Biblical Literature -- Chumash Create Two Source Sheets in Sefaria.

Context: This text comes from the book of Numbers, chapter 20. In this pshat, we observe the importance of Moses' actions and his tone towards the Jewish people. Here we see Moses and Aaron gather the people around a rock in order to receive water from it. The act of Moses striking to rock brings importance to this text.

20:11 Water came out: For the first time in the Bible, a human has changed a miracle. This is an all important step in a gradual shift in the balance of control of miraculous phenomena in the Tanach. Adam, Noah, Abraham and Isaac perform no miracles. But Jacob manipulates the coloring of Laban's flock. Then Joseph interprets dreams. Then Moses and Aaron perform God's miracles. And now Moses changes a miracle. This shift will continue in the biblical books that follow the Torah, and it is one of the central developments of the Bible: Joshua will call for the sun to stand still in the skies. By calling for a miracle on his own, without direction from God, he goes even further than Moses. Later, Samson has powers implanted in him at birth, so that he is free to use them as he wishes all his life. Later, still, Elijah and Elisha use miracles for a variety of personal purposes. It appears that, starting with Moses, God is entrusting humans with even more responsibility and control in their destiny. By the end of the Tanach, miracles cease. Humans are forced to grow up and become more self reliant. (Richard Elliot Friedman)

I believe that this midrash is important because it shows that even though Moses did not follow Gods word, he still accomplished what he was told to do. Moses' ability to fulfill the task makes us wonder if breaking rules is justifiable as long as it is for the benefit of yourself or the people around you. The kushiyah that this midrash presents is, did God know that Moses would not follow his order?

In our modern day society, ethics plays a very big role in every day life and decision-making. However, many seem to put their better judgment aside in order to complete their goal. Centuries ago, Moses portrayed this exact mindset in the story of Moses Striking the Rock. We witness Moses go against his better judgment, as he allows his anger to get the best of him. As a member of modern society, I am able to vouch for the fact that it is not always easy to put your ethics first and not take the easy way out. One specific example would be when my mom asked me to clean my room. Being the organized mother that my mom is, she is always asking me to keep my life in-check and organized. However, on this articular night, my friends and I had planned to go out together. It was almost time for me to leave the house when I realized that my mom had told me that if I did not clean my room, she would not let me go out. Looking at the prevalent mess around me, I went against my better judgment and stuffed everything in arms reach under my bed. In hopes of avoiding the inevitable "room-check", I closed the door and waited for my mom take me to my friends house. Much to my surprise, my mom did not end up checking under my bed. However, when I came home that night, my mom was very angry. She told me that she had found everything under my bed and that I would not be able to go out with my friends next time I asked because I had broken her trust. In the moment, I did not seem to understand the punishment but in retrospect, I have come to understand why my mom was so angry. Similar to Moses' situation, I had chosen a short-term solution for a long-term problem. My disorganization, like the dying the thirst of the Jewish people, was constant problem in my life and, much like God, my mom had given me the exact tools to conquer this problem. However, instead of utilizing these tools to my advantage, I disregarded them, like Moses, and went about solving the problem in a very selfish way. My short-term solution brought more bad then good, as I was punished for my actions and, like Moses, the repercussions were harsh.