Even when we “speak to a rock,” when it appears as though our words have no impact, it can eventually “produce water” and yield the desired result.
Parashat Chukat contains the famous and mysterious story of Mei Meriva, where Moshe is instructed by God to speak to a rock in the wilderness to produce water, but Moshe strikes the rock, instead. God severely punishes Moshe and Aharon for their failure in this regard, and decrees that they would die in the wilderness rather than proceed with Benei Yisrael to the Land of Israel.
Among the many questions raised concerning this incident is why God had instructed Moshe to speak to a rock. Why would He ordain such a peculiar display, that the nation’s prophet and leader speak to a rock and ask it to produce water?
Rav Moshe Feinstein (in the posthumously published Derash Moshe) suggested that the intended event of Moshe speaking to a rock was symbolic of an important educational message that God sought to convey. Sometimes, when we attempt to guide, instruct or teach those under our charge, we experience the feeling of “speaking to a rock,” that our words come upon deaf ears. God wanted to demonstrate that even when we “speak to a rock,” when it appears as though our words have no impact, it can eventually “produce water” and yield the desired result. And certainly, “speaking to the rock” is a far more preferable approach than “hitting the rock,” then trying to convey the message through harsh criticism, censure and condemnation.
If so, then the symbolism of God’s command to Moshe very closely relates to the general background of the Mei Meriva incident. When the people voiced their complaints about the lack of water, charging, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to bring us to this bad place,” Moshe felt frustrated. He responded by calling the people “morim” (“rebellious ones” – 20:10), and the Rambam, in his Shemoneh Perakim, famously points to Moshe’s outburst of anger and frustration as the essence of his wrongdoing in this episode. Moshe felt that after forty years of living a miraculous existence in the wilderness, there was nothing more that could be done to correct the people’s outlook. As the nation’s leader and teacher, he felt hopeless. If after all this time they still did not recognize God’s unlimited power and ability to provide, he thought, then they likely never will.
God therefore instructed Moshe to speak to the rock – alluding to his responsibility to speak to Benei Yisrael even if it seemed they would not listen. Rather than fall into despair, Moshe was to continue doing his job of patiently teaching, leading, guiding and educating, with full confidence in the people’s ability to understand. Even if the sudden water crisis rattled their senses and led them to outwardly question God’s ability to sustain them, Moshe could still walk them through this troubled period with support and sensitivity, until they gradually learned that temporary setbacks and moments of crisis do not signal the absence of Divine Providence.
According to Rav Moshe, the lesson of Mei Meriva relates to the slow, gradual process of education and growth. Even those who at present seem impervious to change could, with time and patience, gradually accept, internalize and implement the lessons they are taught.
Courtesy of Yeshivat Har Etzion - www.etzion.org.il