Learn about something from the nothing היש מהאין
The Parasha in the everyday life - Parashat Chukat - Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald- 5780
The sin of 'Waters of Meribah' (meaning that the Israelites quarrelled with Hashem) occurred in the year 40 near the entrance to the Land of Israel and the transition from the miraculous desert leadership to the leadership in the Land of Israel by nature. The discussion about the sin tends to focus on the sin of Moshe and Aharon. But was there also a sin of the people of Israel? Apparently, there was a legitimate request for water:
וְלֹא־הָ֥יָה מַ֖יִם לָעֵדָ֑ה וַיִּקָּ֣הֲל֔וּ עַל־מֹשֶׁ֖ה וְעַֽל־אַהֲרֹֽן׃
"The community was without water, and they joined against Moshe and Aharon" (Bamidbar 20:2)
The Chizkuni explains:
ויקהלו על משה ועל אהרן לא לקו עכשיו כמו שלקו בשאר תלונות כי הדין עמהם מאחר שלא היה להם מים.
"And they joined against Moshe and Aharon - they were not punished now as they were in the other complaints, because now they have a case. There really is no water (after Miriam's death)".
The Rambam thinks alike, (Maimonides' introduction to Tractate Avot - Ethics of the Fathers - Chapter 4), but some commentators believe that the people sinned for not settling on a concrete complaint to Moshe:
הנה המריבה עם משה היתה באמרם ולמה הבאתם את קהל ה' אל המדבר הזה. אמנם היתה גם על האל יתברך כאשר העיד באמרו אשר רבו בני ישראל את ה' וזה היה באמרם ולמה העליתנו ממצרים:
"the subject of the quarrel was why Moshe had brought the people to such a desert as the one they found themselves in at the time. However, there was also a complaint against G-d Himself, as the Torah testifies in verse 13 where the Torah writes: אשר רבו בני ישראל את ה', “in that the Children of Israel quarreled with G-d.” This referred to the words (verse 5) “why did you take us out of Egypt?” (Sforno 20:3)
“And in all of the trials in the wilderness, their great sin was when they said, "Why did you take us up from Egypt," in that they wanted to be slaves to their haters with crippling work, [rather] than being with G-d like a son that serves his father. And so the verse states (Bamidbar 11:20), "since you have rejected Hashem that is among you, and you cried in front of Him, saying, 'Why is this, that we went out of Egypt.' And in the first time they said less than this (Shmot 17:3) - “Why did you bring us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” - and there was a great fury against them; and [there was also] great blame, as it stated (Shmot 17:7), "The place was named Massah and Merivah (quarrel), because of the Israelites' quarrel etc." And here it is written explicitly (Bamidbar 20:13), "Those are the Waters of Merivah - that the Israelites quarreled with the Lord." (Ramban 20:8))
This statement was full of imprudence, blaming Hashem blatantly, with disbelief, ungratefulness and lack of appreciation for all the miracles they had experienced so far that made them survive in the desert: the water, the Manna and the Clouds of Glory.
In response, Hashem commands Moshe to do a phenomenal miracle, to speak to the rock and get water out of it:
…וְדִבַּרְתֶּ֧ם אֶל־הַסֶּ֛לַע לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם וְנָתַ֣ן מֵימָ֑יו וְהוֹצֵאתָ֨ לָהֶ֥ם מַ֙יִם֙ מִן־הַסֶּ֔לַע וְהִשְׁקִיתָ֥ אֶת־הָעֵדָ֖ה וְאֶת־בְּעִירָֽם׃
“… and before their very eyes order the rock to yield its water. Thus, you shall produce water for them from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their beasts.” (Ibid 8)
The speech to the rock in front of the people was supposed to be for their ears and for their hearts, for them to understand the message:
שֶׁאִלּוּ דִּבַּרְתֶּם אֶל הַסֶּלַע וְהוֹצִיא, הָיִיתִי מְקֻדָּשׁ לְעֵינֵי הָעֵדָה, וְאוֹמְרִים מַה סֶּלַע זֶה שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְדַבֵּר וְאֵינוֹ שׁוֹמֵעַ וְאֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ לְפַרְנָסָה מְקַיֵּם דִּבּוּרוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם, קַל וָחֹמֶר אָנוּ:
“For had you spoken to the rock and it had brought forth water I would have been sanctified before the whole congregation, for they would have said: What is the case with this rock which cannot speak and cannot hear and needs no maintenance? It fulfils the bidding of the Omnipresent G-d! How much more should we do so?” (Rashi 20:12)
והיה אם כן המכוון ממנו ית' בזה הענין לעורר בם דעת ותבונה על יוקר וחשיבות דבור האלקי בצוויו אליהם…
“Why did He have to make such wonders? Hashem did this to teach knowledge to Bnei Yisroel. Although the urges of a man’s heart are ignoble, and it is against his nature to study Torah and fulfill mitzvos, nevertheless, with Heavenly help it is possible. Just as a hard rock brought forth water against its nature through Hashem’s power, so too, a person’s heart can be an overflowing spring in Hashem’s commandments”. (HaKtav VeHaKabalah Ibid: 8)
Dealing with this crisis, was supposed to make the people understand their mistake, but that goal was missed by the striking!
There is no water in the desert! That's the natural situation! The water supply to the people of Israel was a supernatural intervention, a miracle - through Miriam’s well.
Like many things in life, at first, the wonder causes excitement, but over time, one gets used to it and the wonder gets taken for granted. The heart’s excitement disappears, it hardens like a stone, and the miracle owner stops recognizing it. Only when suddenly the miracle ceases and the regular natural state returns, they feel the missing.
The cessation of water was supposed to remind the people of Israel that so far, the water in the desert was a miracle, learn about something from the nothing! היש מהאין! And to thank G-d for that. But that didn't happen! And that was the sin.
The miracle of getting water from the fossilized rock by speech was to highlight the magnitude of the miracle of water supply so far, and that what seems to be self-evident is nothing short of a miracle, and only the opacity of a fossilized heart would not notice it and blame the Heavens for it.
That message was missed by Moshe hitting and not talking!
Not only were Moshe and Aharon punished for that! Am Israel was also punished as Moshe and Aharon were not their leaders anymore when they arrived into Eretz Israel.