Staff Restoring Israel's Unity

בענין מי מריבה דאיתא במדרש שנענש על שאמר שמעו נא המורים

Regarding the episode of the Mei Merivah (the waters of strife): the Medrash states that Moshe Rabbeinu was punished because he said, "Listen now, you rebels" (Bamidbar 20:10).

The Sfas Emes opens with the Medrash's view that Moshe Rabbeinu's punishment at the Mei Merivah stemmed from his harsh words, calling Bnei Yisrael "rebels."

והרמב"ן הקשה ע"ז הטעם שהרי בודאי חטאו בזה דכתי' ויקציפו על מי מריבה וגם מ"ט לא האמנתם בי

But the Ramban raised a difficulty against this reason, for surely they sinned in this very matter, as it is written, "And they angered Hashem at the waters of strife" (Tehillim 106:32), and also as Hashem said, "Why did you not have faith in Me?" (Bamidbar 20:12).

The Ramban objects: the verses themselves indicate that Bnei Yisrael did in fact sin and anger Hashem, so the punishment cannot rest only on Moshe Rabbeinu's words.

וגם ענין לקיחת המטה כיון שלא הי' הכוונה להכות ע"ש

And there is also the matter of his taking of the staff — since the intention was not to strike with it (see there in the Ramban).

The Ramban further questions why Moshe Rabbeinu took the staff at all, since he was commanded only to speak to the rock and not to strike it.

ונ"ל דכתי' בפרשת קרח השב כו' מטה כו' לפני העדות כו' לאות לבני מרי ותכל תלונותם כו'

And it appears to me to explain, as it is written in Parshas Korach: "Return... the staff... before the Testimony... as a sign for the rebellious children, that you may put an end to their complaints against Me" (Bamidbar 17:25).

The Sfas Emes brings a key verse from Parshas Korach where Aharon's staff is placed before the Aron as a sign to put an end to the people's complaints, which he will use to resolve the difficulty.

כי באמת בנ"י מאמינים בני מאמינים

For in truth, Bnei Yisrael are believers, the children of believers.

At their core, Bnei Yisrael possess deep, inherited emunah, faithful children descended from faithful ancestors.

אך ע"י החטא ניטל מהם שורש האחדות

But through the sin, the root of unity was taken from them.

Sin does not destroy that emunah but rather severs them from the root of unity that binds Bnei Yisrael together.

והקב"ה נתן אות המטה שבזה יתדבקו למטות אבותם כמ"ש מטהו יפרח להיות דבוק בשורש ובזה נתעלו כל מטות בנ"י

And the Holy One, Blessed is He, gave the sign of the staff, that through it they would become attached to the staffs (tribes) of their fathers — as it is written, "his staff shall blossom" — to be bound to the root, and through this all the staffs of Bnei Yisrael were elevated.

The blossoming staff was a sign reconnecting each person to the root of his tribe and ancestors, and through that bond all the tribes of Bnei Yisrael were lifted up.

ולכן אמר קח כו' המטה והקהל את העדה שבזה יבואו אל האחדות ויפתח להם הבאר כמ"ש אסוף את העם ואתנה להם מים

Therefore He said, "Take... the staff and gather the assembly," for through this they would come to unity, and the well would be opened for them — as it is written, "Gather the people and I will give them water" (Bamidbar 21:16).

Thus Hashem's command to take the staff and gather the people was meant to restore their unity, which would in turn open the well of water for them.

ומיד שראו המטה נתהפכו להיות מאמינים בני מאמינים

And immediately when they saw the staff, they were transformed to be believers, the children of believers.

The moment Bnei Yisrael beheld the staff, their inner emunah was reawakened and they returned to being faithful children of the faithful.

ובזה שגג משה רבינו ע"ה שקרא להם המורים עתה

And in this Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, erred unwittingly, in that he called them "rebels" at that very moment.

Moshe Rabbeinu's unintentional error was that he addressed them as "rebels" precisely when, through the staff, they had already been transformed back into believers.

ולכן כל הקלקילים שכתוב במדרשים שנעשה בזה שהכה במטה ופעמים

And therefore all the imperfections that are written in the Medrashim that came about through this — that he struck with the staff, and that he did so twice —

All the flaws the Medrashim associate with this episode — that he struck the rock with the staff, and that he struck it twice —

הכל הי' בשביל שחשב משה רבינו ע"ה שעדיין הם מורים ואינם ראוים להתמשך אחר נס העליון ונשתנה הנס למדריגה שלמטה כמ"ש בזוה"ק בפסוק תוחלת ממושכה כו' ועץ חיים תאוה באה כמ"ש במ"א מזה

all of this was because Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, thought that they were still rebels and were not fit to be drawn after the supernal miracle, and so the miracle was changed to a lower level — as is stated in the Zohar HaKadosh on the verse "Hope deferred... but a tree of life is desire fulfilled" (Mishlei 13:12), as I have explained elsewhere concerning this.

stemmed from Moshe Rabbeinu's assumption that the people were still rebels and unworthy of the higher miracle, causing the miracle to descend to a lower level, as the Zohar teaches on "hope deferred" versus the "tree of life."

וז"שלא האמנתם בי להקדישני לעיני בנ"י א"כ הכל מיושב

And this is the meaning of "You did not have faith in Me to sanctify Me before the eyes of Bnei Yisrael" (Bamidbar 20:12); accordingly, everything is settled.

This explains the verse "You did not have faith in Me to sanctify Me," and with this insight the whole difficulty of the Ramban is resolved.

כי בזמן שבא הארה עליונה מתהפכים בנ"י כמו בש" בכח הנשמה יתירה

For at the time when a supernal illumination comes, Bnei Yisrael are transformed — as on Shabbos, through the power of the neshamah yeseirah (the additional soul).

Whenever a lofty illumination descends, Bnei Yisrael are spiritually elevated and transformed, much as they are on Shabbos through the gift of the neshamah yeseirah.

כי גם המטה שהוא במשכן לפני העדות הכל ענין אור הגנוז שמאיר מסוף העולם ועד סופו

For even the staff that is in the Mishkan before the Testimony is entirely a matter of the hidden light (or ha'ganuz) that shines from one end of the world to the other.

Even the staff resting in the Mishkan before the Aron embodies the or ha'ganuz, the hidden light that shines from one end of creation to the other.

וכשבא הארה משם מתאספין בני ישראל אל השורש ונתקן הכל ונפתח להם הבאר והכל ענין אחד:

And when an illumination comes from there, Bnei Yisrael are gathered to the root, and everything is rectified, and the well is opened for them — and it is all one matter.

When that light shines forth, Bnei Yisrael are drawn back to their root, everything is set right, and the well of water opens — all of these being a single, unified concept.

Summary: In this piece the Sfas Emes resolves the Ramban's difficulties on the Mei Merivah by teaching that Bnei Yisrael are essentially believers, the children of believers, and that sin does not erase their emunah but only severs them from the root of unity that binds them. The Holy One, Blessed is He, gave the sign of the blossoming staff to reconnect each Jew to the root of his tribe and fathers, and the moment they beheld the staff their inner emunah was reawakened and they were transformed back into faithful children of the faithful. Moshe Rabbeinu's error was that he still called them "rebels" at that very moment, assuming they were unworthy of the supernal miracle, and so the miracle was lowered to a lesser level, which is why he struck the rock rather than spoke to it. This is the deeper meaning of "You did not have faith in Me to sanctify Me before the eyes of Bnei Yisrael." Ultimately the staff, the hidden or ha'ganuz shining from one end of the world to the other, the gathering of Bnei Yisrael to their root, and the opening of the well are all one matter — the descent of a supernal illumination that elevates Bnei Yisrael, just as Shabbos elevates them through the neshamah yeseirah.