Timeless Torah

Moses is denied entrance into the Land of Israel as a result of his hitting the rock at the Waters of Merivah. Many of the Torah commentaries are baffled as to the exact nature of Moses’ sin. Maimonedes is of the opinion that the great Jewish leader blew it when he publicly lost his temper and exclaimed, “Listen here you rebels, shall we bring forth water for you from this rock?”
We need to analyze the Rambam’s explanation. Moses had a legitimate reason to be angry and frustrated, since this was not the first, but rather the second incident regarding the Well. Thus who cannot justify Moses thinking, “I’ve had it with these people! After forty years they have not come one iota closer to G-d.” Was it not understandable that Moses needed to let off a little steam? And yet, Maimonedes argues that, nonetheless, this was held against him. He should not have lost his patience.
Why? Because in fact the two incidents were not identical as there was a subtle contrast between the two. The Jews’ first complaint in Exodus was phrased as follows, “The people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moshe, ‘Why is this that you have brought us up from Egypt to kill me and my children...through thirst?’” Four decades later however the people were a little more circumspect. Now they said, “Why have you brought the congregation...to die?” The arguments seem similar, except for one word. Earlier the charge was murder (as in, “to kill”) whereas now the issue was bad leadership, lest they “die” due to lack of water.
Don’t laugh; this is progress. Subtle perhaps, but progress nonetheless. So while the people grew up and revised their understanding of Moses, he continued to see them in the same light. That was his failing and his downfall.
A similar idea clarifies the difference between this week’s Shirah (Song) honoring the Well which accompanied the Jews throughout their dessert travels and the Song at the splitting of the Sea. The Shirah sung after escaping the clutches of Pharaoh’s chariots began with the words, “Then sang Moshe and the Children of Israel...” The Shirah of the Well, however, begins with the words, “Then sang Israel...” with Moses’ name not being mentioned. A glaring omission!
One simple explanation is that since the ‘Well’ served as the only blemish on Moses’ otherwise impeccable record his name is not mentioned in this Shirah. The Shemen HaTov however suggests another thought. The Shirah of the Sea was sung at the beginning of Moses’ 40-year tenure while the Shirah of the Well was sung at the end of his term. The absence of Moses’ name from first Shirah should therefore not be misconstrued as a negative. Indeed it is the greatest testimony to his leadership. At first, it was necessary for Moshe to instruct his flock, “Ladies and Gentlemen we have just witnessed a miracle!” He had to take them by the hand and instruct them, “My children, this is what you do when you are privy to a wonder.” That is why the Torah emphasizes, “Then sang Moshe and the Children...” He had to lead them in song.
Forty years later, however, Moses was able to sit back and watch the Jewish people, on their own, initiate an appropriate spiritual response to the miracles that they had witnessed. This says it all. The deletion of his name does not speak to the detriment of Moses. On the contrary, it testifies that he was successful.
A leader’s job is to get the people to the point where they know what to do by themselves. This is true for parents as well. When our children are younger, we must explicitly spell out what should be done and what should not be done. If we are successful, at a certain stage in life we should be able to stand back and say, “OK. You can do it yourself now”.
The relationship between parents and children (and on some level, between a Jewish leader and the people) is unique, in that if it is successful, the recipient of the love and instruction will achieve independence from the parent/teacher. But in order for that to occur we must be on the lookout for progress from our charges, no matter how insignificant. And when that achievement is noted it should be appreciated, not summarily dismissed as trivial. This in turn will motivate the child/student to shoot for the next goal.
We may want to see major change from those we educate. But it does not always happen like that. Progress comes in incremental steps. In fact, one of the primary reasons why people don’t improve is because the goals set by the adults/leaders are often dramatic, and even drastic. We must create manageable steps, not mountains. This is something that Moses may have failed to recognize. Perhaps because of his towering greatness and ability to scale the heavens, he didn’t understand a smaller man’s subtle progress.