When The Jewish People Began to Sing On Their Own At first glance, it is a very sad story. This week's Torah portion is a collection of somber episodes, among them the passing of Miriam and Aaron, who, together with Moses, led the Jewish people with love and dedication for more than forty years. It seems that even after an entire generation had passed, they were back to square one; once again, the Jewish people complained about the lack of water, questioning why Moses and Aaron led them out of Egypt. And, in a heartbreaking scene, as a result of Moses and Aaron striking the rock instead of speaking to it, it was decreed that Moses and Aaron would not lead the Jewish people into the promised land. Yet, when we take a more careful look, we can see that in many ways, this week's portion alludes to the profound success of Moses' mission. We look at the Jewish people in this week's portion the way parents often look at their teenage children who superficially seem utterly uninterested in the perspective and values of their parents, yet, in truth, under the rebellious spirit, the children are listening. The influence of their parents is germinating and taking root, and in time, will emerge and flourish. Specifically in this week's portion, we notice that the Jewish people have internalized Moses' influence. Toward the end of the portion, we read of the messengers dispatched to Sichon, the Emorite king, requesting permission to pass through his land. The verse states: Israel sent messengers to Sihon the king of the Amorites, saying: (Numbers 21:21) Rashi points out, that in the book of Deuteronomy, when Moses retells this story, Moses ascribes the sending of the messengers, not to Israel but to himself: Israel sent messengers: Elsewhere, the sending [of messengers] is ascribed to Moses, as it says, "So I sent messengers from the desert of Kedemoth" (Deut. 2:26)... These verses supplement each other; one holds back [information by not informing us who authorized the sending of the messengers] and the other reveals [that Moses sent them]. Moses is Israel, and Israel is Moses. After all these years of complaints, of tension between Moses' effort to raise the people to a higher vision and consciousness and the Jewish people's fear, insecurity, lack of faith, and pettiness, we read these powerful words. The visions are aligned, the teachings have been internalized, "Moses is Israel and Israel is Moses". Forty years earlier, when the Jewish people crossed the sea, Moses led the Jewish people in the song of the sea: Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and they spoke, saying, I will sing to the Lord, for very exalted is He; a horse and its rider He cast into the sea. (Exodus 15:1) The Talmud explains that the verse "Moses and the children of Israel" implies that Moses sang the words, and the Jewish people repeated the words Moses spoke. Forty years later, in our Parsha, the Jews once again sang a song of praise about water. They sang the song of the well: Then Israel sang this song: "'Ascend, O well,' sing to it! (21:17) This time, however, the verse does not mention Moses. This time, the people did not repeat the words Moses was saying. By this time, Moses had taught them to sing on their own.
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