Why this story matters

(commentary on Numbers 20-21)

(Page 2 of 4)

A different approach

A more sophisticated analysis is offered by Rabbinical scholar Nathaniel Helfgot in an article entiteled, And Moses Struck the Rock . The article is important for its candidness. Helfgot starts by acknowledging that the problems in this story, “have troubled and perplexed classical, medieval and modern Jewish commentators” (Tradition magazine, 27:3, 1993). More importantly, he freely admits that, “none of the explanations is satisfactory" That's quite an admission. So what's Helfgot’s solution?

In a nutshell, Helfgot argues that the people have lost trust in Moses’ leadership. He quotes a verse to bolster this claim: “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!" (20:9).  According to Helfot, water is just one of many complaints. The real problems is leadership. However, there is another verse that reads, "Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron” (20:2). This seems to suggest that water was indeed the reason for the opposition since it is the only one mentioned. Unfortunately, Helfgot doesn't adequately deal with that verse.

And there's another major problem with Helfgot's explanation. If leadership was the problem, all Yahweh had to do was appoint a new leader. Moses and Aaron would surely have been willing to step aside rather than die with all the grief it would cause their families. Moreover, Moses has been God’s most faithful servant for 40 years, and is described as “the most humble man of the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). Treating him in this manner after a life dedicated to the service of his god just confirms the vindictiveness of Yahweh. What have you done for me lately, Moses?

So, Helfgot has not really solved the problem. His admission that none of the solutions is satisfactory still stands. Now let's look more closely at Yahweh's killing of Aaron.

Bad, bad Aaron

Moses is told to take Aaron and Aaron’s son, Eleazar, up the mountain where God will take Aaron’s life and Moses will transfer the priestly garments to Eleazar. This would no doubt be a heartbreaking moment. Moses and his brother have been through a lot together and have worked very closely as a team. And poor Eleazar has to stand by and watch as his father is killed in front of him. Some commentators are clearly embarrassed by this. John Gill wrote that Aaron died, “quietly, comfortably, and contentedly, without the least murmuring or repining”. This is a nice idea but, unfortunately for Gill, it doesn’t appear anywhere in the text. He's really just making it up, probably in order to palliate himself and his readers.

At any rate, when Moses comes back down the mountain, the people mourn for 30 days. Mourning like this may be a ritualistic event, but it’s likely that the people had a lot of affection for their long time spiritual leader, and their mourning was probably genuine. 

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