In the old silent movies, when a significant period of time had passed, a card would be displayed (which is known, incidentally, as an “intertitle”) saying something like “Five years later…” Today, a movie might indicate the passage of time by graying the hair of the characters a little. And novels routinely display a date at the beginning of a chapter, when the passage of time is relevant.
No such indicator is presented by the Torah, when suddenly, at the beginning of Bamidbar Chapter 20, we skip from the second year after the Exodus to the 40th year. The chapter begins: “The Israelites, the entire assembly, arrived at the wilderness of Zin in the first month…” (Bamidbar 20:1). The commentators agree, it is now the 40th year. Ibn Ezra tells us this, and adds that nothing significant had occurred in the intervening 38 years. Rashi comments on the phrase “the entire assembly,” saying that those who were destined to die in the wilderness during those 38 years had by now died, and the entire assembly was poised to enter the Promised Land.
Nothing significant had occurred? Nothing except a great deal of birth and death. The Israelites who had left Egypt, who had seen the miracles at the Red Sea, who had received the Torah on Sinai, and who, nevertheless, continued to lament the fact that Moshe had taken them out of their security in Egypt, were all dead, as promised by God after the sin of the spies. That generation was incapable of living the life that God had planned for them. Now, a new generation of Israelites has been born. Surely they would be capable of serving and trusting in God. But it seems that nothing has changed. The old refrains are new again, as this generation complains about both water and food, and imagines that they too would have been better off in Egypt:
Why did you make us leave Egypt to bring us to this wretched place, a place with no grain or figs or vines or pomegranates? There is not even water to drink!” (Bamidbar 20:5).
And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why did you make us leave Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread and no water, and we have come to loathe this miserable food” (Bamidbar 21:5).
These complaints occur at very specific times: the first, about water, occurs immediately after the death of Miriam, whose death is recorded at the very beginning of the passage:
The Israelites, the entire assembly, arrived at the wilderness of Zin in the first month; Miriam died there and was buried there. And the community was without water, and they assembled against Moses and Aaron (Bamidbar 20:1-2).
Miriam’s death is followed directly by a lack of water. The Talmud in Ta’anit 9a explains that the people had an ever-ready well of water because of Miriam’s merit, and that this gift disappeared upon her death. Miriam has been their source of sustenance. She was there from the very beginning, ensuring that the infant Moshe would be saved from the Nile, and she led them in song after they crossed the Sea of Reeds. Her death deprives them of both physical and emotional stability.
Of course, the people do need water. Their complaint is addressed by God, who instructs Moshe and Aharon to speak to the rock. That same Gemara explains that this rock was actually Miriam’s well, which had oozed with water before her death. Rashi says that the rock was reluctant to shed its water, because of the death of Miriam, leading to the tragic continuation of the story, in which Moshe hits the rock and is denied entrance into the Promised Land. The rock is disoriented by Miriam’s death, and it seems that Moshe may be disoriented as well. Everyone is mourning.
The second complaint, about food, occurs immediately after the death of Aharon, later in the same chapter, on Mount Hor. Aharon has been their religious leader, presiding over their relationship with God. As the Israelites leave Mount Hor, they are again uncomfortable and disoriented. This time, they complain about the lack of food, saying that they are sick of the manna that they’ve had to eat since they left the “paradise” of Egypt.
This generation never lived in Egypt. They have never lacked for anything. Why are they complaining?
Our story is coming to an end. For 40 years, one family has led the Children of Israel through the wilderness. This family has given everything to the people. Moshe sacrifices his marriage and home life to his leadership role. Aaron sacrifices two of his sons to the arcane laws of the sacrificial service. Both Miriam and Aharon are married, but we hear nothing about their spouses. The one time that Miriam and Aharon are criticized is when they speak ill about Moshe’s marriage. It seems that there is no place for family life in this triumvirate; they are all about serving the Israelites. Now, after almost 40 years of total dedication, the picture is changing. Miriam dies, and not long thereafter, Aharon dies too. The people have never known anything else. Will Moshe die too? (Spoiler alert: yes.) How will they go on? When anxiety about the future overtakes them, as their beloved leaders die one by one, they express themselves through the familiar language of complaint.
Even when we have faith, we may still experience anxiety. Moshe himself, the greatest leader of all time, was anxious when he was called upon by God to lead. The Israelites, after 40 years in the wilderness, have no reason to doubt that they will be cared for. The water was never going away; it only paused briefly while mourning Miriam’s death. The manna would continue until they were safely in the Promised Land. But anxiety is a natural reaction to instability. And when we are anxious, we may fall back into familiar patterns of behavior that don’t serve us well. In the coming chapters, we hope that the anxiety will be transformed into excitement as the Israelites prepare for their entry into the Promised Land.
This blog was originally published in 2022, and has been updated for Our Torah in 2026.
