D’var Torah by Laura Stein,T’filah Coordinator 

In this week’s Torah portion, Chukat, Moses finds himself between a rock and a hard place. Literally. You see, Moses has been leading the Israelites through the desert for many, many years, heading toward the land that God promised to him and his chosen people. Along the way, the Israelites became thirsty, as people tend to do after wandering in the desert for 40 years. When Moses isn’t quite sure where to procure enough water for his tribe, he turns to God. God instructs Moses to approach a nearby rock, speak to it, and then wait for a cascade to flow, which will hydrate the group before they continue their journey.

The Torah goes on to tell us that instead of following God’s instructions, Moses strikes the rock, not just once, but twice. And although Moses disobeyed God’s orders, water flowed from the rock generously. Alright, Moses shrugs, as he passes cup after cup to his parched crew.

But, as we surely know, things aren’t that simple in the Torah. God soon comes to Moses and asks why Moses did not obey God’s instructions. We, the readers, never quite find out why Moses decided to hit the rock instead of talk to it, but we do know that what happens next is no small thing, for though water flowed in abundance from the rock, Moses’ actions were not without punishment. God soon reveals that the Promised Land, toward which the Israelites had been marching for so long, was no longer open to Moses and his brother Aaron. Due to Moses’ disloyalty to God, Moses is no longer invited to inhabit Canaan.

Torah commentators argue about what happened in this story. Why did God want Moses to TALK to the rock? Why did Moses strike the rock instead of talking to it?  And…how on earth does a rock produce water anyway? Some commentators believe that Moses was supposed to talk to the rock about Torah…to relay God’s message even to the inanimate objects that crossed his path. Some believe that Moses was just being rebellious by striking the rock and that there was no method to his madness. And as for the science of rock-water…well, we may never know! But one thing is for sure……Moses let his impatience get the best of him. Instead of sitting calmly and talking to the rock as God had asked him to, he took out his frustrations from his long and arduous journey on the rock. He tried to cut corners…he disobeyed the one who was looking out for him. And boy, did he pay his price.

How many times are we told rules or instructions, and we roll our eyes at their tediousness. We think that the way we approach things will save us time and effort, and scoff at the idea that those around or above us might actually be guiding us in the right direction. How many times has a boss or a supervisor (or your mother) told you to do something one way, without explanation, even though you thought there was a simpler way?

Here at camp, with so many moving pieces, it’s important that we trust the processes that are in place. If your supervisor or unit head tells you to do something, but you feel frustrated and take a quicker, more aggressive approach, it’s possible that your campers will bear the brunt of your mistake.

In a world with so much instant gratification, we often believe that we need to hit the proverbial rock to get the results we want. On this Shabbat, I challenge us all to not question how we are guided, but instead, to have patience and faith in those who guide us toward success, toward our promised lands.