Take Your Staff and Speak to the Rock (The Three Weeks: Part I)

In the coming week, we will observe the fast of the 17^th of Tammuz, and with it the beginning of the three-week period of mourning that precedes the 9^th of Av. In this week’s parsha, we learn about the tragedies of the deaths of Aharon and Miriam, and of Bnei Yisrael mourning their losses.

The death of Aharon, and of Moshe for that matter, is presaged by the episode of Mei Meriva, the Waters of Dispute, where Moshe and Aharon failed to sanctify Hashem before Israel. (Bamidbar 20:12). Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heschel was the second of his name; he lived at the turn of the 19^th century and was an early chassidic master known as the Apter Rebbe. He is best known by the name of his book of mystical exegeses on the weekly Torah readings, the Ohev Yisrael, or “Lover of Israel,” which has to be the best moniker by which any Jewish leader has ever been known. Because these upcoming Three Weeks commemorate the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash – which was destroyed because of baseless hatred (sinat chinam) – and because we hope to see it rebuilt in the merit of our unconditional love for one another (ahavat chinam), it seems appropriate to examine this parsha in the light of the teachings of the Ohev Yisrael. We will, G-d willing, explore his commentary on the Waters of Dispute and the deaths of Moshe and Aharon this week and next week. We will conclude our discussion on the week preceding Tisha B’Av.

The Apter Rebbe notes, as have many other commentators, that Moshe and Aharon are commanded to take the staff but not to strike the rock – rather, to speak to the rock. This seems like a very confusing set of instructions, especially since on the previous occasion when Israel complained about a lack of water, Moshe and Aharon were in fact told to strike a rock with this staff. It also seems remarkable that in the pasuk cited above, Hashem charges Moshe and Aharon with a lack of belief, specifically, and of failing to sanctify Him. It strains our credulity to imagine that such tremendous tzaddikim, especially after everything they have already seen and led us through, would be in any way lacking in belief. Yet in the immediate aftermath of these events, both of their deaths are decreed, and in fact Aharon passes away shortly afterward. For the Ohev Yisrael, characteristically as an adherent of chassidism, the breakdown has to do with the role of the tzaddik in the world and how he can and should be instrumental in fulfilling the will of Hashem.

There are two principal themes conspicuous in the narrative that also distinguish between the two aforementioned episodes of water being brought from a rock. One is the role and function of the staff, the other is the speech act of the tzaddik. We will look at each of these separately.

The staff is noteworthy because this is the tool that Moshe and Aharon used to perform so many of the miracles related in the Torah. There is a midrash that teaches that the Four-letter Name of Hashem was inscribed upon it. According to a variant reading, we might learn that the staff was itself a glyph of the Name – and it is this notion that the Apter Rebbe emphasizes more. In any event, Moshe had a “magic” staff that could perform wonders – one that no one else had – and this turns out to be significant.

But before examining the nature and identity of the staff itself, the Rebbe connects it with another staff we will recognize from Scripture, although it is described here but not seen in action. When Yaakov returns to Israel, he reflects upon his first crossing of the Yarden eastward, and notes that he left with nothing but his staff (lit., my stick – “makli”). The Ohev Yisrael notes that the forefathers are embodied in the letters of the Divine Name and that Yaakov, being the force that balances the attributes of Avraham and Yitzchak, can be identified with the central Vov of the name – a stick or a staff that signifies the central column that maintains the balance in Creation between Mercy and Judgment. Thus, Yaakov himself can be seen as the ladder from his dream, a pole ascending from earth to the heavens, bringing balance and purpose to creation and channeling the Divine Bounty into the universe. Yaakov is able to change nature and history with the power of his prayers, and he bestows this gift upon his descendants.

When Moshe and Aharon perform miracles with the staff, they are also representing this force in the universe – the force of Divine intervention that can be brought down by the pure goodness and humility of a Yaakov or Moshe. But for the casual observer who does not see the Vov of the name, they don’t necessarily recognize the stature of the one who wields the staff – they only see the stick striking the rock. On the previous occasion when water was lacking, Hashem wanted Bnei Yisrael to understand that by His power, they were fed and hydrated and sustained. The staff was adequate for this purpose. But now, after wandering in the desert and especially after experiencing the rebellion of Korach and his followers, there is some concern that people will misunderstand and come to believe that the staff performs the miracles, rather than the saintliness of Moshe and Aharon.

For this reason, Hashem wanted Moshe, on the one hand, to bring the staff to the rock – to represent the balancing line that governs Creation and draws down the miraculous intervention – but He did not want Moshe to actually perform the miracle with the staff. Rather, Moshe was to speak to the rock, emphasizing the power of the prayer of the tzaddik to effect the required change. This, then, was the second critical failure of Moshe to comply with Hashem’s instruction, and we will continue this discussion next week, G-d willing.