Why God Sent the Fiery Serpents Against Israel in the Wilderness

"And the soul of the people grew short on the way" (Numbers 21:4). This thing the Holy One, blessed be He, did for the good of Israel, but they thought evil of Him. And how do we know this? As it is said, "And the people spoke against God and against Moses" (Numbers 21:5). Yet the Holy One, blessed be He, did it only so that they should not fall into the hand of their enemies, the Edomites; and furthermore, that He might give them the land of Sihon and Og; and furthermore, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them water from the earth and bread from heaven. But they were saying that they were lacking every good thing. And this is what they said: "and our soul loathes this light bread (ha-kelokel)" (Numbers 21:5). Another interpretation of "this light bread (ha-kelokel)": that it was light in their body, for they had no need to go outside. And they were saying: Who has ever seen a person who eats and does not go outside to relieve himself? Yet we grind it and we do not excrete, and tomorrow we will swell up and our bellies will burst. But the Holy One, blessed be He, did this for them only for praise, and they put out an evil report against it. Then "the LORD sent the fiery serpents (ha-nechashim ha-serafim) among the people" (Numbers 21:6). They took up the matters of the primeval serpent, and they spoke against the Holy One, blessed be He, words that were not fitting; therefore He punished them with serpents. Another interpretation: The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let the serpents come, whose food is dust and who do not complain about their food, and let them punish these, whose food and sustenance is from the manna and the quail, yet they complain about their food. "The fiery serpents (serafim)": that they burn during his lifetime everyone whom they bite. And when they said "we have sinned," as it is said, "and they said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you" (Numbers 21:7), they asked of Moses that he should pray for them; and Moses was not cruel. Immediately he prayed for them, for anyone who does not pray for his fellow is a sinner, as it is said concerning Samuel, "Far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you" (1 Samuel 12:23). And from whom do you learn this? From Moses our teacher, peace be upon him. And the Holy One, blessed be He, too, when He heard that they said "we have sinned," accepted the prayer of Moses and instructed them what they should do until they would be saved, as it is said, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent (saraf)" (Numbers 21:8).