The idea that a Rock followed the Israelites throughout their wanderings is not based on a literal reading of Exodus. Rather, it is an imaginative expansion of the story that unfolds an important truth. Messiah was with our forefathers in their wanderings, and he is with us. The use of midrash is explained in the following description: The Rabbis were not concerned to elucidate the meaning of the Biblical text according to the strictly scientific canons of scholar-ship, but rather to find in it teachings