וַיִּצְמָ֨א שָׁ֤ם הָעָם֙ לַמַּ֔יִם וַיָּ֥לֶן הָעָ֖ם עַל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לָ֤מָּה זֶּה֙ הֶעֱלִיתָ֣נוּ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם לְהָמִ֥ית אֹתִ֛י וְאֶת־בָּנַ֥י וְאֶת־מִקְנַ֖י בַּצָּמָֽא׃
Di sana bangsa itu haus akan air, dan bangsa itu menggerutu terhadap Musa serta berkata, “Mengapa engkau membawa kami keluar dari Mesir untuk membunuh aku, anak-anakku, dan ternakku dengan kehausan?”
Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael
(Exodus 17:3) "And the people thirsted there for water": Until now thirst did not afflict them, but here, thirst did afflict them.
Shemot Rabbah
“Amalek came.” What is written prior to the matter? “The entire congregation of the children of Israel traveled…there was no water for the people to drink” (Exodus 17:1). For the people there was not, but for the flocks and the cattle there was.1The water was fit for animals to drink but not for people. Immediately they came to engage in a dispute with Moses and said to him: “Why did you take us up out of Egypt [to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst]?” (Exodus 17:3).2This was unnecessarily quarrelsome, as there was actually water for the animals. From here, Rabbi Yehoshua would say: The house collapsed; too bad about the windows –“I and my livestock with thirst” (Exodus 17:3).3Rabbi Yehoshua noted that when people complain, they often complain even about matters that are relatively minor compared to the primary concern. Similarly, after complaining that they would die, the Israelites also added that their animals would die as well. Some say that a person’s animal is nothing other than his life;4They complained about the animals’ safety because the safety of one’s animals ensures the safety of one’s own life. when a person sets out on the road, if his animal is not with him, he will suffer.
Immediately, Moses stood in prayer, as it is stated: “Moses cried out to the Lord, saying” (Exodus 17:4). What is “saying”? He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, inform me whether or not they will kill me.’ He said to him: ‘What concern is it of yours? “Pass before the people”’ (Exodus 17:5). What is “pass [avor]”? He said to him: ‘Overlook [avor] their words.’ Rabbi Meir says: What is avor? He said: ‘Emulate Me. Just as I repay evil with good, you, too, repay evil with good,’ as it is stated: “Who is a God like You, Who pardons iniquity and overlooks [veover] transgression” (Micah 7:18). Rabbi Yehuda says: Pardon [avor] their sins. Rabbi Neḥemya says: “Pass before the people,”5No need to fear them. Pass before them confidently. let one who has haughtiness come and speak against you.
“The Lord said to Moses: Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go” (Exodus 17:5).
“Take with you some of the elders of Israel,” so they will be witnesses, so they will not say to you: ‘There were springs there.’ “Your staff with which you struck the Nile,” he said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, this staff is a staff of punishment. It rendered the water in Egypt putrid and it brought the ten plagues upon the Egyptians.’ The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘My nature is not like the nature of flesh and blood. He strikes with a chisel and heals with a bandage, but I, with what I strike, I heal.’ That is why it says: “And take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile,” so that everyone will know that it is [a staff] of blessing.
“Behold, I am standing before you there upon the rock at Ḥorev; you shall strike the rock and water will emerge from it, and the people will drink. Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel” (Exodus 17:6).
“He called the place Masa and Meriva, due to the dispute of the children of Israel and due to their trying of the Lord, saying: Is the Lord in our midst, or not?” (Exodus 17:7).
“You shall strike the rock.” What is “you shall strike the rock”? The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘If they request from this rock, produce it for them, and if from that rock give it to them.’6It did not matter which rock was chosen. This was so that the Israelites could not claim that Moses had brought forth water naturally from a rock with a hidden water source. When the water emerged, it provided for all the tents of Israel.
What is written there? “He called the place Masa and Meriva” (Exodus 17:7). What dispute [meriva] was there? Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Neḥemya, and the Rabbis, Rabbi Yehuda says: They said: ‘If He is Master over all creations just as He is Master over us, we will worship Him, but if not, we will rebel against Him.’ Rabbi Neḥemya says [they said]: ‘If He provides us our sustenance like a king who is present in the province, and the residents of the province do not require anything from him, we will worship Him, but if not, we will rebel against Him.’ The Rabbis say [they said]: ‘If we contemplate in our heart and He knows what we are contemplating, we will worship Him, but if not, we will rebel against Him.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘If you sought to challenge Me, let the wicked one come and challenge you.’ Immediately, “Amalek came.” What is written there? “Is the Lord in our midst, or not? Amalek came” (Exodus 17:7–8). How does this relate to that? It is analogous to a child who was riding on his father’s shoulders and saw his father’s friend. He said to him: ‘Have you seen father?’ His father said to him: ‘You are riding on my shoulders and you ask about me? I will cast you down and the enemy will come and dominate you.’ So too, the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘I bore you on clouds of glory and you say: “Is the Lord in our midst”? Therefore, let the enemy come and dominate you.’ That is, “Amalek came.”
Immediately, Moses stood in prayer, as it is stated: “Moses cried out to the Lord, saying” (Exodus 17:4). What is “saying”? He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, inform me whether or not they will kill me.’ He said to him: ‘What concern is it of yours? “Pass before the people”’ (Exodus 17:5). What is “pass [avor]”? He said to him: ‘Overlook [avor] their words.’ Rabbi Meir says: What is avor? He said: ‘Emulate Me. Just as I repay evil with good, you, too, repay evil with good,’ as it is stated: “Who is a God like You, Who pardons iniquity and overlooks [veover] transgression” (Micah 7:18). Rabbi Yehuda says: Pardon [avor] their sins. Rabbi Neḥemya says: “Pass before the people,”5No need to fear them. Pass before them confidently. let one who has haughtiness come and speak against you.
“The Lord said to Moses: Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go” (Exodus 17:5).
“Take with you some of the elders of Israel,” so they will be witnesses, so they will not say to you: ‘There were springs there.’ “Your staff with which you struck the Nile,” he said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, this staff is a staff of punishment. It rendered the water in Egypt putrid and it brought the ten plagues upon the Egyptians.’ The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘My nature is not like the nature of flesh and blood. He strikes with a chisel and heals with a bandage, but I, with what I strike, I heal.’ That is why it says: “And take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile,” so that everyone will know that it is [a staff] of blessing.
“Behold, I am standing before you there upon the rock at Ḥorev; you shall strike the rock and water will emerge from it, and the people will drink. Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel” (Exodus 17:6).
“He called the place Masa and Meriva, due to the dispute of the children of Israel and due to their trying of the Lord, saying: Is the Lord in our midst, or not?” (Exodus 17:7).
“You shall strike the rock.” What is “you shall strike the rock”? The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘If they request from this rock, produce it for them, and if from that rock give it to them.’6It did not matter which rock was chosen. This was so that the Israelites could not claim that Moses had brought forth water naturally from a rock with a hidden water source. When the water emerged, it provided for all the tents of Israel.
What is written there? “He called the place Masa and Meriva” (Exodus 17:7). What dispute [meriva] was there? Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Neḥemya, and the Rabbis, Rabbi Yehuda says: They said: ‘If He is Master over all creations just as He is Master over us, we will worship Him, but if not, we will rebel against Him.’ Rabbi Neḥemya says [they said]: ‘If He provides us our sustenance like a king who is present in the province, and the residents of the province do not require anything from him, we will worship Him, but if not, we will rebel against Him.’ The Rabbis say [they said]: ‘If we contemplate in our heart and He knows what we are contemplating, we will worship Him, but if not, we will rebel against Him.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘If you sought to challenge Me, let the wicked one come and challenge you.’ Immediately, “Amalek came.” What is written there? “Is the Lord in our midst, or not? Amalek came” (Exodus 17:7–8). How does this relate to that? It is analogous to a child who was riding on his father’s shoulders and saw his father’s friend. He said to him: ‘Have you seen father?’ His father said to him: ‘You are riding on my shoulders and you ask about me? I will cast you down and the enemy will come and dominate you.’ So too, the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘I bore you on clouds of glory and you say: “Is the Lord in our midst”? Therefore, let the enemy come and dominate you.’ That is, “Amalek came.”
Bereshit Rabbah
“Jacob approached Isaac his father and he felt him, and he said: The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau” (Genesis 27:22).
“Jacob approached Isaac…The voice is the voice of Jacob” – this voice is the voice of a wise man, but his hands are those that flay dead animals.
Another matter, “the voice is the voice of Jacob” – Jacob rules only with his voice. “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau” – Esau rules only with his hands.
Another matter, “the voice is the voice of Jacob” – Rabbi Pinḥas said: The voice of Jacob withdraws into itself.36When he does not use his voice for prayer and Torah study. The Matnot Kehuna suggests that the fact that the word hakol is without a vav it can be read as if the voice of Jacob is demeaned (kal). “But the hands are the hands of Esau” – He signals to him and he comes.37The Holy One blessed be He signals to Esau and he comes to attack Jacob.
Another matter, “the voice is the voice of Jacob” – Rabbi Berekhya said: When Jacob murmurs with his voice,38Uses his voice for matters which are said quietly, such as slander. the hands of Esau dominate, as it is written: “the people complained,”39The specific words mentioned in the verse preceding the advent of Amalek are slightly different, see Exodus 17:3. (Exodus 15:24), “Amalek came” (Exodus 17:8). But when he calls loudly with his voice, the hands are not the hands of Esau, the hands of Esau do not dominate. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: No philosophers stood in the world like Bilam son of Beor and like Avnimos the weaver. All the idolaters gathered before him.40Avnimos (see Etz Yosef). They said to him: ‘Do you say that we can confront this nation?’ He said: ‘Go and circulate among their synagogues and study halls; if you find children there crying out,41Words of Torah. you will not be able to confront them, as this is what their ancestor promised them: “The voice is the voice of Jacob” – when the voice of Jacob is found in the synagogues, the hands are not the hands of Esau, but if not, “the hands are the hands of Esau” – you can overcome them.’
“The voice is the voice of Jacob” – in the case of the concubine in Giva –“cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin” (Judges 21:18).42The Etz Yosef explains that here the midrash is stating that there are instances in which the use of the voice of Jacob in an unwise manner can lead to behavior reminiscent of Esau. Because the Israelites issued a (spoken) curse forbidding the giving of any daughter in marriage to any man from the tribe of Benjamin, they had to later tell the men of Benjamin to "steal" women as wives for themselves, which is Esau-type behavior (see Judges 21:18–22).
“The voice is the voice of Jacob” – in the days of Yerovam. The sound of weeping because they killed five hundred thousand among them, as it is written – “Yerovam did not gain strength again [in the days of Aviya; and the Lord afflicted him, and he died]” (II Chronicles 13:20). Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: What do you think; that Yerovam was afflicted? But was it not Aviya who was afflicted? Why was he afflicted? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: It is because he defaced the identifying features of Israel’s faces, as it is written: “The expression of their faces testifies against them” (Isaiah 3:9). Rabbi Levi said: Because he positioned guards over them for three days until their form decayed, as we learned: One may testify43The reference is to giving testimony that a husband died so that his widow could remarry. only about the countenance of the face with the nose, even if there are distinguishing marks on his body and his belongings…and one may testify only up to three days.44Yevamot 120a. In their regard he says: “Their widows proliferated for Me beyond the sand of the seas” (Jeremiah 15:8). Rabbi Yoḥanan, Reish Lakish, and the Rabbis, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Because he denigrated Aḥiya the Shilonite, as it is stated: "[Worthless and] wicked people [gathered around him]”45The Hebrew does not bring the exact quote of the verse. (II Chronicles 13:7) – he called Aḥiya the Shilonite wicked. Reish Lakish said: Because he humiliated them publicly, as it is stated: “You are a great multitude, and with you are the golden calves” (II Chronicles 13:8). The Rabbis said: It is because an idol came into his possession and he did not nullify it,46He did not destroy the golden calf which Yerovam had erected in Beit El. as it is stated: “Aviya pursued Yerovam” (II Chronicles 13:19), and it is written: “And captured cities from him: Beit El and its environs” (II Chronicles 13:19), and it is written: “He placed one in Beit El” (I Kings 12:29). The matters can be derived a fortiori: If a king, because he mistreated a king like him, the verse punished him and he was defeated, a commoner who mistreats a commoner, all the more so.
“Jacob approached Isaac…The voice is the voice of Jacob” – this voice is the voice of a wise man, but his hands are those that flay dead animals.
Another matter, “the voice is the voice of Jacob” – Jacob rules only with his voice. “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau” – Esau rules only with his hands.
Another matter, “the voice is the voice of Jacob” – Rabbi Pinḥas said: The voice of Jacob withdraws into itself.36When he does not use his voice for prayer and Torah study. The Matnot Kehuna suggests that the fact that the word hakol is without a vav it can be read as if the voice of Jacob is demeaned (kal). “But the hands are the hands of Esau” – He signals to him and he comes.37The Holy One blessed be He signals to Esau and he comes to attack Jacob.
Another matter, “the voice is the voice of Jacob” – Rabbi Berekhya said: When Jacob murmurs with his voice,38Uses his voice for matters which are said quietly, such as slander. the hands of Esau dominate, as it is written: “the people complained,”39The specific words mentioned in the verse preceding the advent of Amalek are slightly different, see Exodus 17:3. (Exodus 15:24), “Amalek came” (Exodus 17:8). But when he calls loudly with his voice, the hands are not the hands of Esau, the hands of Esau do not dominate. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: No philosophers stood in the world like Bilam son of Beor and like Avnimos the weaver. All the idolaters gathered before him.40Avnimos (see Etz Yosef). They said to him: ‘Do you say that we can confront this nation?’ He said: ‘Go and circulate among their synagogues and study halls; if you find children there crying out,41Words of Torah. you will not be able to confront them, as this is what their ancestor promised them: “The voice is the voice of Jacob” – when the voice of Jacob is found in the synagogues, the hands are not the hands of Esau, but if not, “the hands are the hands of Esau” – you can overcome them.’
“The voice is the voice of Jacob” – in the case of the concubine in Giva –“cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin” (Judges 21:18).42The Etz Yosef explains that here the midrash is stating that there are instances in which the use of the voice of Jacob in an unwise manner can lead to behavior reminiscent of Esau. Because the Israelites issued a (spoken) curse forbidding the giving of any daughter in marriage to any man from the tribe of Benjamin, they had to later tell the men of Benjamin to "steal" women as wives for themselves, which is Esau-type behavior (see Judges 21:18–22).
“The voice is the voice of Jacob” – in the days of Yerovam. The sound of weeping because they killed five hundred thousand among them, as it is written – “Yerovam did not gain strength again [in the days of Aviya; and the Lord afflicted him, and he died]” (II Chronicles 13:20). Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: What do you think; that Yerovam was afflicted? But was it not Aviya who was afflicted? Why was he afflicted? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: It is because he defaced the identifying features of Israel’s faces, as it is written: “The expression of their faces testifies against them” (Isaiah 3:9). Rabbi Levi said: Because he positioned guards over them for three days until their form decayed, as we learned: One may testify43The reference is to giving testimony that a husband died so that his widow could remarry. only about the countenance of the face with the nose, even if there are distinguishing marks on his body and his belongings…and one may testify only up to three days.44Yevamot 120a. In their regard he says: “Their widows proliferated for Me beyond the sand of the seas” (Jeremiah 15:8). Rabbi Yoḥanan, Reish Lakish, and the Rabbis, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Because he denigrated Aḥiya the Shilonite, as it is stated: "[Worthless and] wicked people [gathered around him]”45The Hebrew does not bring the exact quote of the verse. (II Chronicles 13:7) – he called Aḥiya the Shilonite wicked. Reish Lakish said: Because he humiliated them publicly, as it is stated: “You are a great multitude, and with you are the golden calves” (II Chronicles 13:8). The Rabbis said: It is because an idol came into his possession and he did not nullify it,46He did not destroy the golden calf which Yerovam had erected in Beit El. as it is stated: “Aviya pursued Yerovam” (II Chronicles 13:19), and it is written: “And captured cities from him: Beit El and its environs” (II Chronicles 13:19), and it is written: “He placed one in Beit El” (I Kings 12:29). The matters can be derived a fortiori: If a king, because he mistreated a king like him, the verse punished him and he was defeated, a commoner who mistreats a commoner, all the more so.