“Hashem said to Moshe and Aron, ‘Because you did not trust Me enough to affirm My sanctity in the eyes of Bnei Yisrael, therefore you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them.’” (Bamidbar 20:12)
In this week's Parsha, we encounter a sobering moment in Moshe’s leadership. When Bnei Yisrael needed water, Hashem commanded Moshe to speak to the rock. Instead, Moshe struck the rock. Water flowed, the crisis was averted, but Hashem was not pleased: "Since you did not have faith in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of Bnei Yisrael, therefore you shall not bring this assembly to the Land."
Rashi explains the missed opportunity: "For had you spoken to the rock and it had given forth [water], I would have been sanctified in the eyes of the congregation. They would have said, 'If this rock, which neither speaks nor hears and does not require any sustenance, fulfills the word of the Omnipresent, how much more so should we [Bnai Yisrael listen to the word of Hashem]!"
Moshe's role as leader and teacher required him to reflect and teach the Bnei Yisrael about Hashem’s preferences towards education and how to solve problems. When Moshe, in a moment of pressure, opted for the expedient, immediate solution - to use force over speech - the lesson that the Bnei Yisrael was to learn about Hashem’s preference for patient verbal engagement, and that if an inanimate rock listens to Hashem’s word, how much more so should they, was lost.
People of influence, such as parents, teachers and community leaders, often face moments like these. When pressure mounts, they may be tempted to abandon their principled solution for a more expedient solution. The lesson of the rock, teaches us that how we achieve our goals matters as much as achieving them. It was not enough that Bnei Yisrael received the water that they needed, they had important lessons to be learned by how they were to receive it, that went unlearned. This truly was a missed opportunity and the source of Hashem’s displeasure.
