As we read the Torah this Shabbat, you may experience a sense of déjà vu. A very similar story took place earlier when the Jewish People had just left Egypt. The Torah records (Shemot 17:1-7) how the Jewish People traveled to Refidim and lacked drinking water. They “argued with Moshe” and demanded water, stating that they should have remained in Egypt rather than being brought to the waterless desert to perish from thirst. G-D commanded Moshe to gather the Jewish People by a certain rock, strike it, and water would flow from the rock, providing the people with drinking water. Moshe followed G-D’s instructions, and everything transpired as foretold.
During their desert travels, the Jewish People were accompanied by three gifts. In the merit of Miriam, Aharon, and Moshe, they had a fresh supply of drinking water from a well, the Clouds of Glory for protection, and the Manna for food, respectively.
Fast forward to this week’s perasha, Huqat, where we find that Miriam passes away (Bemidbar 20:1). With her passing, the well that accompanied the Jewish People disappeared. Naturally, the people became thirsty and distressed. Once again, they complained and “argued with Moshe,” demanding water and lamenting why they were brought into the waterless desert.
G-D commands Moshe to gather the Jewish People by the same rock that was struck forty years earlier. The commandment now is to speak to the rock, requesting that it bring forth water. Moshe became angry for a brief moment and, instead of speaking to the rock, he struck it as he had done before. Initially, the rock produced only a few drops of water, but after the second strike, water gushed out, and the Jewish People were able to drink. G-D reprimands Moshe, informing him that because he struck the rock instead of speaking to it, he had not sanctified G-D’s name. As a result, Moshe would not be permitted to lead the Jewish People into the Land of Israel. The punishment seems overly harsh.
To understand what took place, we must examine the differences between the first occurrence and the current one. When the Jewish People were in Refidim, they had just left Egypt after enduring brutal slavery. Although technically free, the mental and emotional toll of their enslavement limited their ability to feel truly liberated. Therefore, “hitting” was a language they better understood and Moshe was commanded to strike the rock. However, after spending forty years in the desert, far removed from the slavery and subjugation in Egypt, and preparing to enter the Land of Israel, they were more adept at understanding a more nuanced form of communication. They had long forgotten the anguish of Egypt and could relate to the softer approach of “speaking.”
Our Rabbis suggest that Moshe’s punishment was not about its harshness but rather the fact that this new generation of the Jewish People needed a different, gentler approach. As a result of his actions, it was determined that Moshe was not the one to lead this generation into the Land of Israel.
We can learn a powerful lesson from this episode. King Solomon stated that we must educate each child in their own way. Everyone is different, and what works for one person in one situation may not have the same effect on another person in a different situation. This principle applies not only to our children but also to our spouses and all our relationships. We must be flexible in our approach, adapting to the needs of the next generation so that they appreciate and value what we impart to them.
Our ability to adjust and customize how we communicate, depending on the audience, while remaining true to the Torah’s standards, will largely determine how successfully we motivate the next generation forward.