Kommentar zu Bamidbar 20:24

על אשר מריתם את פי, "because you rebelled against My word, etc." According to the words of the Midrash which I have quoted in connection with my commentary starting on verse 8, Moses had been instructed to teach the rock a chapter of the Torah as a result of which it would release its water. Moses and Aaron had failed to do so. In this instance, the Torah seems to blame Aaron for this and to justify his death now by his failure to sanctify G'd on this occasion. The reason is that when Moses failed to carry out G'd's instructions it was up to Aaron to rectify Moses' error. His failure to do so constituted an act of rebellion against G'd. Concerning the other 3 failures of Moses we described above in the name of the Midrash, Aaron was guilty of agreeing with Moses by not having objected or attempted to correct Moses. Whereas Moses alone was guilty of striking the rock, it was also only Moses who had refused to address the rock the Israelites had chosen. It was also only Moses who had called the Israelites rebellious and challenged them about producing water from a specific rock they had chosen. G'd told Moses in Deut. 32,48 to get ready to die on Mount Nevo, telling him that this was because he and Aaron had trespassed in connection with the water of strife (Deut. 32,51). According to the Midrash the Torah's reference in Deut. is to Moses' challenge to the Israelites: "shall we produce water for you from this rock?" In view of this why did G'd use the plural when He said על אשר מעלתם? If Aaron was not involved in that act why was he held responsible for words spoken by Moses? Granted that he shared responsibility in the matter of striking the rock, something which contravened Moses' and Aaron's joint שליחות, mission. However, how could Aaron have anticipated and therefore have prevented Moses from saying the words המן הסלע הזה נוציא לכם מים? The answer is that G'd included Aaron in the collective responsibility for the failure of the mission because basically both he and Moses had erred jointly.

V. 24. יאסף אהרן וגו׳ (siehe Bereschit 25, 8).