Back in 2007 I posted the question of my then 6 year old daughter as to why Aharon had to be punished when the sin of mei meriva was done by Moshe. Commenting in Zos haBracha on the words תֻּמֶּ֥יךָ וְאוּרֶ֖יךָ לְאִ֣ישׁ חֲסִידֶ֑ךָ, Rashi echoes the same idea: תריבהו על מי מריבה נסתקפתה לו לבא בעלילה, אם משה אמר: שמעו נא המרים (במדבר כ׳:י׳), אהרן ומרים מה עשו?
R' Chaim Elazari suggests that Aharon was culpable for the following reason: The command to speak to the rock was given to both Aharon and Moshe. When Moshe picked up his staff to strike the rock, Aharon must have known this was wrong. Yet Moshe was his rebbe as well as the rebbe of Klal Yisrael. No one had a greater understanding of the ratzon Hashem than Moshe, and Aharon trusted him completely. How then could he question Moshe's actions?
Deferring to "expertise" of Moshe instead of trusting his own judgment, what he himself had heard, was Aharon's error.
R' Chaim Volozhiner interprets הוי מתאבק בּעפר רגליהם like the words by Yaakov and the angel ויאבק אישׁ עמו. We are not supposed to follow authority like lemmings or yes men. When something does not appear correct, we are supposed to raise questions, to wrestle and struggle to arrive at the truth.
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