Moses and the Fires of Gehenna of Israelites

“Take the staff…and give the congregation and their animals to drink” (Numbers 20:8) – from here, that the Holy One blessed be He spares Israel’s property.45This is indicated by God’s concern for their animals. “Moses and Aaron assembled the assembly to before the rock, and he said to them: Hear now, defiant ones; will we bring out water for you from this rock” (Numbers 20:10). “Moses and Aaron assembled the assembly to before the rock” – likewise it says: “Assemble the entire congregation at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting” (Leviticus 8:3).46This is an area too small to hold the entire congregation.

It teaches that each and every one saw himself as though he were standing before the rock. Likewise, when they crossed the Jordan, all of Israel entered between the staves of the Ark, as it is stated: “Joshua said to the children of Israel: Come here, and hear the words of the Lord [your God]” (Joshua 3:9). Here all Israel were standing and witnessing the miracles at the rock. They began to say, ‘Moses knows the nature of the rock; if he seeks to [perform a miracle] let him cause water to flow from this one.’47There were those who said: Moses wants to extract water from a specific rock because he knows that from that rock, or from the area of that rock, it is possible to extract water.

If he claims that he will miraculously extract water, let him extract it from this rock which we choose. As a result, Moses was in a quandary. [He thought:] If I listen to them, I will void the words of the Omnipresent, and the Holy One blessed be He: “He traps the wise with their craftiness” (Job 5:13). Moses was very cautious all those forty years not to become exasperated with them, because he was afraid of the oath that the Holy One blessed be He took: “If any man among these men…will see” (Deuteronomy 1:35).48God took an oath that from that generation only Caleb and Joshua would enter the Land of Israel.

While this implied that Moses and Aaron would not enter, it was not explicit. Therefore, Moses was afraid that even if he only became angry at them he would be included in their punishment. They said to him: ‘Just as you wish to cause water to flow from another rock, cause it to flow from this one.’ He screamed at them: “Listen now, hamorim” (Numbers 20:10).

Hamorim has several interpretations: Hamorim –defiant ones; hamorim – fools, as in the cities of the sea, they call fools morim; hamorim – who teach their teachers; hamorim – shooter of arrows: “The archers [hamorim], the men…found him” (I Samuel 31:3); “the archers [hamorim bakeshet]” (I Chronicles 10:3). “Moses raised his hand, and he struck the rock with his staff twice, and a great deal of water came out, and the congregation and their animals drank” (Numbers 20:11).

“Moses raised his hand, and he struck the rock” – he struck it once, the rock began dripping scant water, as it is stated: “Behold, He struck the rock so that water trickled [vayazuvu]” (Psalms 78:20), like a zav, who drips drops. They said to him: Son of Amram, this is water for nursing babies or those just weaned. He immediately grew impatient with them and struck it twice. Much water emerged and washed away everyone who had been mocking him, as it is stated: “And streams were flowing” (Psalms 78:20).

Nevertheless, Moses did it only from the rock that the Holy One blessed be He had told him. From where is it derived that that rock about which Israel spoke as well as each and every rock that was in that place were producing water? It is as it is stated: “He split boulders…[and gave them drink]” (Psalms 78:15). “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you did not have faith in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel; therefore, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them” (Numbers 20:12).

Why was Aaron included? It is as it is stated: “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you did not have faith in Me.” This is analogous to a creditor who came to take possession of the granary of the borrower, and took his and his neighbor’s. He said to him: ‘If I am liable, what sin did my neighbor commit?’

So too said Moses our teacher: ‘I became impatient; what sin did Aaron commit?’ This is why the verse lauds him:49Lauds Aaron, who did not complain. “Of Levi he said: Your Tumim and Your Urim for Your virtuous one, whom You tested at Masa, [You challenged him at Mei Meriva]” (Deuteronomy 33:8).