Hello everyone!
This is part one of a series, in which I will try to prove that Moshe and Aharon's cardinal sin, which blocked them from entering the land of Israel, was not hitting the rock during the confrontation at Mei Merivah.
For the first installment, I will present the popular opinion of what the pair did wrong, and then endeavor to argue with it. Hope you learn something new!
(ב) וְלֹא־הָ֥יָה מַ֖יִם לָעֵדָ֑ה וַיִּקָּ֣הֲל֔וּ עַל־מֹשֶׁ֖ה וְעַֽל־אַהֲרֹֽן׃ (ג) וַיָּ֥רֶב הָעָ֖ם עִם־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לֵאמֹ֔ר וְל֥וּ גָוַ֛עְנוּ בִּגְוַ֥ע אַחֵ֖ינוּ לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃ (ז) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (ח) קַ֣ח אֶת־הַמַּטֶּ֗ה וְהַקְהֵ֤ל אֶת־הָעֵדָה֙ אַתָּה֙ וְאַהֲרֹ֣ן אָחִ֔יךָ וְדִבַּרְתֶּ֧ם אֶל־הַסֶּ֛לַע לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם וְנָתַ֣ן מֵימָ֑יו וְהוֹצֵאתָ֨ לָהֶ֥ם מַ֙יִם֙ מִן־הַסֶּ֔לַע וְהִשְׁקִיתָ֥ אֶת־הָעֵדָ֖ה וְאֶת־בְּעִירָֽם׃ (ט) וַיִּקַּ֥ח מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־הַמַּטֶּ֖ה מִלִּפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּֽהוּ׃ (י) וַיַּקְהִ֜לוּ מֹשֶׁ֧ה וְאַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־הַקָּהָ֖ל אֶל־פְּנֵ֣י הַסָּ֑לַע וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֗ם שִׁמְעוּ־נָא֙ הַמֹּרִ֔ים הֲמִן־הַסֶּ֣לַע הַזֶּ֔ה נוֹצִ֥יא לָכֶ֖ם מָֽיִם׃ (יא) וַיָּ֨רֶם מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶת־יָד֗וֹ וַיַּ֧ךְ אֶת־הַסֶּ֛לַע בְּמַטֵּ֖הוּ פַּעֲמָ֑יִם וַיֵּצְאוּ֙ מַ֣יִם רַבִּ֔ים וַתֵּ֥שְׁתְּ הָעֵדָ֖ה וּבְעִירָֽם׃ (ס) (יב) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָה֮ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹן֒ יַ֚עַן לֹא־הֶאֱמַנְתֶּ֣ם בִּ֔י לְהַ֨קְדִּישֵׁ֔נִי לְעֵינֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לָכֵ֗ן לֹ֤א תָבִ֙יאוּ֙ אֶת־הַקָּהָ֣ל הַזֶּ֔ה אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥תִּי לָהֶֽם׃
(2) And there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. (3) And the people strove with Moses, and spoke, saying: ‘Would that we had perished when our brethren perished before the LORD! (4) And why have ye brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, to die there, we and our cattle? (5) And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.’ (6) And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tent of meeting, and fell upon their faces; and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them. (7) And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: (8) ’Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water; and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock; so thou shalt give the congregation and their cattle drink.’ (9) And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as He commanded him. (10) And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said unto them: ‘Hear now, ye rebels; are we to bring you forth water out of this rock?’ (11) And Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle. (12) And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron: ‘Because ye believed not in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’
Based on the bolded verse, most explain that Moshe and Aharon were forbidden to enter the land because of something they did wrong at Mei Merivah (the name of this episode). Rashi, one of these people, picks up on a seeming disconnect between G-d's instructions to talk to the rock and Moshe and Aharon's actions of hitting the rock. Because they didn't follow G-d's directions, his opinion states, they didn't make a Kiddush Hashem.
(יג) הֵ֚מָּה מֵ֣י מְרִיבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־רָב֥וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה וַיִּקָּדֵ֖שׁ בָּֽם׃ (ס)
(13) These are the waters of Meribah, where the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and He was sanctified in them.
If Moshe and Aharon didn't sanctify G-d, how was He sanctified?
(See footnote)
The source shows that it was the established protocol to hit a rock for water. With this backdrop, let us view the command to 'speak to the rock':
(ז) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (ח) קַ֣ח אֶת־הַמַּטֶּ֗ה וְהַקְהֵ֤ל אֶת־הָעֵדָה֙ אַתָּה֙ וְאַהֲרֹ֣ן אָחִ֔יךָ וְדִבַּרְתֶּ֧ם אֶל־הַסֶּ֛לַע לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם וְנָתַ֣ן מֵימָ֑יו וְהוֹצֵאתָ֨ לָהֶ֥ם מַ֙יִם֙ מִן־הַסֶּ֔לַע וְהִשְׁקִיתָ֥ אֶת־הָעֵדָ֖ה וְאֶת־בְּעִירָֽם׃
A) The language of 'V'Dibartem el HaSela', 'and you shall speak unto the rock', can also mean, 'and you shall speak towards the rock'. Moshe does just such; he gathers the people by the rock and talks to them, ostensibly facing them (and in doing so, he faces the rock too).
B) Additionally, there are many places in Tanakh where 'el' and 'al', 'to' and 'about', are interchangeable.
C) The very idea of asking the rock for water is tantamount to Avodah Zarah. It is impossible to conceive that Moshe was commanded to show Bnei Yisrael that inanimate objects could perform miracles.
D) The additional clause, 'And you shall take out water...' implies physical action-- the verb, V'Hotzeata, is associated throughout the exodus with 'Yad Chazakah', 'a strong hand.'
Thus, the command of 'V'Dibartem El HaSela' probably meant 'Speak about the rock', which Moshe fulfilled.
Thus, it seems unlikely that the true sin was striking the rock. In the next source sheet, I will outline my own proposition.