Who Was Miriam?

Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on the journey after you left Egypt.

זכור את אשר עשה ה' אלהיך למרים REMEMBER WHAT THE LORD THY GOD DID UNTO MIRIAM — if you wish to guard yourself against being stricken with leprosy, do not speak slander! Remember what was done unto Miriam who spoke slander against her brother and was stricken with a leprous plague! (cf. Sifrei Devarim 275:1).

זכור את אשר עשה ה' אלו-היך למרים, “keep remembering what the Lord your G’d did to Miriam.” This is a positive commandment related to the negative commandment not to speak evil about people (לשון הרע). We are not only to remember that Miriam badmouthed her brother Moses but the punishment that she endured on account of that. It is mentioned here as her punishment was to become afflicted with the skin disease tzoraat. Seeing that the previous verse had commenced with the word השמר, something which always introduces a negative command-ment, I might have thought that this too is a negative commandment. The Torah teaches that although this was a negative commandment which was a direct derivative of a positive commandment and is usually not viewed with the severity of an ordinary negative commandment, the reason that Miriam’s punishment is recalled here is to remind us how serious the sin of לשון הרע is considered in the eyes of the Torah. Consider that if righteous Miriam, the prophetess, who only spoke against her brother, who was older than he, and for whom she had put her life at risk and had said what she said without his ever hearing it was punished with the dread disease tzoraat, and all her accumulated merits did not protect her against this punishment, how much more reason do we normal mortals have to be circumspect and not become guilty of this sin. Consider further that Miriam had not really said something negative about Moses except that she had compared her and Aaron’s prophetic stature to that of her brother Moses.
In view of all these considerations it is easy to understand why the Torah looks askance at any assembly of fools, loiterers, people engaged in pointless and unproductive conversation. Solomon makes this plain in Kohelet 8,2 when he said that foolishness is the result of too much talk. Such talk will easily degenerate into sinful talk, character-assassination of one’s peers and the like. Once one has begun to speak disparagingly about one’s peers it is only a short step away from criticizing Torah scholars as we know from Psalms 31,19: “let lying lips be stilled that speak haughtily against the righteous with arrogance and contempt.” Once one is not afraid to speak about the righteous, one will start putting down G’d’s prophets, and in the end one will speak out against G’d Himself. We have examples of all this in Chronicles II 36,15: “but they mocked the messengers of G’d and disdained His words and taunted His prophets until the wrath of G’d against His people grew beyond remedy.” Compare also Psalms 73,9: “they set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.” Who was the cause that they set their mouths against heaven? Their tongues which had begun by speaking about earthly matters.

§ Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says that Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Leprous marks come and afflict a person for seven sinful matters: For malicious speech, for bloodshed, for an oath taken in vain, for forbidden sexual relations, for arrogance, for theft, and for stinginess.

at the wicked Pharaoh said: “Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive” (Exodus 1:22), he said: We are laboring for nothing by bringing children into the world to be killed. Therefore, he arose and divorced his wife. All others who saw this followed his example and arose and divorced their wives. His daughter, Miriam, said to him: Father, your decree is more harsh for the Jewish people than that of Pharaoh, as Pharaoh decreed only with regard to the males, but you decreed both on the males and on the females. And now no children will be born. Additionally, Pharaoh decreed to kill them only in this world, but you decreed in this world and in the World-to-Come, as those not born will not enter the World-to-Come. Miriam continued: Additionally, concerning Pharaoh the wicked, it is uncertain whether his decree will be fulfilled, and it is uncertain if his decree will not be fulfilled. You are a righteous person, and as such, your decrees will certainly be fulfilled, as it is stated with regard to the righteous: “You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto you” (Job 22:28). Amram accepted his daughter’s words and arose and brought back, i.e., remarried, his wife, and all others who saw this followed his example and arose and brought back their wives. The Gemara asks: If Amram remarried Jochebed, rather than say: “And took for a wife a daughter of Levi” (Exodus 2:1), it should have stated: “And returned for a wife the daughter of Levi.” Rav Yehuda bar Zevina says: He performed an act of marriage just as one would do for a first marriage. He sat her on a palanquin [appiryon], and Aaron and Miriam danced before her, and the ministering angels said: “A joyful mother of children” (Psalms 113:9).

The Gemara raises an objection from a baraita: Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: Three good sustainers rose up for the Jewish people during the exodus from Egypt, and they are: Moses, Aaron and Miriam. And three good gifts were given from Heaven through their agency, and these are they: The well of water, the pillar of cloud, and the manna. He elaborates: The well was given to the Jewish people in the merit of Miriam; the pillar of cloud was in the merit of Aaron; and the manna in the merit of Moses. When Miriam died the well disappeared, as it is stated: “And Miriam died there” (Numbers 20:1), and it says thereafter in the next verse: “And there was no water for the congregation” (Numbers 20:2). But the well returned in the merit of both Moses and Aaron.

(2) ותדבר מרים ואהרן AND MIRIAM AND AARON SPAKE — She opened the conversation, therefore Scripture mentions her first. And whence did Miriam know that Moses had separated himself from his wife (for this was the statement she made; cf. Rashi below)? R. Nathan answered: “Miriam was beside Zipporah When it was told to Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp’ (Numbers 11:27). When Zipporah heard this, she exclaimed, Woe to the wives of these if they have anything to do with prophecy, for they will separate from their wives just has my husband has separated from me!” It was from this that Miriam knew about it, and she told it to Aaron. Now what was the case with Miriam who had no intention to disparage him? She was punished thus severely! How much the more will this be so in the case of one who intentionally speaks in disparagement of this fellow”! (Sifrei Bamidbar 99).

e words of the prophets are true.