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.