(א) וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ בְנֵֽי־יִ֠שְׂרָאֵ֠ל כׇּל־הָ֨עֵדָ֤ה מִדְבַּר־צִן֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הָֽרִאשׁ֔וֹן וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב הָעָ֖ם בְּקָדֵ֑שׁ וַתָּ֤מׇת שָׁם֙ מִרְיָ֔ם וַתִּקָּבֵ֖ר שָֽׁם׃ (ב) וְלֹא־הָ֥יָה מַ֖יִם לָעֵדָ֑ה וַיִּקָּ֣הֲל֔וּ עַל־מֹשֶׁ֖ה וְעַֽל־אַהֲרֹֽן׃ (ג) וַיָּ֥רֶב הָעָ֖ם עִם־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לֵאמֹ֔ר וְל֥וּ גָוַ֛עְנוּ בִּגְוַ֥ע אַחֵ֖ינוּ לִפְנֵ֥י יהוה׃ (ד) וְלָמָ֤ה הֲבֵאתֶם֙ אֶת־קְהַ֣ל יהוה אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר הַזֶּ֑ה לָמ֣וּת שָׁ֔ם אֲנַ֖חְנוּ וּבְעִירֵֽנוּ׃ (ה) וְלָמָ֤ה הֶֽעֱלִיתֻ֙נוּ֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם לְהָבִ֣יא אֹתָ֔נוּ אֶל־הַמָּק֥וֹם הָרָ֖ע הַזֶּ֑ה לֹ֣א ׀ מְק֣וֹם זֶ֗רַע וּתְאֵנָ֤ה וְגֶ֙פֶן֙ וְרִמּ֔וֹן וּמַ֥יִם אַ֖יִן לִשְׁתּֽוֹת׃ (ו) וַיָּבֹא֩ מֹשֶׁ֨ה וְאַהֲרֹ֜ן מִפְּנֵ֣י הַקָּהָ֗ל אֶל־פֶּ֙תַח֙ אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּ עַל־פְּנֵיהֶ֑ם וַיֵּרָ֥א כְבוֹד־יהוה אֲלֵיהֶֽם׃ {פ} (ז) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יהוה 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׃
(1) The Israelites arrived in a body at the wilderness of Zin on the first new moon, and the people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there. (2) The community was without water, and they joined against Moses and Aaron. (3) The people quarreled with Moses, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished at the instance of יהוה ! (4) Why have you brought יהוה’s congregation into this wilderness for us and our beasts to die there? (5) Why did you make us leave Egypt to bring us to this wretched place, a place with no grain or figs or vines or pomegranates? There is not even water to drink!” (6) Moses and Aaron came away from the congregation to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and fell on their faces. The Presence of יהוה appeared to them, (7) and יהוה spoke to Moses, saying, (8) “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.”
What do you notice about this? Who is speaking? What are they saying?
Things to notice:
1) Narrator states that there is no water. People complain about no water -- backing up the facts.
2) Every time the people complain, Moses and Aaron go to the Tent of Meeting to hear from God. This time, however, God is not upset.
a)Why? Does God see that the people are complaining about a real human need, not just about being hot, tired, and bored with the food options? Or is this just emphasizing God's grace -- something which hasn't happened the other times the people have complained?
b) If God isn't upset that would surprise Moses and Aaron. Maybe Moses is angry and was hoping God would be too so that he could feel justified in his anger and not just have to carry that by himself. When God isn't upset, Moses' anger feels isolated, which makes him feel more insecure and more upset. Then he reacts by name-calling and hitting the rock.
(י) ויקהלו משה ואהרן אתהקהל אלפני הסלע ויאמר להם שמעונא המרים המןהסלע הזה נוציא לכם מים
Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation in front of the rock; and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels הַמֹּרִ֔ים, shall we get water for you out of this rock?”
(יג) הֵ֚מָּה מֵ֣י מְרִיבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־רָב֥וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אֶת־יהוה וַיִּקָּדֵ֖שׁ בָּֽם׃ {ס}
(13) Those are the Waters of Meribah מְרִיבָ֔ה —meaning that the Israelites quarrelled with Adonai —whose sanctity was affirmed through them.
Why does Moses call them rebels? Is he justified in this? Why are they rebels?
(כד) יֵאָסֵ֤ף אַהֲרֹן֙ אֶל־עַמָּ֔יו כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָבֹא֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל עַ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־מְרִיתֶ֥ם אֶת־פִּ֖י לְמֵ֥י מְרִיבָֽה׃
“Let Aaron be gathered to his kin: he is not to enter the land that I have assigned to the Israelite people, because you disobeyed מְרִיתֶ֥ם My command about the waters of Meribah.
What can we learn from this today?
"When patterns of behavior emerge, it is extremely easy to fall into a trap: We assume that what is happening now is just another instance of what has already happened countless times before. We too quickly conclude that the people we are dealing with are behaving “as they always do,” and as a result, we stop taking them seriously. Think of a parent who cannot hear her child speak because she has already decided that the child always says the same thing, or of a teacher who responds to a student with the overconfident assurance that the child’s actions are just the latest example of the same old problematic pattern of behavior. In moment such as these, when we become jaded and impatient, we lose the ability (or willingness) to see the uniqueness of the situation before us. When we assume that everything is familiar, we forfeit the capacity to respond appropriately, in a way that God and the moment call for." (Rabbi Shai Held, "When Everything Starts to Look the Same: Moses' Failure")