Our
Parashah begins with the Mitzvah of the Parah Adumah, one of the Torah's
"Chukim" - enigmatic Mitzvot. It continues with an account of Moshe Rabbenu striking
the rock at Mei Merivah to bring forth water for the thirsty congregation. This
"sin", like the Mitzvah of the Parah Adumah, is also shrouded in
mystery.
"Because
you did not believe in Me, to sanctify Me before the Nation of Israel -
therefore you [Moshe and Aharon] shall not lead this congregation into the Land
which I have given to them" (Bemidbar 20:12). Hashem's command is crystal
clear: it first describes what Moshe Rabbenu and Aharon did and said, and then maps
out their punishment. But there is one thing that's far from explicit: the sin!
What exactly is the sin for which they were punished so severely? To this
question there are almost as many answers as there are commentaries on the
Torah.
Rashi's
commentary follows the opinion found in the Zohar (Bereshit 20) and the Midrash
(Yalkut Reuveni 70). He explained that
"Hashem did not command them to strike the rock, but rather to speak to
it. Had they spoken to the rock and produced
water it would have been a tremendous sanctification of the Divine Name. If a deaf and dumb rock, which is not
dependent upon G-d's mercy, does G-d's
bidding when spoken to, how much more so must human beings fulfill the Divine
commands" (Bemidbar 20:8-12 with Rashi). The Ramban disagreed with this explanation,
noting that Moshe Rabbenu was commanded to take his staff (ibid. v. 8), which
implies that he was supposed to use it. Furthermore,
he asks why it is any less miraculous to draw water from a rock by knocking it
with a staff than by speaking to it? Our
Rabbi, Ha-Rav Tzvi Yehudah Kook sharpened the question by noting that hitting
an inanimate object seems more "natural" and appropriate than talking
to it. As the Nation of Israel came
closer and closer to Eretz Israel, they gradually assumed a more natural, less
overtly miraculous way of life. The
clouds disappeared upon Aharon's death, the well no longer followed them when
Miriam died. Later, when they actually
entered Eretz Israel, the Manna no longer fell. It would therefore seem more appropriate for
Moshe Rabbenu to strike the rock at this point (see Sichot Ha-Rav Tzvi Yehudah,
Chukat 1). But why, in any case, do the
commentators put such an emphasis on the difference between speaking to a rock
and striking it?
Man
is defined as a "speaking animal." His ability to perceive abstract ideas and
moral imperatives and to express them in words is what sets him above the rest
of the animal world. On the verse,
"And man became a living soul" (Bereshit 2:7), the Targum Onkelos
translates "a speaking soul," and Rashi explained that it means the
ability to think and to speak. Through
Man's verbal ability, he communicates with and influences society and is able
to translate thought into action. This requires
proper use of the power of speech. There
are times to be silent and times to speak. Our Sages ask, "What is man's
special skill in this world?" They
answer, "To act as if he were mute" (Chulin 89a).
Does
this mean he shouldn't discuss Torah and Mitzvot either? No, the Torah teaches: “You shall speak
righteously" (ibid.). It takes
great skill to differentiate between speech that is beneficial and a Mitzvah,
and that which is damaging and prohibited. Since speech expresses man's very being, it is
essential that the Nation be led by persuasion and not by coercion. The Aramaic word for "leader" is
"Dabar" - speaker.
When
Hashem wished to appoint Moshe Rabbenu to lead the Nation of Israel out of
Egypt, Moshe Rabbenu protested: "I am heavy of mouth and of tongue"
(Shemot 4:6). He felt himself unable to
communicate with the people. Hashem then
pronounced "Aharon, your brother, shall speak" in your place (ibid.
v. 14-16). Eventually, though, Moshe
Rabbenu acquired the power of leadership through speech. The phrase "And Moshe spoke" appears
innumerable times in the Torah, and the whole book of Devarim is one long
speech given by Moshe Rabbenu before his death (see beginning of Midrash Devarim
Rabbah). Important as speech may be in
leading the Nation, however, there is obviously a need for coercion as well. We don't depend on the power to persuasion to
convince a thief to compensate for his theft: we grab him by the neck and bring
him to judgment. There is a need for
courts and police. But these coercive
tools are secondary forces. The primary force must be verbal.
Our
Rabbi, Ha-Rav Tzvi Yehudah, explained that Moshe Rabbenu had such a great personality
that even when he tried to act silently – striking the rock without speaking –
the intensity of his presence was overpowering. But the Nation of Israel at
this point, preparing to settle Eretz Israel, was in need of a leader who would
not overpower them. Thus, his punishment
was appropriate: "Moshe would die and Yehoshua would bring them into Eretz
Israel" (Sanhedrin 17a). Moshe is
compared to the sun (Baba Batra 75a). Sunshine may sometimes be overpowering. Its light is so strong that the stars cannot
be discerned during the day, even though they are always present. The light of the sun, of Moshe Rabbenu,
overpowered and concealed other lights. Yehoshua however "is like the light of
the moon" (Baba Batra ibid.). The
light of the moon allows other lights to be seen too. When we entered Eretz Israel, there was no
room for coercion. The Nation must be
led by words and not by force. Moshe Rabbenu
was therefore punished by not being allowed to continue to lead the people by
force into the Promised Land. He would
die, and a different type of leadership would take over. The Rambam's
commentary is in a similar vein. He
explained Moshe Rabbenu's sin as one of anger (Shemoneh Perakim, chapters 4 and
7) because he called the Nation "rebellious," even though their
demand for water was not considered a sin. Although the Torah does not state that they
were punished for speaking angrily, the Maharal explained that angry speech is
a sign of a lack of faith. Anger is an
expression of attempting to force things to be what you want, while soft speech
implies the belief that others can be influenced by reason. The power of speech is man's greatest
strength, and we must believe in its power to change not only people's hearts,
but even inanimate objects (see Sefer Ha-Ikarim 4:22). As Yeshayahu said, [Hashem] fulfills His
servant's word" (44:26). Yehoshua prayed, "Sun - stand still in
Giveon and moon in the valley of Ayalon" (Yehoshua 10:12), Moshe Rabbenu
commanded the earth to swallow up Korach (Bemidbar 16:30) and Eliyahu Ha-Navi
imposed a drought upon all of Eretz Israel (Melachim 1 17:1). The sin of Mei Merivah and Moshe Rabbenu's
punishment teach us, once and for all, that force is not the way to educate.
