Moses Madness

In this last week's parsha (weekly Torah reading) we have the story of Moses striking the rock rather than speaking to it to bring forth water. God is angry with Moses and tells him that he will not get to enter the Promised Land.

This seems to be a bit harsh. Why did God mete out such a severe punishment for such a seemingly minor infraction? Well, the rabbis have varied opinion on it. And as is typical in Rabbinic tradition, they are all offered without an attempt to decide on which one is the correct interpretation. This is because we can learn from all of the opinions.

1. Rashi says that very simply, Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it.

2. Ramban says that it was because Moses got angry and since Moses was always the voice of God, this implied to the people that God was angry. The text doesn't say that God was angry with the people and so Moses was misrepresenting God and abusing his position as prophet.

3. Rambam says that its because Moses said, "Shall we bring forth water..." which implied that he was doing it by his might rather than giving the glory to God.

4. Abarbanel says that its because Moses and Aaron had sinned previously but had never been punished. Aaron had made the Golden Calf. Moses had sent the spies into the land which resulted in on of Israel's great apostasies.

5. Another rabbi said that it was because Moses got angry, which for you or I would not be so bad. However, because Moses was God's great prophet, he was held to a much higher standard of behavior.