The end of this week’s Torah portion (Bamidbar/Numbers
12:1-16) relates an incident between three siblings: Miriam, Aharon (Aaron) and
Moshe (Moses). “Miriam and Aharon spoke against Moshe regarding the Cushite
woman he had married.”
Miriam is concerned about Moshe’s separation from his wife,
Tziporah. She discusses the issue with her brother, Aharon, and neither
understands Moshe’s motivation. We are both prophets, they reason, and we do
not separate from our spouses.
Rashi explains that Moshe has separated from his wife because
he has to constantly remain in a ritually pure state in order to receive
prophecy directly from G-d, which could come at any moment. Miriam and Aharon
fail to recognize that Moshe is at a higher spiritual level than they are. Because
they receive prophecy less frequently than Moshe does and in a different manner,
they do not have to separate from their spouses. G-d gives them enough warning
to immerse in a mikveh (ritual bath) and make themselves ritually pure
before receiving prophecy.
Mrs. Esther Vilenkin on chabad.org puts forth that Miriam
speaks out against Moshe’s actions because as a former midwife and savior of
Jewish babies including Moshe, she does not want Moshe to separate from his
wife and miss the opportunity to create more Jewish children.
Miriam’s and Aharon’s criticism of Moshe angers G-d. Because
Miriam opens the discussion about Moshe with Aharon (note that her name appears
before Aharon’s in the text), G-d afflicts Miriam with tzara’at, a leprosy-like
skin condition caused by sinning that requires the afflicted to separate from
the camp. In this case, Miriam’s sin is lashon hara, improper speech.
Writes Mrs. Vilenkin: “Miriam loved Moshe dearly and her
words carried no harmful intent. She did not even speak negatively about Moshe,
other than comparing him to other prophets…In the final analysis, Miriam erred.
She failed to appreciate Moshe’s unique level of prophecy and relationship with
G-d that precluded his marriage. Precisely because of her greatness, the
punishment for this slight was so severe. G-d holds the righteous to a very
high standard. Without a doubt, however, her intentions were noble and pure.” Rambam
comes to the same conclusion in his Yad HaChazakah (Tum’as Tzaraas
16:10).
While Miriam is in quarantine outside the camp, the people
in the camp wait for her for seven days. They do not move on until she rejoins
them. Rashi explains that G-d honors her in this way because of the time she stayed
with her baby brother, Moshe, when he was cast into the river (Shemot/Exodus
2:4). During the time they are waiting, the people can contemplate the destructive
power of lashon hara.
Later in Torah, the people are warned: “Remember that
which Hashem your G-d did to Miriam on the road when you went out from Egypt.”
(Devarim/Deuteronomy 24:9) This is one of only six experiences the
people are told to remember daily: leaving Egypt, receiving Torah, being pursued
by Amelek, sinning with the Golden Calf idol, and keeping Shabbat.
We remember Miriam for so many positive actions: She inspires
the Jews when they are enslaved in Egypt; she endangers her life to save Jewish
newborns; she prophesizes the redemption and is ready with tambourines to praise
Hashem; and through her merit, water spouts from a rock during the Israelites’
sojourn in the wilderness. Asks Mrs. Vilenkin, why then does Torah choose this
unflattering incident and make it mandatory for us to remember it?
Rambam answers with a question: “[If the prophetess Miriam
was such a tzadeket (righteous woman) and was so severely punished for a
simple mistake], how much more so great a punishment will be coming to those
wicked fools who frequently speak great and wondrous [criticisms]?” We learn
from Miriam’s experience that our words have powerful consequences so we should
be extremely careful in our speech.
Kol ha kavod, Devorah! Thank you for your thoughtful and informative divrei Torah that you are sending out. This one was great!
ReplyDeleteCantor Shoshana Brown