֵ֖ם בַּמִּדְבָּֽר.
Thereafter Moshe invokes the 13 Middos in Bamidbar 14:18-19, to which Hashem responds in 14:20 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֔ה סָלַ֖חְתִּי כִּדְבָרֶֽךָ.
R' Frand said that Meforshim explain that Hashem forgave the Jews because of the first approach - where Moshe said that this would cause the nations to question Hashem's ability.
Immediately afterwards Hashem says in 14:21 וְאוּלָ֖ם חַי־אָ֑נִי וְיִמָּלֵ֥א כְבוֹד־יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ, which seems like a non-sequitur.
R' Frand quoted the Netziv who explains this sequence by linking it to Tehillim 106 which recounts the travails of the Jews in the desert, but also contains a pasuk which seems out of place. In 106:25 it states וַיֵּרָֽגְנ֥וּ בְאָֽהֳלֵיהֶ֑ם לֹ֥א שָֽׁ֜מְע֗וּ בְּק֣וֹל יְהֹוָֽה - the Jews complained and did not listen to Hashem. Thereafter the punishment is stated in 106:26 - וַיִּשָּׂ֣א יָד֣וֹ לָהֶ֑ם לְהַפִּ֥יל א֜וֹתָ֗ם בַּמִּדְבָּֽר. But then in 106:27 it states וּלְהַפִּ֣יל זַ֖רְעָם בַּגּוֹיִ֑ם וּ֜לְזָרֽוֹתָ֗ם בָּֽאֲרָצֽוֹת, however the Jews were not scattered among the nations while they were in the desert!
The Netziv explains that there was a Plan A and a Plan B. If the Jews had not sinned, they would have gone directly into the land of Israel and built the Beis Hamikdash and the entire world would have seen the Kiddush Hashem and said Hashem Hu HaElokim.
But things did not work out that instead the Plan B was to scatter the Jews among the nations so that they could make Kiddush Hashem wherever they went. This also would cause the nations to recognize Hashem as well. Because they would look at the Jews and see how they acted and survived all the years of Galus (vs the small fraction of time that they were in the land of Israel).
R' Frand quoted the Yaavetz who writes that the greatest miracle is that the Jews are still around and he opines that this is a greater miracle than Yitziyas Mitzrayim.
R' Frand also quoted R' Chatzkel Levenstein who remarked about the Mirrer Yeshiva's travels from Mir to Kobe, Japan to Shanghai and eventually to Brooklyn and Israel as a greater miracle than the Purim story.
R' Frand closed the vort by recognizing the current miracles, including the direct hit on Soroka Hospital which did not kill anyone and the fact that 95% of the missiles from Iran are being intercepted. He mentioned that R' Asher Weiss has instituted that among the Tehillim said after davening is Mizmor L'Todah as a recognition of all that Hashem is doing for us.
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