עקידת יצחק — יען לא האמנתם בי / להקדישני לעיני בני ישראל

Q — What exactly was the sin at the waters of Merivah, that Moshe and Aharon forfeit entry to the land? Why does God call it "you did not believe in Me" when Moshe surely believed? Why so heavy a consequence?

A — The failure was a shortfall in sanctifying God's Name before the people's eyes — the emunah ought to have been revealed in a more exalted way. Speaking to the rock, rather than striking it, would have displayed God's mastery over nature at its highest pitch; the lesser manner diminished the kiddush Hashem the moment demanded. "You did not believe" measures not Moshe's private faith but the public revelation withheld. For leaders of their stature, at that exact juncture, the missed opportunity to magnify God before Israel was itself the grave lapse.