민수기 20:8 미드라쉬: Devarim Rabbah, Bamidbar Rabbah & Yalkut Shimoni

“Hear, Israel: you are crossing the Jordan today, to come to take possession from nations greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified to the heavens” (Deuteronomy 9:1).
“Hear, Israel: you are crossing the Jordan today” – halakha: A person of Israel who drinks water to [quench] his thirst, recites: ‘Blessed…by whose word all things came to be [shehakol nihya bidevaro].’ Rabbi Tarfon says: [The proper text of the blessing is:] ‘Who creates the many forms of life and their needs [boreh nefashot rabot veḥesronam].’ The Rabbis say: Come and see: All the miracles that the Holy One blessed be He performed on behalf of Israel, He performed only through water.¹⁷That is why a blessing is recited on water. How so? When Israel was still in Egypt, He performed miracles for them on the Nile. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The Egyptians and Israelites would come to drink water from the river [during the plague of blood,] and an Egyptian would drink blood and an Israelite would drink water. And when Israel departed from Egypt He performed miracles on their behalf only by means of water. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “The sea saw and fled” (Psalms 114:3). What did it see? Rabbi Nehorai said: It saw the ineffable Name inscribed on the staff, and it split. Rabbi Neḥemya said: As it were, it saw the hand of the Holy One blessed be He, and it split, as it is stated: “The waters saw You and were frightened” (Psalms 77:17). They came to Mara when they ascended from the sea, and the water was bitter. He performed miracles there on their behalf. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “The Lord showed him a tree [and he cast it into the waters and the waters sweetened]” (Exodus 15:25). At the rock, He performed miracles on their behalf with the water. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “And speak to the rock…[and it will provide its water]” (Numbers 20:8). At the well, He performed miracles on their behalf and they recited song, as it is stated: “Then Israel sang” (Numbers 21:17). Moses said to [the Israelites]: ‘Know that all the miracles that the Holy One blessed be He performed on behalf of Israel, He performed only through water. When you cross the Jordan to take possession of the Land, there too, He is destined to perform miracles on your behalf with the water of the Jordan.’

“Take the staff…and give the congregation and their animals to drink” (Numbers 20:8) – from here, that the Holy One blessed be He spares Israel’s property.⁴⁵This is indicated by God’s concern for their animals.
“Moses and Aaron assembled the assembly to before the rock, and he said to them: Hear now, defiant ones; will we bring out water for you from this rock” (Numbers 20:10).
“Moses and Aaron assembled the assembly to before the rock” – likewise it says: “Assemble the entire congregation at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting” (Leviticus 8:3).⁴⁶This is an area too small to hold the entire congregation. It teaches that each and every one saw himself as though he were standing before the rock. Likewise, when they crossed the Jordan, all of Israel entered between the staves of the Ark, as it is stated: “Joshua said to the children of Israel: Come here, and hear the words of the Lord [your God]” (Joshua 3:9). Here all Israel were standing and witnessing the miracles at the rock.
They began to say, ‘Moses knows the nature of the rock; if he seeks to [perform a miracle] let him cause water to flow from this one.’⁴⁷There were those who said: Moses wants to extract water from a specific rock because he knows that from that rock, or from the area of that rock, it is possible to extract water. If he claims that he will miraculously extract water, let him extract it from this rock which we choose. As a result, Moses was in a quandary. [He thought:] If I listen to them, I will void the words of the Omnipresent, and the Holy One blessed be He: “He traps the wise with their craftiness” (Job 5:13). Moses was very cautious all those forty years not to become exasperated with them, because he was afraid of the oath that the Holy One blessed be He took: “If any man among these men…will see” (Deuteronomy 1:35).⁴⁸God took an oath that from that generation only Caleb and Joshua would enter the Land of Israel. While this implied that Moses and Aaron would not enter, it was not explicit. Therefore, Moses was afraid that even if he only became angry at them he would be included in their punishment. They said to him: ‘Just as you wish to cause water to flow from another rock, cause it to flow from this one.’ He screamed at them: “Listen now, hamorim” (Numbers 20:10). Hamorim has several interpretations: Hamorim –defiant ones; hamorim – fools, as in the cities of the sea, they call fools morim; hamorim – who teach their teachers; hamorim – shooter of arrows: “The archers [hamorim], the men…found him” (I Samuel 31:3); “the archers [hamorim bakeshet]” (I Chronicles 10:3).
“Moses raised his hand, and he struck the rock with his staff twice, and a great deal of water came out, and the congregation and their animals drank” (Numbers 20:11).
“Moses raised his hand, and he struck the rock” – he struck it once, the rock began dripping scant water, as it is stated: “Behold, He struck the rock so that water trickled [vayazuvu]” (Psalms 78:20), like a zav, who drips drops. They said to him: Son of Amram, this is water for nursing babies or those just weaned. He immediately grew impatient with them and struck it twice. Much water emerged and washed away everyone who had been mocking him, as it is stated: “And streams were flowing” (Psalms 78:20). Nevertheless, Moses did it only from the rock that the Holy One blessed be He had told him. From where is it derived that that rock about which Israel spoke as well as each and every rock that was in that place were producing water? It is as it is stated: “He split boulders…[and gave them drink]” (Psalms 78:15).
“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you did not have faith in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel; therefore, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them” (Numbers 20:12).
Why was Aaron included? It is as it is stated: “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you did not have faith in Me.” This is analogous to a creditor who came to take possession of the granary of the borrower, and took his and his neighbor’s. He said to him: ‘If I am liable, what sin did my neighbor commit?’ So too said Moses our teacher: ‘I became impatient; what sin did Aaron commit?’ This is why the verse lauds him:⁴⁹Lauds Aaron, who did not complain. “Of Levi he said: Your Tumim and Your Urim for Your virtuous one, whom You tested at Masa, [You challenged him at Mei Meriva]” (Deuteronomy 33:8).

“Take the staff…” (Bamidbar 20:8) This is what the scripture says “The staff of your might the Lord will send from Zion…” (Psalms 110:2) This is the staff which was in the hand of our father Yaakov, as it says “…for with my staff I crossed…” (Genesis 32:11) And it is the staff which was in the hand of Yehudah, as it says “Your signet, your cloak, and the staff that is in your hand.” (Genesis 38:18) And it was in the hand of Moshe, as it says “And you shall take this staff in your hand…” (Exodus 4:17) And it was in the hand of Aharon, as it says “Aaron cast his staff…” (Exodus 7:10) And it was in the hand of David, as it says “And he took his staff in his hand…” (Samuel I 17:40) And it was in the hand of every king until the Holy Temple was destroyed, and so in the future that very staff will be given to the King Messiah and with it he will rule over the nations of the world in the future. Therefore it says “The staff of your might the Lord will send from Zion…” (Psalms 110:2)…