Digital Maggid
This parsha, Chukat, is so fascinating. First we have the whole shamanic rite with the red heifer, and then we have Gd telling Moshe to tap a rock with his staff to bring forth water in the desert. And generations upon generations of us have been wondering what the heck Moshe was thinking by clobbering that rock in anger, when … well, how can such a holy man just lose it like that?
Well, here comes another commentary, this one attributed to R’ Menachem Mendel of Vork (the Vorker Rebbe) addressing Moshe’s motivation.
משה רבנו, דער רועה נאמן לישראל האָט בכוונה געשלאָגען דעם שטיין, כדי עס זאָל ניט געשאפען ווערען קיין קטרוג קעגן די אידען, אז א שטיין וואָס רעדט נישט און הערט נישט פאָלגט גיכער דעם געבָט פון גאָט ווי די בני ישראל.
Moshe our Teacher, the loyal shepherd of Israel, deliberately struck the rock in order that no accusation should come against the Jews that a stone, which neither speaks nor hears, would sooner obey the commandments of G-d than the children of Israel.
That’s quite a statement. Moshe didn’t want a rock to show us up.
