Israel's Merit in Miracles
בענין מי מריבה אז ישיר ישראל
Regarding the waters of strife (Mei Merivah), the verse says, "Then Bnei Yisrael sang" (Bamidbar 21:17).
The Sfas Emes opens by noting that the Torah records Bnei Yisrael singing a song over the miracle of the well at Mei Merivah.
ומשה רבינו ע"ה לא נזכר
Yet Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, is not mentioned in this song.
He immediately points out the difficulty: Moshe Rabbeinu's name is absent from this song, unlike at the Song of the Sea.
דאיתא מי שעושין לו נס ואומר שירה בידוע שנמחלו לו כל עונותיו
For our Sages teach that whoever has a miracle performed for him and recites a song over it — it is known that all his sins have been forgiven.
He brings the teaching of Chazal that singing a song over a miracle is a sign that one's sins have been completely forgiven.
והטעם כי השירה עדות שיש לו שייכות בהנס
And the reason is that the song is testimony that he has a connection to the miracle.
The reason is that one can only sing about a miracle if he has a genuine share and connection in that miracle.
א"כ נראה כאן שניסי הבאר היו בזכותן של ישראל לכן אמרו שירה ונמחל להם
If so, it appears here that the miracles of the well came about through the merit of Bnei Yisrael, and therefore they recited a song and were forgiven.
He concludes that the well's miracles flowed through the merit of Bnei Yisrael, so their song shows they were forgiven.
ומרע"ה מצינו שלא נמחל לו זה החטא שלא אמר שירה
But concerning Moshe Rabbeinu we find that this sin was not forgiven him, since he did not recite a song.
By contrast, Moshe Rabbeinu's sin at this episode was not forgiven, and his not singing reflects that he had no share in this particular miracle.
ובדרך זה נבאר כל הענין דכתיב ודברתם אל הסלע לעיניהם
And along this path we will explain the entire matter, for it is written, "And you shall speak to the rock before their eyes" (Bamidbar 20:8).
He now begins to unpack the whole episode through the command that Moshe was to speak to the rock in the people's sight.
והיינו שהי' מוכן לעשות זה בכחן של בנ"י כמ"ש אסוף את העם ואתנה [לשון נוקבא]. ובאמת מדריגת מרע"ה הי' למעלה מזה
That is to say, it was prepared to be accomplished through the power of Bnei Yisrael, as it is written, "Gather the people and I will give" (Bamidbar 21:16) — in a feminine form of expression. But in truth the level of Moshe Rabbeinu was above this.
The miracle was meant to come through the people's own spiritual power — a receptive, feminine mode — though Moshe's own level stood higher than that mode.
אבל בני ישראל לא נמשכו אחר הנהגתו שהתחיל עתה הדור של באי הארץ
However, Bnei Yisrael were not drawn after his leadership, for now there began the generation of those who would enter the Land.
The problem was that the new generation entering the Land was not drawn after Moshe's lofty style of leadership.
אכן אם מרע"ה הי' יכול לבטל עצמו לההנהגה שהי' נצרך להם הי' יכול לבוא לארץ ישראל
Nevertheless, had Moshe Rabbeinu been able to nullify himself to the manner of leadership that they required, he would have been able to come to Eretz Yisrael.
Had Moshe been able to lower and nullify himself to lead them in the way they needed, he could have entered Eretz Yisrael.
אכן זה הי' העדות שאינו מוכן לההנהגה
But indeed, this was the testimony that he was not suited to that manner of leadership.
But his inability to descend to that mode was itself the testimony that he was not suited to lead this new generation.
דהנה יש כלל הצריך לפרט ויש פרט הצריך לכלל
For behold, there is a general principle (klal) that requires the particular (prat), and there is a particular that requires the general.
He introduces the key principle: sometimes the klal (collective) needs the prat (individual), and sometimes the individual needs the collective.
פי' שיש צדיקים גדולים ומשה רבינו ע"ה על כולם שהם ממשיכין כל הכלל אחריהם
The meaning is that there are great tzaddikim — and Moshe Rabbeinu above them all — who draw the entire collective after themselves.
The first type is the great tzaddik, supremely Moshe Rabbeinu, who pulls the entire nation upward in his wake.
ויש צדיקים שזכות הציבור מסייעתן והוא פרט הצריך לכלל
And there are tzaddikim whom the merit of the community assists, and this is a particular that requires the general.
The second type is the tzaddik who is carried by the merit of the community — a particular who needs the general.
וכזה מצינו שאמר מרע"ה על יהושע שידע להלוך נגד כל רוחו של כל אחד והיא מדריגה פחותה ממעלת משה שהמשיך הכלל אחריו
And we find something like this in what Moshe Rabbeinu said of Yehoshua, that he knew how to go according to the spirit of each and every one — and this is a level lower than the greatness of Moshe, who drew the collective after himself.
He proves this from Moshe's praise of Yehoshua, who could meet each person according to his individual spirit — a lower mode than Moshe's, who drew everyone after him.
ולכן אמר להם המורים את מוריהם שהוא מדריגה הנ"ל
Therefore he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels" (Bamidbar 20:10) — that they were teaching their teachers, which is the level mentioned above.
Moshe's rebuke of the people as 'rebels' was because they were now putting themselves above their teacher, demanding the lower mode of leadership.
[שפוט השופטים אוי לדור ששופט שופטיהם והוא כענין הנ"ל] פרט הצריך לכלל
["In the days when the judges judged" (Rus 1:1) — woe to the generation that judges its judges, and this is like the matter mentioned above] — a particular that requires the general.
He cites the saying about a generation that judges its judges as the same idea — the individual who must depend on the collective.
ומרע"ה לא הי' יכול לירד ממדריגה שלו
And Moshe Rabbeinu was not able to descend from his level.
Moshe simply could not lower himself from his exalted spiritual level to that mode.
ולכן הקפיד כנגדן
And therefore he was stern with them.
Because of this gap, he reacted to them with sternness rather than yielding to their level.
אבל באמת הרצון הי' להיות מתחיל הנהגה זו וז"ש יען כו' להקדישני לעיני בני ישראל דוקא
But in truth the Divine will was that he should become the initiator of this manner of leadership, and this is the meaning of "Because... to sanctify Me before the eyes of Bnei Yisrael" (Bamidbar 20:12) — specifically.
Yet Hashem's true will was for Moshe to inaugurate this very mode of leadership, which is why the verse stresses sanctifying Hashem specifically before the people's eyes.
דכתיב וירם משה כו' ידו שעשה כפי רום ידו הגבוהה
For it is written, "And Moshe lifted up... his hand" (Bamidbar 20:11) — that he acted according to the loftiness of his lifted, elevated hand.
The verse's mention of Moshe lifting his hand high hints that he acted from his own lofty elevation rather than the humble mode that was required.
וענין לא האמנתם בי וחלילה שיהי' מרע"ה מחוסר אמנה אבל יש אמונה רבה ואמונה זוטא
And the matter of "You did not believe in Me" (Bamidbar 20:12) — Heaven forbid that Moshe Rabbeinu should be lacking in faith; but there is a great faith and a lesser faith.
The charge 'you did not believe' cannot mean Moshe lacked faith; rather, there are two grades of faith — a great one and a lesser one.
ואמונה זו שאמרו בנ"י כאן שירה הי' מילתא זוטרתא לגבי מרע"ה
And this faith, which Bnei Yisrael expressed here in song, was a small matter relative to Moshe Rabbeinu.
The simple faith expressed in the people's song was a trivial matter relative to the towering faith of Moshe Rabbeinu.
וכן מה שנתפעלו בנ"י בשמחתם כפי הכרת הנס שלהם שאמרו שירה ומרע"ה לא נתפעל
And likewise, that which Bnei Yisrael were stirred in their joy according to their recognition of the miracle, so that they recited a song, while Moshe Rabbeinu was not so stirred.
Similarly, the people were emotionally stirred to song by their grasp of the miracle, whereas Moshe, on his higher plane, was not stirred in that way.
ובשירת הים שרו כולם בשמחה רבה מכלל שיש שמחה זוטא
And at the Song of the Sea they all sang with great joy — from which it is implied that there is a lesser joy.
The fact that all of Bnei Yisrael sang with great joy at the Sea implies that joy too comes in a greater and a lesser grade.
וז"ש לא האמנתם להקדישני לעיני בני ישראל דייקא שהי' בחי' אמונה זוטא
And this is the meaning of "You did not believe... to sanctify Me before the eyes of Bnei Yisrael" — specifically — for it was an aspect of lesser faith.
Thus 'you did not believe... before the eyes of Bnei Yisrael' points specifically to the lesser-faith mode that this episode called for.
ושירת הים יש בה שינוי בתורה הקדושה שנכתבת בדרך אחר
And the Song of the Sea has a change in the holy Torah, for it is written in a different manner (in the special bricklike layout).
He notes that the Song of the Sea is written with a special altered layout in the Torah scroll, marking its elevated status.
ושירה זו אין בה שינוי בתורה
But this song has no change in the Torah.
The song at the well, by contrast, has no such special form in the Torah text.
שהיא מדריגה שלמטה בחי' תורה שבע"פ
For it is a lower level, the aspect of the Oral Torah.
This is because it belongs to a lower level, corresponding to the aspect of Torah she-baal peh, the Oral Torah.
וכן בלשון השירה עלי באר ענו לה שהי' בכח והתעוררות מלמטה
And likewise in the language of the song, "Rise up, O well — sing to it" (Bamidbar 21:17), which was through strength and an awakening from below.
Even its wording — 'Rise up, O well' — reflects an arousal and effort coming from below, from the people themselves.
ובחי' מרע"ה הי' הכל הנהגה מן השמים
But the aspect of Moshe Rabbeinu was that everything was leadership from Heaven.
Moshe Rabbeinu's whole mode, by contrast, was that everything came as leadership directed from Heaven above.
[ובזה מובן ג"כ המשך הפ' ועתה ישראל מה ה' אלקיך שואל כו' פרש"י ואני לא זכיתי למחול לי כו'
[And with this is also understood the continuation of the passage, "And now, Yisrael, what does Hashem your God ask..." (Devarim 10:12), as Rashi explains: "and I was not worthy to be forgiven..."
He closes by tying in the verse in Devarim where Hashem asks only fear of Him, alongside Rashi's note that Moshe was not granted forgiveness.
פי' א"כ שההנהגה היא במדריגה תחתונה מה שואל כי אם ליראה שהיא מילתא זוטרתא לגבי משה כמאמרם ז"ל]:
The meaning is, since the leadership is on a lower level, what does He ask but to fear Him — which is a small matter relative to Moshe, as our Sages of blessed memory have said.]
Since this lower mode of leadership is what was needed, Hashem asks only the 'small' matter of fearing Him — small relative to Moshe's far higher level, as Chazal teach.
Summary: The Sfas Emes builds his entire piece on a single observation: at the well of Mei Merivah, Bnei Yisrael sang a song, yet Moshe Rabbeinu's name is absent from it. Since singing over a miracle testifies to one's share in it and signals that one's sins are forgiven, the well's miracle clearly flowed through the merit of the people, who were thereby forgiven, whereas Moshe's sin was not forgiven and he had no share in this particular song. The deeper reason is that the miracle was meant to be drawn forth through the spiritual power of Bnei Yisrael — a lower, receptive mode of avodah suited to the new generation entering the Land — yet Moshe's exalted level was that he himself drew the entire collective after him, and he could not descend to the humbler mode of leadership the new generation required. This is the meaning of 'you did not believe' and 'to sanctify Me before the eyes of Bnei Yisrael': not that Moshe lacked emunah, Heaven forbid, but that there is a great faith and a lesser faith, a great joy and a lesser joy, and this episode called for the lesser, lower grade — the aspect of Torah she-baal peh and an arousal from below, as reflected in the well-song's ordinary form versus the special layout of the Song of the Sea. In the end, since Hashem's leadership of this generation was to be on that lower plane, He asks of them only yiras Shamayim, which is a 'small' matter relative to the towering level of Moshe Rabbeinu.