In the book of Numbers, we find Moses doing just that, wrestling with God over the fate of the Israelites. It’s a moment of incredible intensity, revealing a deep and complex relationship.

The Israelites, fresh from their miraculous escape from Egypt, have just displayed a shocking lack of faith. They’ve listened to the discouraging report of the spies sent to scout the Promised Land, and now they’re ready to give up, to turn back. In His anger, God declares He will destroy them and start anew with Moses. But Moses, ever the advocate, steps in.

"They heard that You, the Lord, are in the midst of this people," Moses argues, as we read in Numbers 14:14-16. He pleads with God, "If You kill this people as one man, the nations who have heard Your fame will say: 'Because of the inability of the Lord to bring this nation to the land which He swore to give them, He killed them in the desert.'"

It’s a fascinating argument. Moses isn’t just appealing to God's mercy, but to His reputation. He's saying, in essence: Don't do this, not just for their sake, but for Your own. Don't let the nations say that the gods of Canaan are stronger than the gods of Egypt. As Bamidbar Rabbah 16 points out, the fear is that the world would claim God lacked yekholet – ability.

But what does yekholet really mean here? One interpretation suggests it refers specifically to food. As the text goes on to say, if God destroys them now, the nations will say it’s because He couldn’t provide for them. He took them out to the wilderness to kill them because He lacked the "ability" – the food – to sustain them. This interpretation draws a parallel with I Kings 5:25, where the word makolet, meaning provision, is used.

There's another, even more poignant layer to Moses's argument. Bamidbar Rabbah suggests he’s also worried about God being perceived as cruel. "The generation of the Flood came and He eradicated them," Moses argues, "The generation of the Dispersion came, the Sodomites came, the Egyptians came, and He eradicated them. These, too, whom He called: 'My son, My firstborn' (Exodus 4:22), behold, He is eradicating them…" The text continues, likening God to a mythical figure, Lilit, a demon queen who, finding nothing else to destroy, turns on her own children. A chilling image! So, "due to the Lord’s lack of yekholet,” is then reinterpreted as meaning a lack of victims to eradicate, lekhalot.

Moses continues, "That with their very eyes [ayin be’ayin], You, [the Lord], were seen” (Numbers 14:14). What does ayin be’ayin mean? Reish Lakish explains that it means the scales are equal [me’uyan]. In other words, God says, “I will smite them with pestilence,” and Moses says, “Please pardon.” Let’s see whose word prevails. As it is stated, “I have pardoned in accordance with your word” (Numbers 14:20).

And here’s the really interesting part. Even though God relents, He doesn't entirely abandon His decree. He tells Moses, "I will render you a nation greater [and mightier than they]" (Numbers 14:12). According to the text, God produced six hundred thousand descendants from Moses through his grandson Rehavya (I Chronicles 23:17).

But the story doesn’t end there. The Bamidbar Rabbah offers a vision of the future, a time when God will gather all the scattered Israelites from the far corners of the earth. As Isaiah 49:12 proclaims, "Behold, these will come from afar, and behold, these from the North and from the West, and those from the land of Sinim." They will come from beyond the Sambatyon River (a mythical river that rests only on the Sabbath) and the mountains of darkness. Isaiah 49:9 says, "To say to prisoners: Emerge," these are those situated beyond the Sambatyon River. “To those in darkness: Reveal yourselves,” these are those situated beyond the clouds of darkness. At that moment, they will be redeemed, and come to Zion in joy, as it is stated: “The redeemed of the Lord will return and will come to Zion in song” (Isaiah 51:11).

So, what does this all mean? It's a reminder that even in moments of divine anger, there is room for dialogue, for advocacy, for change. It's a story about the enduring relationship between God and His people, a relationship marked by both conflict and unwavering love. And it's a story that offers hope, a vision of a future where all are redeemed and reunited in joy. A future we can still strive for today.