Jun 23/07 — Parashat Chukat: How Can Someone So “Right” Get Something So Wrong?

Commentary by Rabbi Lawrence M. Pinsker

Having exhausted their water supply, the Israelites in anger turn on Moses and Aaron. God, however, has a plan to respond to the outcry of the people:

… the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “You and your brother Aaron take the rod and assemble the community, and before their very eyes, order the rock to yield its water. Thus you shall produce water for them from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their beasts.” Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as He had commanded him. Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation in front of the rock; and he said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels, shall we get water for you out of this rock?’ And Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. Out came copious water, and the community and their beasts drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust in Me enough to affirm My sanctity in the sight of the Israelite people, therefore you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them.’”

— Numbers 20: 7-12

What is Moses’ problem? Apparently Moses is deeply frustrated because of the people’s repeated expressions of dissatisfaction and their demanding behaviour. Instead of following God’s instructions and commanding the rock to yield water, Moses hits it with his rod. Water does flow out of the rock, but at a terrible cost. Water came forth and the people’s needs were met, but for Moses and Aaron this is the end of their role as leaders.

For centuries, commentators have offered different explanations of why God responded by reprimanding and punishing Moses and Aaron. A thousand years ago Rashi said that striking the rock, rather than speaking to it, diminished the impact of the miracle, which was not only to provide water but lift the Israelites’ spirits. The medieval Spanish commentator Moses ibn Ezra attributed the punishment to the fact that Moses needed to be told to perform the miracle instead of being confident that God would come through for the people.

In the 12th century, Maimonides offered an intriguing explanation for Moses’ punishment. He believed that Moses was punished not because he struck the rock, but rather because of the way he chose to speak to the Israelites: “Listen, you rebels …” Maimonides said that Moses had no reason at all to speak to the people as he did — they were nearly dying of thirst and simply wanted to stay alive. That he would speak harshly to them at such a time was unacceptable.

At times of stress and frustration even the best among us can “lose it,” lashing out even at someone who wants to help us. Feelings may be strong, but it is unacceptable to unload them in a way that may damage relations or magnify a crisis. Effective leaders, facilitators, caregivers, family, and friends have an obligation to transcend the intensity of their feelings and work hard at understanding what has triggered their response. They cannot afford to take things personally, especially when their visceral response is intense, as it was for Moses. Not every word uttered in anger or frustration should be taken personally. Most times, angry words have nothing to do with the person at whom they are directed.

One final suggestion: there are some commentators who suggest that God’s response to Moses and Aaron’s action was not punishment, but rather recognition of a need to change leadership. Every healthy organization is engaged in constant change, marked by processing of new issues and concerns that may require different leadership qualities. Healthy institutions welcome such change.

Moses and Aaron brought the newly-formed Jewish people to the borders of the land promised to them by God. Entering the Land meant facing new challenges with new faces, new ideas, and new leaders — in this instance, Moses’ designated successor, Joshua, and his companion, Caleb, the only two of the twelve Israelite princes who scouted the land and returned with a clear, positive report about its goodness.

Change is never easy. Sometimes it is difficult and painful, but continued growth as a civilization, as a people, as an individual, demands it. Harold Wilson, the late Prime Minister of Great Britain, said it well:

“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.”

Shabbat Shalom.