Musar к Бамидбар 20:7

When we look at what happened at מי מריבה, "the waters of strife," in the passage beginning in Numbers 20,7 we are faced with many difficulties, and there are many commentators offering all kinds of reasons. Rabbi Yitzchak Abravanel alone cites ten different explanations offered on this strange passage. Later commentators have added their own comments. I shall add my own comments also, seeing that anyone has the right to claim the "crown" of Torah. I have heard a beautiful commentary on this passage in the name of Rabbi Moshe Isserless, better known as the famous Rema, commentator on the שלחן ערוך. I will quote it and add a personal thought. This will answer why the names עם and בני ישראל are used in that passage in what appears to be a haphazard fashion. It will also explain why Moses called the people מורים, "rebellious," in conjunction with my explanation of the nature of Moses' and Aaron's sin. If we were to follow Maimonides in his commentary שמונה פרקים, we would have to say that Moses' only error was that he called the people מורים. I hope to prove that Moses did not commit an error by calling the people מורים.