Masah U'Mrivah

Parshat B'Shalach

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Before the battle with Amalek in the latter half of chapter 17, there is a story that doesn’t get as much attention as it should. There are likely several reasons for this inattention, including the following:

 1. There is so much action in the Parsha as it is

 2. There is a complaint about water, and the complaint about water that happened in Marah is so much more dramatic

 3. Moshe hits the rock to bring out water and nothing bad happens in the aftermath

 4. While the people complained, there doesn’t seem to be a negative outcome from their complaining 

Let us look at the tale in question – please note the words highlighted in bold in the Hebrew and English: 

1The entire community of the children of Israel journeyed from the desert of Sin to their travels by the mandate of the Lord. They encamped in Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. 2So the people quarreled with Moses, and they said, Give us water that we may drink Moses said to them, Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord? 3The people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and they said, Why have you brought us up from Egypt to make me and my children and my livestock die of thirst? 4Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, What shall I do for this people? Just a little longer and they will stone me! 5And the Lord said to Moses, Pass before the people and take with you [some] of the elders of Israel, and take into your hand your staff, with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6Behold, I shall stand there before you on the rock in Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel. 7He named the place Massah [testing] and Meribah [quarreling] because of the quarrel of the children of Israel and because of their testing the Lord, saying, Is the Lord in our midst or not? 8Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.		אוַ֠יִּסְע֠וּ כָּל־עֲדַ֨ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל מִמִּדְבַּר־סִ֛ין לְמַסְעֵיהֶ֖ם עַל־פִּ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיַּֽחֲנוּ֙ בִּרְפִידִ֔ים וְאֵ֥ין מַ֖יִם לִשְׁתֹּ֥ת הָעָֽם: בוַיָּ֤רֶב הָעָם֙ עִם־משֶׁ֔ה וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ תְּנוּ־לָ֥נוּ מַ֖יִם וְנִשְׁתֶּ֑ה וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ משֶׁ֔ה מַה־תְּרִיבוּן֙ עִמָּדִ֔י מַה־תְּנַסּ֖וּן אֶת־יקוק: גוַיִּצְמָ֨א שָׁ֤ם הָעָם֙ לַמַּ֔יִם וַיָּ֥לֶן הָעָ֖ם עַל־משֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לָ֤מָּה זֶּה֙ הֶֽעֱלִיתָ֣נוּ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם לְהָמִ֥ית אֹתִ֛י וְאֶת־בָּנַ֥י וְאֶת־מִקְנַ֖י בַּצָּמָֽא: דוַיִּצְעַ֤ק משֶׁה֙ אֶל־יְהֹוָ֣ה לֵאמֹ֔ר מָ֥ה אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֖ה לָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֑ה ע֥וֹד מְעַ֖ט וּסְקָלֻֽנִי: הוַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־משֶׁ֗ה עֲבֹר֙ לִפְנֵ֣י הָעָ֔ם וְקַ֥ח אִתְּךָ֖ מִזִּקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּמַטְּךָ֗ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִכִּ֤יתָ בּוֹ֙ אֶת־הַיְאֹ֔ר קַ֥ח בְּיָֽדְךָ֖ וְהָלָֽכְתָּ: והִנְנִ֣י עֹמֵד֩ לְפָנֶ֨יךָ שָּׁ֥ם | עַל־הַצּוּר֘ בְּחֹרֵב֒ וְהִכִּ֣יתָ בַצּ֗וּר וְיָֽצְא֥וּ מִמֶּ֛נּוּ מַ֖יִם וְשָׁתָ֣ה הָעָ֑ם וַיַּ֤עַשׂ כֵּן֙ משֶׁ֔ה לְעֵינֵ֖י זִקְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל: זוַיִּקְרָא֙ שֵׁ֣ם הַמָּק֔וֹם מַסָּ֖ה וּמְרִיבָ֑ה עַל־רִ֣יב | בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְעַ֨ל נַסֹּתָ֤ם אֶת־יקוק לֵאמֹ֔ר הֲיֵ֧שׁ יְהֹוָ֛ה בְּקִרְבֵּ֖נוּ אִם־אָֽיִן: חוַיָּבֹ֖א עֲמָלֵ֑ק וַיִּלָּ֥חֶם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בִּרְפִידִֽם:

The text indicates that the Israelites are defined as Adas Yisrael (entire community) and as Ha’Am (the people). The text also indicates that there is first a quarrel with Moshe, and an attitude that tests God. This is followed by a complaint over the lack of water. 

 Ibn Ezra suggests there are two groups here. One doesn’t have water to drink, and they are QUARRELING with Moshe, and the second group HAS WATER that they brought from Alush. (Ibn Ezra likes to compare the travels here to how they are listed in Parshas Masei, noting the stops mentioned there which are not included in the narrative in Sefer Shemos.) The second group, who have a backup supply of water are the ones trying to test God. 

 But the reality is that the first part of the narrative is more simple than that. If we recall, in the previous chapter, they had been given מן (Manna, henceforth “Mon”), which was a supernatural bread which provided for ALL of their eating needs. In other words, they didn’t NEED water, as long as they had Mon. 

 Quarreling with Moshe was a way to stir the pot. Testing God was a step beyond anything necessary. The verse says “they thirsted for water,” but that doesn’t tell us whether they were actually thirsty and dehydrating, or whether they simply WANTED water, because that is a basic human need, and they didn’t realize the need was “covered” by the Mon they were now eating daily. 

 Considering the miraculous nature of how the waters of Marah were sweetened and how there was plenty of water in Elim (all before the Mon was given to them), it’s hard to imagine that God would actually leave them “high and dry” (pardon the pun) just because they got to a new location. This is likely why the “quarrel” doesn’t get a productive response, whereas the complaint in verse 3 is at least worthy of attention. [This is a good lesson in general for how reasonable people can effect change. Fighting just produces animus, whereas a petition and legitimate grievances will more likely get a sympathetic ear.] 

The way the water is brought to the people combines a number of motifs that make us wonder what actually happened. All the reference to water… is it a metaphor to Torah? To teaching the people a lesson? Or was it actually water? Look carefully at the text and you’ll see that Moshe is told to gather the elders (where have we heard that before?), to take in his hand the staff with which he hit the River (??? Were you also taught that Aharon, and not Moshe, hit the river? God seems to be contradicting that!), to go to a Rock (צור) in Horeb (another name for Har Sinai!) where God will be “standing,” and there Moshe is to strike the Rock, so water will be given to the people to drink. 

The Torah tells us in verse 6 that Moshe did all this to the eyes of the elders, but it doesn’t tell us whether the people actually drank the water. What it tells us is that this all happened because of the quarrel with Moshe and the testing of God in which the people wondered “If God is with us” and then Amalek came. 

It sounds like Moshe and the elders went all the way to Sinai (though admittedly we have no idea how far Sinai is from Rephidim), and Moshe hit a rock there, from which water flowed all the way to Rephidim (see Devarim 9:22), to allow for the people and animals to drink. And in the meantime Amalek came as a general response to the people seeming to lack faith in God, lack appreciation for what they had, and the way they treated Moshe, who felt that the people were on the verge of stoning him over their perceived lack of water. 

 Masah U’Mrivah demonstrates for us that there were different factions amongst the Bnei Yisrael (which is an argument made at the splitting of the sea, and at various other times in wilderness travel) indicating that never does everyone agree on how anything should be done. It sets a precedent for how Moshe extracts water out of a Rock (though here the Rock is a צור while in Bamidbar 20 it is a סלע) – this becomes an important piece of deciphering what actually takes place in Bamidbar 20, and if Moshe was “totally in the wrong” for hitting the Rock there, or if there is something very different going awry. And it shows us, in a subtle way, that the source of resolution to Bnei Yisrael’s internal problems is Horeb/Sinai. 

The tale also reminds us that Amalek is the first thing which shows up when we test to see if God is with us. There is a significant debate as to what (or who) Amalek is in the text. A band who lived in the Negev? Descendants of Eisav? A king whose name was Amalek – as Yehoshua “weakened Amalek and his nation”? (see Ibn Ezra on the last verse of the Parsha)

In our time we view Amalek in two ways – as the ultimate enemy of Bnei Yisrael, who is most intent on destroying us physically, or as the ultimate spiritual enemy of Bnei Yisrael, intent on distracting us from our goals of serving Hashem and fulfilling His commandments. Obviously, wondering if God is even there opens the door for the spiritual challenge Amalek represents. 

 We are meant to learn from this tale – not to fight with Moshe, not to challenge God. A reasonable grievance is OK, but we also have to recognize that we don’t see the big picture that God sees. Hopefully, as we do our part to serve Him properly, He will see to it that our true needs are met, and that we are never challenged by things we perceive we lack, when the truth is that the Master of the World sees to it that we have everything we need.