The Israelites certainly did. In the book of Exodus, right after the incredible miracle of being freed from Egypt, they find themselves wandering in the desert, thirsty and complaining. "Why did you take us out of Egypt," they cry to Moses, "to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?" (Exodus 17:3).
It's interesting, isn't it? The Shemot Rabbah (a classic collection of rabbinic commentary on Exodus) points out something subtle here. The people complained not just about their own thirst, but about their animals' as well, even though the water was actually suitable for the animals. It's like, "The house collapsed; too bad about the windows," as Rabbi Yehoshua puts it.
Why the extra complaint? Some say, according to the Shemot Rabbah, that a person’s animal is nothing other than his life. When a person sets out on the road, if his animal is not with him, he will suffer. It's like they knew their survival was linked to the well-being of their livestock.
Faced with this grumbling, Moses does what he always does: he turns to God. He cries out, asking, "Master of the universe, inform me whether or not they will kill me." Talk about pressure! But God's response is fascinating. He tells Moses, "Pass before the people."
What does this "pass before the people" mean? Rabbi Meir interprets the Hebrew word "avor" (pass) as "emulate." He says God is telling Moses, "Emulate Me. Just as I repay evil with good, you, too, repay evil with good." He finds support for this idea in (Micah 7:18), “Who is a God like You, Who pardons iniquity and overlooks [veover] transgression." It’s a profound lesson in leadership and forgiveness, isn't it? Turning the other cheek, even when it's really hard.
God then instructs Moses to take his staff – the same staff that brought plagues upon Egypt – and strike a rock. Now, this staff, it had a history. Moses himself points out to God that it's a "staff of punishment." But God says, "My nature is not like the nature of flesh and blood. He strikes with a chisel and heals with a bandage, but I, with what I strike, I heal." With what I strike, I heal!
And so, Moses strikes the rock, and water gushes forth, enough for everyone. They call the place Masa and Meriva (Exodus 17:7) – "Testing" and "Quarreling" – because the Israelites tested God, asking, "Is the Lord in our midst, or not?"
But what exactly was the dispute, the meriva? Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Neḥemya, and other Rabbis offer different interpretations. One says they were questioning God's absolute authority. Another says they were questioning if God would provide for them like a present king should. Still another says they questioned if God knew what they contemplated in their hearts. If God didn't meet their conditions, they threatened to rebel!
God's response? "If you sought to challenge Me, let the wicked one come and challenge you." And then, "Amalek came." It's like a test, a consequence of their lack of faith. The Shemot Rabbah illustrates this with a powerful analogy: a child riding on his father's shoulders, asking, "Have you seen my father?" The father replies, "You are riding on my shoulders and you ask about me? I will cast you down and the enemy will come and dominate you." Ouch.
So, what's the takeaway? Perhaps it's about recognizing the blessings we already have, even when we're facing challenges. It’s about trusting in something bigger than ourselves, even when we can't see the water source. And maybe, just maybe, it's about remembering that sometimes, the things we use to punish can also be instruments of healing and blessing. Just like Moses's staff.
“Amalek came.” What is written prior to the matter? “The entire congregation of the children of Israel traveled…there was no water for the people to drink” (Exodus 17:1). For the people there was not, but for the flocks and the cattle there was.1The water was fit for animals to drink but not for people. Immediately they came to engage in a dispute with Moses and said to him: “Why did you take us up out of Egypt [to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst]?” (Exodus 17:3).2This was unnecessarily quarrelsome, as there was actually water for the animals. From here, Rabbi Yehoshua would say: The house collapsed; too bad about the windows –“I and my livestock with thirst” (Exodus 17:3).3Rabbi Yehoshua noted that when people complain, they often complain even about matters that are relatively minor compared to the primary concern. Similarly, after complaining that they would die, the Israelites also added that their animals would die as well. Some say that a person’s animal is nothing other than his life;4They complained about the animals’ safety because the safety of one’s animals ensures the safety of one’s own life. when a person sets out on the road, if his animal is not with him, he will suffer. Immediately, Moses stood in prayer, as it is stated: “Moses cried out to the Lord, saying” (Exodus 17:4). What is “saying”? He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, inform me whether or not they will kill me.’ He said to him: ‘What concern is it of yours? “Pass before the people”’ (Exodus 17:5). What is “pass [avor]”? He said to him: ‘Overlook [avor] their words.’ Rabbi Meir says: What is avor? He said: ‘Emulate Me. Just as I repay evil with good, you, too, repay evil with good,’ as it is stated: “Who is a God like You, Who pardons iniquity and overlooks [veover] transgression” (Micah 7:18). Rabbi Yehuda says: Pardon [avor] their sins. Rabbi Neḥemya says: “Pass before the people,”5No need to fear them. Pass before them confidently. let one who has haughtiness come and speak against you. “The Lord said to Moses: Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go” (Exodus 17:5). “Take with you some of the elders of Israel,” so they will be witnesses, so they will not say to you: ‘There were springs there.’ “Your staff with which you struck the Nile,” he said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, this staff is a staff of punishment. It rendered the water in Egypt putrid and it brought the ten plagues upon the Egyptians.’ The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘My nature is not like the nature of flesh and blood. He strikes with a chisel and heals with a bandage, but I, with what I strike, I heal.’ That is why it says: “And take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile,” so that everyone will know that it is [a staff] of blessing. “Behold, I am standing before you there upon the rock at Ḥorev; you shall strike the rock and water will emerge from it, and the people will drink. Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel” (Exodus 17:6). “He called the place Masa and Meriva, due to the dispute of the children of Israel and due to their trying of the Lord, saying: Is the Lord in our midst, or not?” (Exodus 17:7). “You shall strike the rock.” What is “you shall strike the rock”? The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘If they request from this rock, produce it for them, and if from that rock give it to them.’6It did not matter which rock was chosen. This was so that the Israelites could not claim that Moses had brought forth water naturally from a rock with a hidden water source. When the water emerged, it provided for all the tents of Israel. What is written there? “He called the place Masa and Meriva” (Exodus 17:7). What dispute [meriva] was there? Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Neḥemya, and the Rabbis, Rabbi Yehuda says: They said: ‘If He is Master over all creations just as He is Master over us, we will worship Him, but if not, we will rebel against Him.’ Rabbi Neḥemya says [they said]: ‘If He provides us our sustenance like a king who is present in the province, and the residents of the province do not require anything from him, we will worship Him, but if not, we will rebel against Him.’ The Rabbis say [they said]: ‘If we contemplate in our heart and He knows what we are contemplating, we will worship Him, but if not, we will rebel against Him.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘If you sought to challenge Me, let the wicked one come and challenge you.’ Immediately, “Amalek came.” What is written there? “Is the Lord in our midst, or not? Amalek came” (Exodus 17:7–8). How does this relate to that? It is analogous to a child who was riding on his father’s shoulders and saw his father’s friend. He said to him: ‘Have you seen father?’ His father said to him: ‘You are riding on my shoulders and you ask about me? I will cast you down and the enemy will come and dominate you.’ So too, the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘I bore you on clouds of glory and you say: “Is the Lord in our midst”? Therefore, let the enemy come and dominate you.’ That is, “Amalek came.”
