Midrash su Zaccaria 11:8

R. Jochanan said again: "Rain may descend even for the sake of one meritorious man; as it is written (Deut. 28, 12) The Lord will open unto 'thee' his good treasure, the heaven, to give rain, etc., but general prosperity comes only for the sake of the public at large; as it is written (Ex. 16, 4) "I will rain for you bread from heaven." An objection was raised: R. Jose, the son of R. Juda, said: "Three good leaders were given to Israel, and they are Moses, Aaron and Miriam: and three good gifts were given through them, namely: the well of water, the pillar and the Manna. The well of water [which Israel had along with them in the desert] was given them for the sake of Miriam; the cloud of glory [which led them by day was given them] for Aaron's sake, and the Manna [was given them] for Moses' sake. When Miriam died, the well vanished; as it is said (Num. 21, 1) Miriam died there, and was buried there; and immediately afterwards it is written: And there was no water for the Congregation. The well was then restored to Israel through the prayers of Moses and Aaron." When Aaron died, the pillar (cloud) of glory left; (as explained above page 141); the well and the pillar (cloud) of glory were restored to them for the sake of Moses; but when Moses died, everything vanished; as it is said (Zech. 11, 8) And I removed the three shepherds in one month." Did then Moses, Aaron and Miriam die in the same month? Behold Moses died in Adar, Aaron in Ab, and Miriam in Nissan? We infer from that passage that the three gifts which were given to Israel disappeared in the same month in which Moses died. Hence we can prove that support is given for the sake of even one man? Nay, with Moses it is different: for his merits were so great that he equalled the entire congregation."

R. Huna b. Manoach, R. Samuel b. Idi, and R. Chiya of Vastania were disciples of Raba. After Raba died, they came to R. Papa. When R. Papa would say something that was noquite pleasing to them, they would nod to each another; and he became downhearted (Ib. b). At one time in a dream the passage quoted above: And I removed the three shepherds in one month, was read to him. On the morrow when they departed from him he said to them: "May the Rabbis go in peace." R. Shimi b. Ashi was alone a visitor at the college of R. Papa, and would put so many questions to him that it happened at times that R. Papa could not answer them. One day R. Shimi noticed R. Papa, who hid his face [while reciting the Takhnun prayer] and overheard him pray: "May the Merciful One save me from the disgrace which I suffer at the hands of that Shimi." At that instant he resolved to be silent and not to trouble R. Papa with questions again.

"I lost the three shepherds in one month" (Zecharia 11:8); and thus, in one month, Aaron, Miriam, and Moses died. Miriam died on the 1st of the month of Nisan, and the well closed up; and in the second of Nissan, Aaron's sons died; On the first of Av, Aaron died, and the clouds of glory dissipated; On the seventh of Adar Moses our teacher, and God's servant, died. Even though they didn't all die in the same month, it's considered as if it were one month. Each had a gift that they gave to the Israelites. By the merit of Miriam, God gave the well, by the merit of Aaron, the clouds of glory, By the merit of Moses, the Mana. When Miriam died, the well closed so the Israelites could see that it was by her merit that God granted them the well. Moses and Aaron bewailed her internally, and the Israelites did so publicly. Moses didn't know about the Israelites mourning until after six hours, when the Israelites came to them and said: "how long will you sit and mourn?" He said to them "should I not continue to mourn my sister who has died." "They said to him: "just as you mourn for one soul, all the more so mourn for all of us." He said to them: "why" They said to him "because we do not have water to drink." He stood and went and saw that there was no water in the well, and he began to argue with them, he said:"did I not say to you that I can't carry this people on my own, did I not appoint for you officers for the thousands, and officers for the hundreds, and the fifties, and the twenties, I gave you officials, and chiefs, and great elders, and they are to busy themselves with your problems." They said to him: "Everything is on you, for you are the one who brought us out of Egypt and brought us to this terrible place, if you give us water, everything will be fine, but if you don't, then we will stone you." When Moses heard this, he fled from them and went into the tent of meeting. God said to him "Moses what is going on?" Moses said before the Master of the World: "your children want to stone me, and were I not to have fled, I would have already been stoned to death." God said said: "how long will will you speak ill of my children, was it not enough for you that I told you at Horeb, just a little more and they will stone you. Now go and pass before them and see whether they will actually stone you, and it is said the Torah: "God said to Moses, pass before the people." Moses went first and his cohort after him, and Moses didn't know which rock God had intended to give to them for bringing out water. The Israelites found a rock that was dripping, and they stood upon it. When Moses saw them standing on it, he turned around and said to God "how long will you put our lives at risk?" He said to them, "until I bring water out of the rock." The Israelites said: "give us water so that we can drink!" Moses responded to them "How long will you continue to rebel? Does a creation rebel against its creator? As such, you are rebelling against God. Moses said: "God wants to give you water." The Israelites said: "you are the prophet who shepherds us in the dessert and now you say you don't know which rock God intends you to bring water out of? Moses and Aaron gathered the people around a different rock, as it says in the Torah "Moses and Aaron gathered the community at the face of the rock." Moses said to himself: "If I command the rock to bring out water and it doesn't, I'll be embarrassed before the community, and they will say to me, 'Moses, where is your alleged wisdom.'" At the very same moment Moses told the Israelites, "you know that God can do miracles for you, and you know that miracles are beyond me. For when the knowledge of man is divinely inspired, it is not his own knowledge or wisdom. Moses brought down his staff upon the back of the rock, and he did so himself, as he spoke to the israelites , as it says in the Torah "from this rock, we will bring you water." The rock began to fill itself to bring out water, and when Moses saw it, he lifted his arm again and struck the rock, as it says in the Torah "he hit the rock twice with his staff." This time though, blood came out, as it says in the Psalms, "yes, he hit the rock and the waters flowed (Psalm 78:20)." It's a flow of blood, as we see from the laws of menstruation "when a woman has a discharge of blood (Leviticus 15:25)." Moses came and said to God "the rock isn't bringing out water, only blood." God said to the rock: "why are you only bringing out blood, and not water?" The rock said "Master of the Universe, why did Moses hit me?" God then asked Moses, "why did you hit the rock?" Moses responded: "In order to bring out water." God said: "Did I tell you to hit the rock? Did I not tell you to speak to it with words?" Moses responded: "I did speak to it, but nothing came out!" God responded "did you not command all of Israel "in justice you shall judge your people (Leviticus 19)? Thus, why didn't you judge the rock with justice? This is how I raised you in Egypt, as it says in scripture 'God fed him honey from the rock, (Deuteronomy 32:13).' It befits you to lead, and thus say to my children "listen you rebels!" Don't read "rebels" rather "idiots" shotim (also a hominem for drinkers). They are idiots, and you have your eyes open. A nation of idiots will not enter the land of Israel, as it says in the Torah "you will not bring this community . . ." Therefore God said to Moses, "tell the rock to turn it's blood into water." It is thus written in scripture: "who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flinty rock into a spring (Psalm 114:8)." (Note this is a Psalm recited during Hallel on Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of the month). When they reached the beginning of the month, God said to Moses, "your time has come to an end." Moses said before him, "please God, let it not be soon." "It is tomorrow" responded God, thus Moses was distressed all day, for he didn't know when exactly his death would come. ...