Chukat - the Life and Death of Miriam

(20) Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, picked up a hand-drum, and all the women went out after her in dance with hand-drums. (21) And Miriam chanted for them:
Sing to יהוה, for God has triumphed gloriously;
Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.

(2) Oh, give me of the kisses of your mouth,

For your love is more delightful than wine.

The Holy Blessed One said: "Their desire is for me, and the Rabbis say: The souls of these are destined to be taken with a kiss. Rabbi Azarya said: We find that the soul of Aaron was taken only with a kiss; that is what is written: “Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor at the command of [al pi] God and he died there” (Numbers 33:38). From where is it derived that the soul of Moses [also departed with a kiss]? As it is stated: “Moses, servant of the Lord, died there…at the command of [al pi] God” (Deuteronomy 34:5). From where is it derived that [the soul of] Miriam [departed with a kiss]? As it is written: “Miriam died there” (Numbers 20:1). Just as “there” that is written below, was with the mouth of God, so, too, here, it is the same, but it is improper to state it explicitly.

Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi raises a contradiction between two verses. It is written: “And God made the two great lights” (Genesis 1:16), and it is also written: “The greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.” The moon said before the Holy Blessed One: Master of the Universe, is it possible for two kings to serve with one crown? God said to her, i.e., the moon: go and diminish yourself! She said before God: Master of the Universe, since I said a correct thing before You, must I diminish myself? God said to her: go and rule both during the day along with the sun and during the night. She replied: What is the greatness of that? What use is a candle in the middle of the day? God said to her: Go; let the Jewish people count the days and years with you. She replied: But the sun as well, as it is impossible that they will not count seasons with it, as it is written: “And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years” (Genesis 1:14). God said to her: Go; let righteous men be named after you, e.g. Ya’akov HaKatan, i.e., Jacob our forefather (see Amos 7:2), Shmuel HaKatan the tanna, and David HaKatan, i.e., King David (see I Samuel 17:14).

(1) As long as Miriam was alive, there was a well that sustained Israel. Once Miriam died, what does it say, but (Num. 20:1-2), "Miriam died there ... And there was no water for the community," [meaning] that the well had disappeared...

(1) (Num 12:1) "And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses": We are hereby apprised that both spoke against him, but that Miriam spoke first...

How did Miriam know that Moses had ceased from marital relations? Seeing that Tzipporah did not adorn herself as other (married) women did, she asked her for the cause and was told: "Your brother is not 'particular' about this thing" (intercourse, [being constantly "on call" for the word of G-d]). Thus Miriam learned of the matter. She apprised Aaron of it and they both spoke of it (as being a troublesome precedent for others.) Now does this not follow a fortiori, viz.: If Miriam, whose intent was not to berate her brother, but to praise him, and not to diminish propagation (in Israel), but to increase it, and who spoke thus privately — If she was thus punished, then one who intends to speak against his brother, in defamation and not in praise, and to diminish propagation and not to increase it, and in public — how much more so (is he to be punished!)