ויצאו פעמים במטהו הסלע את ויך ידו את משה וירם” (יא כ) “ובעירם העדה ותשת רבים מים
In Tefillas Geshem, we ask in the merit of Moshe: “Remember the one who was drawn in from the water in the teivah... give water to the sheep... he hit the stone and water emerged – in his piety please grant us water.” From the words “al hasela hach” it appears that the intention of the poet was the Mei Merivah in this parashah, and not the hitting of the tzur in Refidim, which was commanded by Hashem. And the question is asked: Wasn’t hitting the sela considered a sin by Moshe, for which he was punished that he did not enter the Land? Why then do we mention this incident when trying to evoke the zechus of Moshe Rabbeinu when we ask for water?!
Harav Yitzchak of Vorka explained: The reason Moshe did not speak to the rock, the way he was commanded, was in order to prevent a kitrug on Klal Yisrael. HaKadosh Baruch Hu instructed Moshe to extract the water from the rock with the power of his speech, so that Bnei Yisrael should learn a kal vachomer: Just like this rock that does not speak or hear and does not need parnassah fulfills the command of Moshe, how much more so must we” (Rashi 20:12). Afraid that Am Yisrael would not learn this kal vachomer, and thus a kitrug would arise against them, Moshe chose to hit the rock, a sin for which he was not allowed to do what he wanted most – to enter Eretz Yisrael. For such mesirus nefesh, it is worth it for us to ask – “betzidko chon chashras mayim, for his piety, grant us water.”
Tiferes Shmuel [Alexander] Va’eira
