How could Moses fail at the waters of Meribah if one who brings merit to the public is protected from sin?

This Torah study examines the question: How could Moses fail at the waters of Meribah if one who brings merit to the public is protected from sin? The canonical Hebrew discussion develops the issue through the weekly Torah portion and the sources cited there, preserving the distinctions, tensions and practical implications that belong to the source itself. This localized layer is designed for study and discovery; it does not add a new halakhic, medical, legal, historical or empirical ruling beyond the canonical Hebrew source.