“And Moses raised his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice…” (20:11) This moment—Moshe Rabbenu striking the rock instead of speaking to it—has bewildered commentators for millennia.

Moses raised his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, when an abundance of water gushed forth, and the congregation and their livestock drank. – Num. 20:11. Dr. Rachel Lerner ...

Perhaps God intended Moses to be the Messiah and by striking the rock Moses showed himself to be just another pharaoh. Perhaps Moses thought that his shepherd's staff was actually a scepter.

Weekly Parsha: One verse, five voices And Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. Out came copious water, and the community and their beasts drank.