Mei Merivah in Art/0

Mei Merivah in Art

Introduction

Moshe's sin in striking the rock, as described in Bemidbar 20, has fascinated readers throughout the centuries. Both Tissot's painting¹ and the engraving from the LaHaye Bible² portray Moshe standing next to the rock as it brings forth water to the thirsty Israelites. The artists differ in many aspects of their retelling, from the cast of characters they include to their portrayals of both the rock and water. These variations raise questions regarding the role that both Aharon and the complaining nation play in the sin and the nature of the miracle itself.

Contrasting Images

Tissot

Tissot divides his image into two groups of figures. Moshe and Aharon stand together in the foreground, while the daughters of Israel, each carrying a jug to be filled with water, stand in a row in the back. They appear calm and collected; no one rushes to fill their pitchers. In between the two groups, a puny stream of water leaks out of a small stone. One wonders how it could possibly provide enough water for the entire nation.

LaHaye Bible

The engraving is a much busier and more frenzied composition. In contrast to Tissot, the artist depicts not a small stone but a massive rocky cliff from which an entire waterfall spews forth. Men, women, children, and even animals crowd around the water. Thirstily, they scoop it into their parched mouths, and rush to fill their varied vessels with the precious liquid. In the front of the image, one woman languishes on the floor as she is fed by a fellow Israelite. In the background, Moshe stands with his head and staff raised towards the hole in the rock. Aharon, though, is not defined anywhere in the image.

Relationship to the Biblical Text

The artists' choices reflect certain ambiguities in the Biblical text and different possible interpretive stances:

Role of Aharon

While Tissot depicts Aharon and Moshe standing side by side at the site of the miracle, the artist of the LaHaye Bible chooses not to depict Aharon at all. The difference highlights a central question in the Biblical text – What was Aharon's role in the sin? Was he an active partner in hitting the rock? Tanakh is not explicit. Though Aharon participates in gathering the nation to witness the miracle, the text has only Moshe speaking to the people and striking the stone. Nonetheless, Aharon too, is punished. This leaves one to wonder what constituted Aharon's sin,³ and whether Moshe's guilt lay not in hitting the rock but in some other action of which his brother, too, took part.⁴ See Moshe's Misstep and Mei Merivah for elaboration.

The Miracle

The LaHaye Bible's rocky cliff and waterfall contrast sharply with Tissot's small stream and stone. Which depiction is closer to the miracle as described in Bemidbar? The word סלע appears dozens of times in Tanakh and from context, could sustain both the definition of cliff,⁵ or simply rock, allowing for both depictions. As far as the quantity of water which came forth, Bemidbar 20:11 says explicitly "וַיֵּצְאוּ מַיִם רַבִּים". Yet, in explaining why Moshe hit the rock twice, TanchumaChukkat 9About the Tanchuma suggests that the first time, only a few drops came forth.

The Nation – Room For Complaint?

While Tissot's figures appear to be not particularly bothered by the lack of water, the characters of the etching rush to the stream, thirstily lapping up the sought after water. The difference raises a question regarding the original episode - How legitimate was the nation's grumbling for water? Were they really dying of thirst, or was this similar to other incidents in which their complaints were not justified? The text does say that there was lack of water, but many commentators, nonetheless, fault the nation for not expressing their complaints appropriately. NetzivBemidbar 20:5About R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, further suggests that, being very close to settled cities, there was no need for great quantities of water.

Animals in the desert

The etching displays a dog lapping water together with the Israelites, while no animals are shown in Tissot's painting. Did the nation really have animals with them in the desert? The incident at Mei Merivah would suggest that they did as Bemidbar 20:11 explicitly states, "וַיֵּצְאוּ מַיִם רַבִּים וַתֵּשְׁתְּ הָעֵדָה וּבְעִירָם". Not everyone agrees, though, whether these animals were with the nation throughout the forty year trek.⁶ For elaboration, see Life in the Wilderness.

¹ James Tissot (1836-1902) was a French painter who spent the later part of his career painting Biblical scenes. In the last years of his life he focused on material from the Old Testament, many of which were exhibited in Paris in the year before his death. The piece shown here is currently housed in the Jewish Museum, New York.

² The illustration is part of a collection of 242 images illustrated by Gerard Hoet and others, entitled "Figures de la Bible." They were published by P. de Hondt in the Hague (LaHaye Bible) in 1728. The image is courtesy of Kerry Magruder and the Bizzell Bible Collection at the University of Oklahoma. For the full digitized collection, see here.

³ See RambanBemidbar 20:10About R. Moshe Nachmanides who suggests that the decision to hit the rock was a joint one.

⁴ See, for instance, Moses Mendelssohneditorial comment on the Biur Bemidbar 20:12About Moses MendelssohnAbout the Biur who suggests that the sin lay in Moshe and Aharon's cowardly flight from the nation to the Tent of Meeting which betrayed their lack of leadership and ability to stand up against the nation's grumblings.

⁵ See for example Melakhim I 19:11 where the word סלע is paralleled to a mountain.

⁶ See for instance, Ibn EzraShemot Long Commentary 29:42About Ibn Ezra who suggests that only in the fortieth year, when the nation was close to settled territory were they able to buy animals.