(1) The Israelites came, the whole community, to the wilderness of Tzin on the first new moon, and the people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died there, and she was buried there.
(2) ותמת שם מרים AND MIRIAM DIED THERE — Why is the section describing the death of Miriam placed immediately after the section dealing with the Red Cow? To teach you that just as sacrifices bring atonement, so too does the death of the righteous bring atonement (Moed Katan 28a).
(3) ותמת שם מרים AND MIRIAM DIED THERE — She too [just like Moses and Aaron] died with a divine kiss. But then why is it not written about her “by the mouth of the Lord”? Because it is not a proper thing to disclose about God [since she was female]. But concerning Aaron it says in Parshat Mas'ei (Numbers 33:38), “by the mouth of the Lord."
(ח) אֵין מַנִּיחִין אֶת הַמִּטָּה בָּרְחוֹב, שֶׁלֹּא לְהַרְגִּיל אֶת הַהֶסְפֵּד, וְלֹא שֶׁל נָשִׁים לְעוֹלָם, מִפְּנֵי הַכָּבוֹד. נָשִׁים בַּמּוֹעֵד מְעַנּוֹת, אֲבָל לֹא מְטַפְּחוֹת. רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר, הַסְּמוּכוֹת לַמִּטָּה מְטַפְּחוֹת:
(8) [During the intermediate days of a festival] we must not set down the bier on a public road, so as not to encourage eulogies. And never [may the biers of] women [be set down] out of honor. On the intermediate days of a festival women may wail [at a funeral], but not strike their hands together. Rabbi Yishmael says, "The women nearest to the bier may strike their hands together."
ולא של נשים לעולם מפני הכבוד: אמרי נהרדעי לא שנו אלא חיה אבל שאר נשים מניחין
[The Mishnah taught:] And never [may they set down the biers] of women out of honor. The Sages of Nehardei say: They only taught this [restriction] regarding a woman who died in childbirth, but they may set down the biers of other women.
Rabbi Elazar said: Even the biers of other women must not be set down, as it is written: “And Miriam died there and she was buried there” (Numbers 20:1), that is, her burial was close to her death.
(ו) אִם אֶחָד תַּלְמִיד חָכָם וְאֶחָד עַם הָאָרֶץ, מוֹצִיאִין אֶת הַתַּלְמִיד חָכָם תְּחִלָּה, אֲפִלּוּ אִם עַם הָאָרֶץ מֵת תְּחִלָּה. אִישׁ וְאִשָּׁה, מוֹצִיאִין אֶת הָאִשָּׁה תְחִלָּה, אֲפִלּו אִם הָאִישׁ מֵת תְחִלָּה, דִּכְתִיב, וַתָּמָת שָׁם מִרְיָם וַתִּקָּבֵר שָׁם, סָמוּךְ לְמִיתָה קְבוּרָה.
(6) If one [deceased person] is a Torah scholar, and the other is an ignorant person, the Torah scholar should be taken out for burial first, even if the ignorant person died first. If there is a [deceased] man and woman, the woman should be buried first, even if the man died first, for it is written, "And Miriam died there, and she was buried there" (Numbers 20:1), that is, her burial was close to her death.
Rabbi Ami said: Why is the Torah section describing the death of Miriam placed immediately after the section dealing with the Red Cow? To teach you that just as the Red Cow brings atonement, so too the death of the righteous brings atonement. Rabbi Elazar said: Why was the Torah portion that describes the death of Aaron placed immediately after the portion dealing with the priestly garments? Just as the priestly garments bring atonement, so too the death of the righteous brings atonement.
Rabbi Yosi, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: Three good communal leaders rose up for the Jewish People and they are: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. And three good gifts were given through them and they are: the Well of Water, the Cloud of Glory, and the Manna. The Well was given to the Jewish people through the merit of Miriam; the Cloud through the merit of Aaron; and the Manna through the merit of Moses. When Miriam died the well disappeared, as it is stated: “And Miriam died there” (Numbers 20:1), and it says just afterward, “And there was no water for the congregation” (ibid., 20:2). But it returned through the merit of the other two.
(ד) ותמת שם וגו'. צריך לדעת טעם אומרו שם, ורז''ל דרשו (מוע''ק שם) שלא עכבוה, ודרשה זו נשמעת מאומרו ותקבר שם, ונראה כי לצד שהזכיר מיתה חש על כבוד הצדקת שהרי אמרו (ברכות יח) צדיקים במיתתם קרויים חיים, לזה דקדק לומר שם פירוש שם הוא שמתה ולא נשארה ביניהם אלא במקום אחר ישנה בין הצדיקים
(4) ותמת שם מרים, Miriam died there, etc.
We need to understand the reason it says "there." Our Sages interpreted it to mean that the people did not delay in burying Miriam, and this interpretation is based on the [seemingly extraneous] phrase "and she was buried there." And it seems that since the Torah mentioned her death, it took pains to stress the honor given to this righteous one. For the Sages said [on Berachot 18], "The righteous are called living even after their deaths."
For this reason, the Torah specified [she died] "there"--indicating that there she died and did not remain among them, but in another place she lived on among the righteous.
אֲבָל לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא הוּא אוֹמֵר (ישעיה כה), בִּלַּע הַמָּוֶת לָנֶצַח, וּמָחָה ה' אֱלֹהִים דִּמְעָה מֵעַל כָּל פָּנִים וְגוֹ':
But concerning the ultimate future it says, "He will swallow up death forever; the Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face, etc." (Isaiah 25:8).