Moses and his Hulk-like tendency to smash

 Why is Moses so short-tempered? Why does he have to take out his anger on precious objects? We're already familar with his smashing of God's tablets (upon seeng the Israelites dancing around a Golden Calf). Now, in Numbers, we've have the Israelites rebelling against Moses...and again, there's the Hulk-like tendency to smash.

In Numbers 20:2 (in Parshat Chukat) the Israelites are thirsty. They become hostile, and (as it is written) they turned against Moses and Aaron.  This provokes Moses to strike the rock of Miraba, which causes water  to pour out. The people have water,   but Moses falls from grace with God: He’s forbidden from entering into the Promised Land..

I’ve always been bothered by Moses’fate here: I’ve often felt that God was too harsh with Moses, forbidding Moses from entering the Promised, all because he lost his temper and stuck a rock with his staff. It was hot, people were dehydrated and complaining…But on closer reading,  I can see that scene is not simply about a leader losing his temper; it’s about ritual impurity, which is the theme that runs thoughout this entire parsha. Let’s look at this scene more closely:

First, as we learned in Leviticus 20:2, the people were without water.   They’re probably overheated and dehydrated, being in the desert.

Then, in the next line (Leviticus 20:3), some of the Israelites say something incredible.  When complaining to Moses for the lack of water,  they say, “if only we had perished when our brothers perished at the instance of the Eternal!”

Perished at the instance of the Eternal? That’s an odd thing for an Israelite to say... unless it’s a clue about how to read what’s coming up next.  I think that it’s a reference  to the fate of Nadab and Abihu,

In line 20:6, we learn that the setting for this scene is actually before the Tent of Meeting. As it is written,  after Moses appeals to God for guidance, God gives Moses these instructions: “You and your brother Aaron take the rod and assemble the community, and before their very eyes order the rock to yield its water. Thus you shall produce water for them from the rock, and provide drink the congregation and their beasts”

I think that the proper way to read this scene. is that God is explaining a ritual to Moses. Moses is to perform the ritual,  God is to provide water from the rock, and the Israelites would praise God for His blessings.

It doesn’t work out that way.  In the very next line, Moses deprives God of the Israelites brucha (for providing water),  and also glorifies himself as a magician.  Angry with the Israelites for their complaining,  Moses says

“Listen, you rebels, shall we get water out of this rock?”, and Moses raised his

hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. Out came copious water, and their

beasts drank”

When Moses strikes the rock in anger, causing water  flow out of it, we’re supposed to look at this as analogous to Aaron’s sons bringing unholy fire into the Temple: it’s a form of ritual impurity.  The whole theme of this parsha is issue of ritual impurity

Many commentators have a hard time figuring out why God is so hard on Moses for this incident at the rock.  I’d like to suggest that if we view Moses’ angry outburst, and his striking of the rock, as a ritual violation,  perhaps that will shed some light on the subject.  Moses needs to be a better Moses! Moses not Hulk!