Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email itistaught@gmail.com

Moshe Hits the Rock

G-d tells Moshe that he should take the staff and he and Aaron should gather all of the Israelites together and speak to the rock and the Israelites will see the rock giving them water. The rock will then provide drink for them and their animals*.

*Side note: Rashi points out that in including their animals in the text, this indicates the compassion G-d has for the property of Israel.

So as G-d commanded him to do, Moshe takes the staff and Moshe and Aaron gather everyone before the rock. The area where they gathered was technically too small to hold them, however this is one of several instances in scripture where a small place held something which was technically too big for it (Shmot 9:8, Vayikra 8:3 and Yehoshua 3:9 are other examples).

When the well departed, this designated rock got mixed up with the other rocks and the Israelites said, what difference does it make which rock you bring water out of? Moshe replied by calling them rebels for trying to tell them to get water from a rock that they were not commanded to.

By mistake, Moshe speaks to the wrong rock which does not bring forth water. So they reason that maybe they have to hit the rock, as they did earlier (see Shmos 17:6).

Then they come across the correct rock and Moshe strikes it. It brings forth only a few drops however since G-d did not instruct Moshe to strike it, only to speak to it.

So Moshe then strikes the rock a second time and much water comes gushing out from which all of the people and animals drank.

G-d tells Moshe and Aaron that because of this act of striking the rock which displayed a lack of faith, they will be punished to not enter into the land of Israel.

Aaron was punished as well for this since he could have stopped Moshe from hitting the rock but he did not.

If not for this sin, they would have entered into the land. Although earlier Moshe also erred in saying "If sheep and cattle were slaughtered for them would it suffice for them?"( Bamidbar 11:22) which seemingly called into question G-d's power, the instance of hitting the rock was more severe because it was done in public in front of all of the Israelites, when he had the opportunity to sanctify G-d's name by speaking to the rock and he did not.

Moshe hit the rock out of anger. If he would not have gotten angry he would not have been punished so.

These waters are considered the waters of strife which were originally mentioned by Pharoah's astrologers who foresaw that the savior of Israel would be stricken through water (which is why they decreed that all male Israelites should be thrown into the water (see Shmos 1:22).

Because Moshe and Aaron were judged by G-d through these waters, G-d was sanctified through them.