You did what!? I can't believe it! You hit the rock?! I told you to speak to the rock. That's it. You, Moshe, will not lead the Children of Israel into the promised land.
Puzzling. Why did Moshe hit when he was told to speak? And why is that reason enough to disqualify him from his lifelong dream? And did you know that 39 years earlier, G-d had actually told him to hit the rock?
Moshe governed the nation in a truly miraculous fashion. Egyptian slavery? Ten Plagues. Stuck at sea? Let it split. Nead a meal? Manna from heaven. There seemed to be nothing that Moshe couldn't miraculously solve.
However, now it was time to go into Israel, and over there, we would need to encounter and deal with nature. Planting fields, conducting business, baking bread etc. And we are meant to allow Hashem's will to permeate and affect the natural order of things.
Moshe's way was to disregard the laws of nature, to strike the rock into transcendental submission. What Hashem wanted, as the Jews were prepping for entry into the Holy Land, was to coax the rock itself into naturally complying with His will.
The takeaway for us is that sometimes we do a Mitzvah (good deed) simply because Hashem said so without really feeling it. This can be likened to striking the rock; the result is drinking water, but the method is forced and unnatural. This is a great and effective starting point. Our goal, however, should be to get our personal "rock" on board, to delve into the beautiful teachings of the Torah, and gain a greater appreciation for why we do what we do.
When it resonates with us, the water (our spiritually enhanced life) will flow naturally. And it will taste that much sweeter.
ב"ה