B'haalot'cha for Tweens

This Shabbat our parashah begins with instructions for lighting the menorah. After the Israelites overwhelm Moses with their complaining about their desire to eat more than manna, God instructs Moses to appoint elders to share the burden of ruling the people and settling their many issues. The parashah concludes with jealous Aaron and Miriam badmouthing their younger brother Moses. As a result, Miriam is struck with a skin disease, manifested as white, itchy scales. Aaron appeals to Moses, who offers a prayer to God on his sister's behalf.

The shortest prayer in the Bible is the touching climax of this troubling scene involving our sibling antagonists:

So Moses cried out to the Eternal, saying, "O God, pray heal her!" (12:13)

At first Moses' siblings seem to be making disparaging remarks about Moses' wife because "he married a Cushite woman." (12:1) However, the next verse tells us that they are jealous of Moses' prophetic stature: "Has the Eternal spoken only through Moses? Has [God] not spoken through us as well?" (12:2) One major strand throughout the Torah makes a claim for Moses' supremacy as a mouthpiece for God, the only person who knew God as a friend. The fact that Aaron turns to Moses to intercede on behalf of Miriam confirms Moses' unique relationship with God.

Apparently, Moses has become comfortable with his role, and consequently, his prayer is heartfelt in a manner to which we can aspire at rare moments in our own lives. Despite Moses' plea for divine intervention, Miriam is not immediately healed. She remains outside the camp for seven days until she is readmitted. God's actions reassert the singularity of Moses' prophetic station, not only to Aaron and Miriam, but through them to the reader as well.

We read about Miriam's punishment, but not Aaron's. "The text's internal evidence does offer two suggestions that Miriam was the primary offender. First, the verb used to describe their initial comments is the feminine singular, ve-teddaber ("and she spoke"). Second, her name is given first, even though when Miriam and Aaron are mentioned together on other occasions, his name comes first" (Telushkin, Biblical Literacy, 130). Nevertheless, the vignette leaves an unresolved asymmetry. Miriam is punished and Aaron is not. As is their wont, the Rabbis proffer midrashic explanations to reconcile the apparent moral inequality.

In his commentary, Rabbi Gunther Plaut explains, "…while Miriam is punished corporally, Aaron is punished mentally. In his case, the mental suffering is far more intense than its physical counterpart. Aaron doubtlessly undergoes great anguish not only because of the divine rebuke … but also he suffers keenly from guilt when he sees his sister disfigured hideously while he who had committed the same offence apparently is let off free" (Plaut, 970). God realized that seeing his sister suffer would be more painful for Aaron than having been stricken himself. Perhaps you know of a similar family dynamic?

Neither excusing Aaron nor perceiving his punishment, Nechama Leibowitz suggests, "Evidently the Torah did not wish to prohibit merely explicit gossip about our fellowmen in general and the spiritual leaders of our generation, in particular. It wished to prohibit any kind of talk or gossip disparaging our fellowman" (Studies in Bamidbar, 132). It may be natural to build oneself up by tearing another person down, but it is also wrong. This character trait is well nigh ubiquitous, and certainly not limited to ancient Israel. Our own failings to refrain from malicious gossip do not result in skin outbreaks that prompt prophetic prayers, but they do hurt real people-the person about whom we are speaking, the person to whom we are speaking and ourselves.

Like Pinocchio's nose, Miriam's skin betrays her. These stories fascinate us. A person's pride, integrity and reputation are more valuable than anything physical. Words can build others up or tear them down. Each of us holds that power every time we speak. Use it wisely.

Table Talk

1. Our text describes Moses as humble, more so than any other human being on earth. (12:3) What other qualities does Moses exhibit in this story? To which do you aspire?
2. "God listens to their conversation (of course, God is able to hear every conversation, a fact that nonetheless inhibits few people from speaking unfairly about others)…" (Telushkin, Biblical Literacy, 129). What would help you to talk about others less?
3. When have someone's words given you strength, and when have they hurt you? What is more powerful than words?

For Further Learning

Listen to Debbie Friedman's version of the song version of Moses' prayer, Eil Na R'fa Na La. Discuss how you would write or sing a prayer for healing. Do you think song can affect a person physically? Why or why not?