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Numbers 8:1 - 12:16 By Dr. Akiva G. Belk This study of the weekly parsha is dedicated in the loving memory of Ms. Fredriqua Ann Brown, may she rest in peace. In the seventh aliyah of the parasha we find the story of Miriam the prophetess and Aaron, the Kohen Gadol, Moshe's sister and brother, speaking against him. Much has been written about the sin of loshon hara, using the example of Miriam's punishment to prove how Hashem detests loshon hara. However there is an additional perspective to this story. Moshe Rabbiniu's Spiritual Level...as Testified to by G-d The Creator of the universe, the Omnipotent, the Omnipresent judged, saw / heard what Aaron the Kohen Gadol and Miriam the prophetess said and did! The Most Holy was the witness that testified against Aaron and Miriam, judged their conduct and imposed punishment. The Most Holy's actions were immediate. This was not a prolonged incident. Hashem testified: "If there will be prophets among you, in a vision shall I, Hashem, make Myself known to him; in a dream shall I speak with him. Not so is My servant Moshe; in My entire house he is the trusted one. Mouth to mouth do I speak to him, in a clear vision, and not in riddles, at the image of Hashem does he gaze." From the Creator's testimony we learn that even though the Kohen Godal is very great and his sister the prophetess also, they are not on Moshe Rabbiniu's level. It is important to understand where we are going with this. Hashem spoke from a cloud to Moshe our teacher, to Aaron the Kohen Godal and to Miriam the prophetess at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Hashem summoned the Kohen Godal and the prophetess before Him in front of the entire nation Yisroel. The Holy One testified, judged and punished them before three million witnesses. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF THIS EVENT? This was not some unidentified voice from some cloud stating, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." It was the G-d of creation speaking from an established format. I mean to say that G-d was recognized in the form of a cloud by day and as a fire by night by over three million witnesses. This was an established format G-d used to lead and protect the nation Yisroel in the Bamidbar. It was not some kind of a freak thing that happened along the way, with a few fishermen and their friends. I mean to say that there was a defined place, an established place that G-d spoke from. The place that G-d spoke from was in front of the Mishkon! IT WAS NOT SOME UNIDENTIFIABLE, UNACKNOWLEDGED ROADSIDE PLACE! Three million people observed when the cloud moved to the Tent of Meeting and hovered over the entrance that G-d was speaking.... This is an unquestionable established fact! Whereas some unestablished roadside incident from a cloud to a few unlearned fishermen is not! That is to say, the location is not established as a place that The Creator of the universe spoke from, and the format of a cloud was only used during the years in the Bamidbar! Next we see that G-d witnessed, testified and judged the Kohen Godal and the prophetess before three million people. This is the ONLY TIME recorded in history that something like this has happened!
that did not receive any response from the Creator of the universe. The New Testament claims: Jesus began to explain to his disciples, that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and be raised to life again the third day. We are going up to Jerusalem; and the son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death... The New Testament also claims: When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death... These are very serious accusations from the New Testament. If they were true G-d would have responded as in the days of Moshe. The Creator of the universe would have held the Kohen Godal and the Bais Din responsible as he did with Aaron and Miriam. G-d who witnesses all DID NOT RESPOND!!! There was no immediate punishment! To suggest that the High Priest and the Bais Din had premeditated murder in their hearts is wrong. It is loshon hara! It is so offensive and so far from the truth. In other articles not yet
published on our web SIGHT I discuss: In conclusion, G-d asks a question,"So why are you not afraid to speak against My servant Moshe?" After all, many people spoke unkind words about Moshe. Nothing happened to them. But they were not the Kohen Godal or the prophetess. They were common people on a much lower level of spirituality.
The anger of Hashem burned against them, and He left them. When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam -leprous, like snow. It is as if Hashem, the Judge of the universe from His place in the eternal, from the Supreme of Supreme Courts, wrote a COSMIC LEGAL OPINION about religious leadership in very high positions and their responsibility to be extremely careful with their comments. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy; and he said to Moshe, "Please, my master, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away." So Moshe cried out to Hashem saying, "O G-d, please heal her!" Hashem replied to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back." So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back. After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran. As we face this week, a good desire would be to extend towards the level of Aaron and Miriam. It was far greater than Kal Yisroel but not nearly as great as Moshe Rabbiniu. One of the very beautiful medos of a righteous person is when they are confronted with an avarah and when they recognize it as an avarah, THEY REPENT IMMEDIATELY, as Aaron did! There is none of this if I have sinned business or if I have offended you in anyway business. They immediately confess their sin. We should learn much from the beauty of their repentance. Best Wishes!,
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