ציטירנדיקער פּירוש אויף במדבר 20:10

Solomon was in the habit of rebuking everybody (through his writings) and he warned everybody who was fit to rebuke others to follow in his footsteps and to take his place. Seeing that the person who has been so rebuked had tended to relate to earth (rather than heaven) when he committed deeds which provoked the rebuke, Solomon uses the expression מוכיח אדם instead of מוכיח איש, i.e. that the rebuke was provoked through the rebuked person having identified too closely with אדמה.
It is well known that most rebukes are directed at the average person, the masses; the masses have different views, are not homogeneous. If they would all be of one mind and had similar outlooks they would be known as יחידים and not masses (common people). [I believe that our author distinguished between people who have a mind of their own whom he calls יחידים, individuals, i.e. people with a mind of their own, whereas he calls the people to whom we attribute a herd instinct המון עם, masses. Ed.]. Seeing that all these people do have minds of their own they do not easily accept rebukes seeing that what one person likes another dislikes. What is pleasing to one person is unacceptable to others. This is what prompted Rabbi Tarfon to say (in Erchin 16) “I am convinced that there is hardly a person nowadays willing to respond positively to rebukes. If one tells one person to remove the splinter in his own teeth the person told this would retort that the rebuker should first remove the wooden beams which blocked his own vision.” It was typical of the people of his time that if one pointed out that someone wore a soiled garment, he would respond that the rebuker’s garment was even dirtier. People like to be flattered and not to be criticized. This recalls a statement in Ketuvot 105 according to which the reason that young scholars enjoy more popularity than their senior colleagues is the fact that the former refrain from rebuking people’s religious misconduct.
Keeping all this in mind, Solomon said that, eventually, he who rebukes a man will find favor more so than the flatterer. Solomon was not unaware of the psychology of the people enduring rebukes; rather he spoke in terms of what is favored by G’d. He meant that the fact that people do not like to be rebuked is not decisive in the eyes of the Lord. He wanted to encourage people, especially leaders, who would live after him not to commit the error attributed to the young scholars in Ketuvot 105 by complimenting their parishioners rather than pointing out areas in which they should improve. Ultimately, only severe rebukes will have an effect on habitual sinners and save them from the results of their errors. G’d appreciates people who respond positively to rebukes; He accepts repentant sinners seeing that these people responded to rebukes and changed their ways. Ultimately, even the person who has been rebuked realizes that this is preferable to losing his life or even his soul by not being called to order and continuing in his wicked ways.
When Moses rebuked the Jewish people with harsh words, he found a favorable echo in the eyes of G’d. Moses invariably used tough language when rebuking the people as we know already from Kadesh (Numbers 20,10) when he called the people “rebellious.” Even as early as Exodus 16,7 Moses criticized the people for accusing Aaron and himself for leading them into the desert as if it had been Moses’ idea to do so.

The Torah also wanted to go on record that during the entire preceding 40 years when Moses had been the faithful shepherd of the people of Israel, he never spoke harshly to the children of Israel unless instructed to do so by G'd. Even though we find Moses reported as having addressed the Israelites with the words: "listen you rebellious people" in Numbers 20,10, he did not include the whole people in that description but only referred to those reluctant to accept authority. This view is supported by the Zohar. The only time Moses included the entire people in an address consisting primarily of words of admonition is in this Book. This is why the Torah here stresses: "to the whole of Israel."

The correct version of this in Onkelos is: ואכניש . Re”m writes: “I do not understand what Rashi means by this.” Nachalas Yaakov writes: It seems to me that Rashi wrote this because he saw two versions of Onkelos. Therefore he proves that the correct version is [the causative form] ואכניש , not וכנש . Similarly in Bamidbar 16:19, וַיַקְהֵל עליהם קרח , Onkelos writes ואכניש . But in Bamidbar 20:10, וַיַּקְהִילוּ . . . אל פני הסלע , Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonasan both say וכנשו .