40 years later, Moses was under the impression that striking the rock was not that bad. He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the children of Israel and because of their testing G‑d, saying, 'Is the Lord in our midst or not?'" ( Ex. " Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel. Behold, I shall stand there before you on the rock in Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink.' 'take into your hand your staff, with which you struck the Nile, and go. " Moses cried out to G‑d, saying, 'What shall I do for this people? Just a little longer and they will stone me!' " The people thirsted there for water, and complained against Moses, saying, 'Why have you brought us up from Egypt to make me and my children and my livestock die of thirst?' So the people quarreled with Moses, saying, 'Give us water that we may drink!' Moses said to them, 'Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test G‑d?' " There was no water for the people to drink. But in that instance, G‑d expressed His desire that Moses actually strike the rock: Why did Moses need to strike the rock twice.?įorty years earlier, shortly after the Egyptian exodus, a similar incident occurred. Why did Moses need to strike the rock twice before it would emit abundant water? If G‑d did not allow the water to come out after the first blow because it was contrary to His will, why did He allow the water to flow after the second blow? G‑d claimed that by striking the rock, Moses and Aaron failed to sanctify His name. Why was Moses punished so severely for this sin? Does it really make a difference whether you communicate to a rock verbally or by force? What compelled Moses to sin? If G‑d instructed him to speak to the rock, why did he choose to strike it? I, for one, know of no particular lust to strike rocks.
Yet, this explanation leaves us with many more questions. It was this error of Moses that prevented him from entering the Holy Land. Instead, Moses struck the rock (his brother Aaron complied). What were they being penalized for?Ī subtle examination of the text reveals the nature of Moses' and Aaron's transgression. What exactly was Moses' and Aaron's sin? G‑d instructed them to produce water from a rock and quench the thirst of the people. This was an incredible tragedy: Moses would not enter the Holy Land. " G‑d said to Moses and Aaron, 'Since you did not have faith in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly to the Land which I have given them.'" ( Num. " Moses raised his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, when an abundance of water gushed forth, and the congregation and their livestock drank. Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation in front of the rock, and he said to them, 'Now listen, you rebels, can we draw water for you from this rock?' " Moses took the staff from before the Lord as He had commanded him. You shall bring forth water for them from the rock, and give the congregation and their livestock to drink.' ' Now listen, you rebels, can we draw water for you from this rock?' " G‑d spoke to Moses, saying, 'Take the staff and assemble the congregation, you and your brother Aaron, and speak to the rock in their presence so that it will give forth its water. Why have you brought the congregation of the Lord to this desert so that we and our livestock should die there? Why have you taken us out of Egypt to bring us to this bad place it is not a place for seeds, or for fig trees, grapevines or pomegranate trees, and there is no water to drink'… " The people quarreled with Moses, saying, 'If only we had died with the death of our brothers before the Lord. " The congregation had no water, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron." But an incident occurred that would transform the nation and its leader's destiny. By now, the young nation of Israel was finally ready to enter the Promised Land, under the leadership of Moses. Most of the older generation had already passed on. For 40 years they had wandered together in a wilderness.
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