AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, EVEN THE WHOLE CONGREGATION, CAME INTO THE WILDERNESS OF ZIN. "The congregation — an upright congregation, for those who were [punished] with death in the wilderness [on account of sinning in the matter of the spies] had already died, and these were designated to live" [i.e., they were the new generation which was to enter the Land]. This is Rashi's language, and such is also the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. But if so, why was it necessary to mention this [same expression: even the whole congregation] when they came afterwards unto Mount Hor?⁠ Now Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote [there] that Scripture mentioned it because Edom had come out to fight them,⁠ therefore it mentions that none of them was missing when they came back from the city of Edom. But this is not correct, since Israel turned away from him [Edom]⁠ and did not wage battle with them at all.
The correct interpretation appears to me to be that it is the Scriptural style to mention ["the whole congregation"] when speaking of complaints, [just as in the following verses]: And all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai; And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their stages … and encamped in Rephidim — and Scripture thereby informs us that they all [participated] in the complaint. Similarly, And all the congregation lifted up their voice; And on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured.⁠ Scripture uses that expression when they came to Mount Hor in order to tell us that they all took part in the mourning for Aaron, the holy one of the Eternal,⁠ just as it is said, and they wept for Aaron … all the house of Israel,⁠ and it states [furthermore]: in the sight of all the congregation.⁠ In Bamidbar Sinai Rabbah I have seen mentioned the text [quoted above by Rashi] — "an upright congregation etc.⁠" — only in connection with the second verse [speaking] about Mount Hor [i.e., Verses 20 and 27 quoted above, which say that 'the whole congregation came' to Mount Hor, and that Moses and Aaron went up into Mount Hor 'in the sight of all the congregation'], for in the case of the first verse [i.e., the present verse, the expression all the congregation] is used because [Scripture wants to indicate that they all joined in] the murmuring, as I have explained.

VAYEISHEV HA'AM' (AND THE PEOPLE ABODE) IN KADESH. The intention thereof is to tell us that when they had entered the wilderness of Zin as far as Kadesh, Miriam died. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra erred [here] when he commented: "[Scripture states vayeishev ha'am, meaning 'the people dwelt,' and does not say vayachanu — 'and they pitched'] because they stayed there for a long time, for so it is written.⁠" [This is in error] because the place called Kadesh of which it is written, So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there is Kadesh-barnea,⁠ which is in the wilderness of Paran [and not in the wilderness of Zin, mentioned here]. It was from there that the spies were sent out [to see the Land] in the second year [after the exodus], and thence that they returned. But the Kadesh [mentioned] here is in the wilderness of Zin, and they [only] arrived there in the fortieth year [after the exodus], and there Miriam died. The verses are explicit [on this matter].
The sin of Moses and Aaron in the [matter of the] waters of Meribah is not clearly expressed in Scripture. Rashi explains that [their sin consisted of hitting the rock], because He had commanded them, and speak ye unto the rock,⁠ and did not say "and ye shall strike it.⁠" For had they spoken [to the rock and it had brought forth water] the Holy One, blessed be He, would have been sanctified before the whole congregation, since the people would have said: "If [even] this rock, which does not hear and does not speak, nonetheless obeys the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, how much more so should we [obey His commands]!⁠" These words are [in the nature of] a homiletic interpretation,⁠ but they do not clarify [the matter]. For since G-d had commanded Moses: Take the rod,⁠ it implied that he should smite [the rock] with it, for had He only wanted that he should speak to it, what was [the point of] this rod in his hand? Similarly, in the [case of the] plagues of Egypt where He said, and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand it was in order to smite with it;⁠ and sometimes He said, Stretch forth thy hand [with thy rod],⁠ when the meaning is: "to smite with the rod,⁠" since Scripture writes briefly when the subject-matter is self-understood. Moreover, the miracle [involved in the rock giving forth water] is no greater if [accomplished] by speech than by smiting, for as far as the rock is concerned both are equal. Furthermore [if the sin consisted of smiting the rock], why did He say about this: ye [Moses and Aaron] trespassed against Me? [It cannot be because they failed to speak to the rock], for the [fulfillment of the] command to [Moses to] speak to the rock is indeed [also] mentioned at the occurrence [of the event]! Thus He commanded [Moses and Aaron] to say whilst the rock "listens" that G-d will bring forth water out of this rock, similar to [that which Joshua said about a stone which he put up as a witness to the covenant which he made with the people], for 'it hath heard' all the words of the Eternal.⁠ And they [Moses and Aaron] indeed did so, as Scripture states, And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said unto them etc.⁠ Thus the rock did "hear" when he [Moses] spoke these words to all the people!
Now Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra has already refuted many claims of the commentators in [their explanations of the nature of] this sin. But the secret to which he alluded is also incorrect. For if Moses lost his concentration of mind because of the strife of the people, and [therefore] did not speak to the rock, so that the water did not come forth [when he smote the rock] the first time, and only when he hit the rock again, a second time, with concentration of cleaving unto [the Creator of] all, did the water come forth [as Ibn Ezra explains] — then they [indeed] sinned the first time, but it was not such [a sin] about which He would say: ye believed not in Me, to sanctify Me,⁠ since there was no lack of "faith" here at all!
Now Rabbeinu Rabbi Moshe [ben Maimon] advanced the following reasoning,⁠ and explained "that the sin of Moses our teacher, of blessed memory, consisted of tending towards anger, when he said, Hear now ye rebels,⁠ and G-d, blessed be He, treated this as a failing, that a man like him should show anger in front of the congregation of Israel, in a situation in which anger was not warranted. All similar actions of such a man are treated as a profanation of G-d's Name, because the people take an example from all his [Moses'] movements and words, hoping thereby to achieve successes in this world and the World to Come. How could he [permit himself to] appear angry, since it [anger] is an evil trait, and is derived only from a bad characteristic of the features of the soul! But when He said of this sin: ye trespassed against Me,⁠ [the meaning thereof] is as I shall explain. Moses was not speaking to simpletons, nor to those of insignificant status, for the least important of their women was [equal in prophetic vision] to [the prophet] Ezekiel the son of Buzi, as the Sages have mentioned.⁠ Thus whatever Moses said or did the people would examine, so that when they saw him becoming angry, they said that he — may his memory be blessed — did not lack moral perfection, and therefore 'unless he knew that G-d was angry with us for demanding water, and that we have aroused His anger, blessed be He, Moses also would not have been angry with us.' But we do not find that G-d, praised be He, was angry [with the people] when He spoke to Moses on this matter. But [instead] He said: Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water; and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock; so thou shalt give the congregation and their cattle drink.⁠ [This statement does not indicate that G-d was angry with the people for having demanded water, and hence Moses' anger was unjustified.] Thus we have solved one of the most difficult problems in the Torah, concerning which many things have been said, and which has been asked many times, namely: 'what was the sin which Moses committed?' Consider what has been said [by others] about it, and what we ourselves have explained, and let the truth prevail.⁠" These are the words of Rabbi Moshe [ben Maimon] of blessed memory.
He has added vanity upon vanities!⁠ For Scripture says ye trespassed against Me,⁠ meaning that they transgressed His command, and He [further] stated, ye believed not in Me,⁠ meaning that they lacked faith in Him, [and if so] the punishment [of Moses] was not because he showed anger! [Were this to be his sin], Moses would have deserved punishment [not so much here as] when he was wroth with the officers of the host for no reason. Moreover, Scripture [here] does not mention anything about him being angry, for the expression Hear now, ye rebels is [merely a form of] rebuke, similar to that which he [Moses] said: Ye have been rebellious against the Eternal.⁠ Furthermore, Aaron never in his life became angry, for he always walked in peace and uprightness.⁠ Besides, it is impossible [to suggest, as Rambam does], that G-d was not very angry with them [the people] for their strife with Moses! For throughout all their [previous] trials in the wilderness, their greatest sin was when they said, wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt? and they preferred to be slaves to their enemies doing rigorous work, rather than to be G-d's [people], like a son who serves his father. Thus Scripture says: because that ye have rejected the Eternal Who is among you, and have troubled Him with weeping, saying: 'Why, now, came we forth out of Egypt?' On the first occasion they said even less than this, [namely], Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? and yet there was great [Divine] wrath against them, and [it was considered] a great sin, just as it is said, And the name of the place was called Massah [Trying] and Meribah [Strife], because of the striving of the children of Israel etc.⁠ And here it says expressly, These are the waters of Meribah [Strife], where the children of Israel strove with the Eternal! What greater transgression can there be than this! Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! And Moses said, Also the Eternal was angry with me for your sakes, saying: 'Thou also shalt not go in thither.' If so, it was they [the people] who sinned and brought about all this misfortune! But according to the explanation of the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon], they did not commit any transgression and sin at all in this whole affair! And as for that which Rabbi Moshe said: "We do not find that G-d, praised be He, was angry [with the people when He spoke to Moses on this matter], but instead He said: Take the rod etc.⁠" — know that whenever the people needed something for their sustenance, even though they murmured and transgressed [in asking] for it, He, being full of compassion, forgiveth iniquity … and does not stir up all His wrath,⁠ nor does He hold [their sin against them], but He gives them their request.⁠ Similarly in the [case of the] first [request for] water He said in a peaceful manner, Pass on before the people etc.,⁠ even though there was trial and strife there,⁠ such that He warned them [not to try G-d] in future generations [using it as an example].⁠ So also in connection with the manna [He said], Behold, I will cause to rain bread from heaven for you,⁠ in a phrase indicating love and affection. Only at the end, in the second communication, He said, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel,⁠ merely in order to tell them that they had sinned. But [it is only] when they complained for no [good] reason, that He poured upon them the fury of His anger.⁠ And here there is an additional allusion to great wrath, and [the people] being liable to a plague, as it is said, and the glory of the Eternal appeared unto them.⁠ [The expression unto them] refers to the assembly mentioned [in the first part of the verse], which indicates "the hand of the Eternal" that is present in plagues, as you may note in [incidents of] the spies,⁠ the day of Korach's punishment,⁠ and the following day.⁠ And one must [moreover] wonder at the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon, who wrote that the people committed no sin in this affair] since the verse explicitly states, They angered Him also at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses because of them! And the verse [there] counts this sin amongst the great trials with which they [the people] tested G-d in the wilderness!
The most likely explanation amongst all those that have been said about this matter, and the one best suited to answer a questioner, is that of Rabbeinu Chananel,⁠ who wrote [in his commentary] that the sin consisted of their saying, are 'we' to bring you forth water out of this rock? They should [not have said "are we", but] "shall the Eternal bring you forth water?⁠" just as they had said when 'the Eternal shall give' you in the evening flesh to eat etc.,⁠ and similarly in [the case of all the] miracles they [Moses and Aaron] informed them that the Eternal would do wonders for them. And [since they did not say so here], perhaps the people thought that Moses and Aaron brought forth the water for them out of the rock through their own wisdom [and that it was not a Divine miracle]. This is [what G-d referred to in saying], ye sanctified Me not.⁠ Now in the case of the first episode with the rock, He said, Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb,⁠ and the seventy elders saw the pillar of the cloud hovering over the rock, and thus it was made apparent to all that the miracle was the deed of the Great G-d. But here, since the people saw nothing, they misunderstood the words of Moses and Aaron [as explained above].⁠
It is possible that He said 'm'altem bi' (ye 'trespassed' against Me),⁠ because if one derives benefit from a sacred object, it is called me'ilah.⁠ Similarly, He said 'm'rithem pi' (ye rebelled against My commandment)⁠ because He had commanded them to speak unto the rock before their eyes,⁠ in order that I should become sanctified in their eyes. Or [it may be that m'rithem pi means] "you have 'changed' My commandment,⁠" related to the expression 'vatemer' (and she changed) My ordinances,⁠ since I did not command you to speak in this manner [are 'we' to bring you forth water out of this rock?]. And [according to Rabbeinu Chananel's explanation, the criticism that] lo he'emantem bi (ye believed not in Me) refers [not to Moses and Aaron themselves lacking in belief, but] to the children of Israel [i.e., it does not mean, as it is generally translated, "ye believed not in Me,⁠" but "'ye did not cause the children of Israel to believe in Me' because you did not attribute to Me the bringing forth of the water from the rock"]. Or [the word he'emantem] may mean "strengthening,⁠" as if to say: "you did not strengthen yourselves to sanctify Me in their eyes,⁠" related to these expressions: 'va'amanah' (and a 'sure' ordinance) concerning the singers; the peg that was fastened 'bimkom ne'eman' (in a 'sure' place).⁠
The Truth [Cabalistic explanation] is that this subject [i.e., the nature of Moses' sin in the incident of the waters of Meribah] is one of the great secrets amongst the mysteries of the Torah. For on the first [occasion with the rock] He said to Moses, Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock,⁠ meaning to say: "My Great Name will be upon the rock in Horeb,⁠" which is the Glory of the Eternal, the devouring fire on the top of the mount.⁠ Therefore he only hit it there once, and a great amount of water came forth. But here He did not tell him so, and so both of them [Moses and Aaron] agreed that they would smite the rock twice — and that was their sin. Therefore He said, lo he'emantem bi,⁠ "you did not put faith in My Name [when you should have known]⁠ that by faith [alone] the miracle will be done.⁠" It states, 'm'rithem pi' (ye rebelled against My commandment),⁠ because they rebelled against His holy spirit,⁠ which is always called pi Hashem (the commandment of the Eternal).⁠ Therefore He said, 'm'altem' bi,⁠ and the term me'ilah always denotes "untruth.⁠" Thus the sin [of Moses and Aaron] is clearly expressed in Scripture. And so did the Psalmist say, [Tremble thou earth …] at the presence of the G-d of Jacob; Who turneth the rock into a pool of water.⁠ And you can understand this from Moses' prayer, when he said, O G-d Eternal, Thou hast begun,⁠ pleading before the Glorious Name to forgive him.
And in the opinion of our Rabbis who mention Moses' anger [as a factor in his sin], it is possible that he hit the rock but [only] a few drops came forth as a result of the diminution in his concentration because of his anger, and they both [Moses and Aaron] were astonished at this, and decided to hit the rock a second time, as I have mentioned, and that was the sin of both of them.
In my opinion, the meaning of the phrase, and speak ye 'el' (unto) the rock is like 'al' (concerning) the rock. Similarly, Thus saith the Eternal of hosts 'el' the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases … they shall be carried unto Babylon.⁠ Thus He commanded them [Moses and Aaron] to say in the presence of the congregation, when they are all gathered together, that G-d will bring them forth water out of the rock, as He indeed did. Now do not find a difficulty in the verse, and 'speak' ye unto the rock 'before their eyes,' for the meaning thereof is like "in their presence", so that they should all hear it. Similarly [we find]: And Hananiah 'spoke before the eyes of' [which means: "in the presence of"] all the people, saying: 'Thus saith the Eternal: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon etc.' There are many cases like this. Or the meaning of the word l'eineihem (before their eyes) here may be that [Moses'] speaking [to the rock] should be when the people are all gathered there, and the rock is before their eyes, as it says when the event [actually took place], And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together 'before the rock'.⁠ For when they had gathered together there and saw the rock face to face, they [Moses and Aaron] said, are we to bring you forth water out of this rock? — as the Sages have mentioned — so that they should not say that there were springs [hidden at that place]. It is possible that the verse is to be [interpreted] as if it were transposed, meaning: "assemble the congregation unto the rock, and speak ye before their eyes, that it give forth water.⁠"