By Rebbetzin Lauren Levin
Parshat Chukat presents another scene of national disquiet. The children of Israel are assertive and aggressive in their anguish to acquire water. God commands Moses:
“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 for the congregation and their beasts.”
The implementation of this command is relayed functionally. It begins by emphasising Moses’ and Aaron’s obedience: ‘he took the staff from before God, as he had been commanded.” So whatever they did wrong, must be from after this. They assembled the people around the rock and indeed produced water that was enough for the congregation and their livestock! And yet immediately after, a scathing rebuke emanates from God: “Because you did not trust Me enough to affirm My sanctity in the sight of the Israelite people, therefore you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them.”
Either this is a totally disproportionate punishment to an overall successful mission, or it is an acknowledgment that Moses’ missed the nuances present in this complex national crisis and as such, it is time for a different model.
Throughout the book of Bamidbar, the Israelites have been complaining. During the episode of Korach this came to a head, with Moses’ exasperated claim: “For who is Aaron that you should complain against him?” Their grievances were so unfounded, and their complaining so pointless. It was not solution based, but just building negativity for the sake of disruption.
Following the national rebellion triggered by Korach, God looks to find a way to quash the culture of complaining. If people know that valid grievances and anxieties will be seen, heard and addressed, there will be far less appetite for petty unconstructive whining. God commands all the princes to bring their staffs to the tent of meeting. Of all the staffs only Aaron’s blossoms, affirming that he is the one fit for high office. God instructs Moses to keep the blossom staff by the ark “to be kept as a sign to rebels, so that their mutterings against Me may cease, lest they die.” If ever there should be such situation again, bringing out the blossom staff would be a symbol that their leader understands their anxiety, validates it and is dedicated to working it through with them.
It seems that just knowing they have such a system is effective. Their dissatisfaction does not cease, but it is no longer described as complaining, but rather quarrelling. The former is less aggressive, but does not achieve anything except generating negativity. The latter is far uglier, but is solution driven, looking to voice grievances in order to work through them. Once the Israelites understand that there is a forum for genuine upset, they no longer need to whine.
When their beloved leader Miriam passes away, their grief is all encompassing. The existential threat of no water pushes them into a total state of panic. They come in an irrational frenzy to Moses, wishing they would have died: “The people quarrelled with Moses, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before God”. Their ambush is insensitive and ungrateful. But it is a ‘quarrel’, not a ‘complaint’. Their recent history has taught them all that if they cannot voice their fears to their leader, it will just fester and lead to self-destruction. God’s reaction is to tell Moses to retrieve the blossom-staff. Just upon seeing it, they will feel seen and heard, and then they will be able to work it through together.
Moses however associates the staff with its functional capacity – how it triggered the plagues in Egypt, split the sea and brought forth water in the past. His mindset remains with the previous generation. Emancipated slaves needed their basic needs met before anything else. They needed the staff which acted as a connector of heaven and earth and demonstrating God was their Provider and Saviour.
But they had all now passed away. The new generation is different. Their fears are more nuanced; their faith more complex; their functioning more sophisticated. Indeed, it is these qualities which ensure their survival into the promised land. It is true that they need water – but in fact as their dramatic speech demonstrates – it is about so much more than that. They are grieving, scared, weary, and are not sure they will make it to the promised land – dubbing the desert as their final destination. Their leader needs to be one who understands and works with them for who they are.
Our world today is not short of problems. The media is replete with ‘complaining’ and ‘quarrelling’. Often people complain because it feels less overt; and yet it achieves nothing. The quarrel-based model is actually healthier as it tackles issues head on. As a society we will make headway when we collaborate on seeing, hearing and looking to solve problems. Ultimately, we need a ‘staff system’ – a forum which allows people to share in a safe way, knowing that they have the support network to work through the pain and strife together to a better tomorrow.