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| Ki Tetze: Remembering Miriam's Punishment |
Six Zechirot
Six times the Torah commands us to remember certain events. The
six zechirot (rememberances) are listed after the morning prayers:
In order to appreciate the fundamental lesson of Miriam's
punishment, we must understand the essence of her error.
Moses' Prophetic Level
The Torah relates (Num. 12:1-15) how Miriam spoke against her
younger brother Moses for neglecting his wife. Miriam felt that the
fact that Moses was a prophet was not an excuse for his behavior. "Is it only to
Moses that God speaks? Does He not also speak to us?" Even though
we — Miriam and Aaron — are also prophets, we still maintain normal
family relations.
God responded to this accusation by appearing suddenly to Miriam and Aaron:
Far worse than her sin of slander, Miriam erred in her evaluation
of the nature of Moses' prophecy. Had Moses been just a regular
prophet, Miriam would have been correct in her criticism. But in
fact, Moses' prophetic vision was on a higher plane than common prophecy.
Moses' vision was not distorted and murky, but crystal-clear — he saw through an aspaklariah me'irah.
As a result, the Five Books of Moses are on
a higher level than the other books of the Bible. No prophet may
challenge or contradict Moses' prophecies.
It is for this reason that we are admonished to remember Miriam's
punishment for speaking against Moses. By recalling her mistake, we
are reminded to appreciate the unique nature of
Moses' prophetic vision.
(adapted from Olat Re'iyah vol. I, p. 334)
Copyright © 2006 by Chanan Morrison
"Remember what God did to Miriam on your way out of
Egypt." (Deut. 24:9)
The first five are clearly important for us to remember, as they are
major events or fundamental principles of faith. Yet the last
one, Miriam's punishment for slandering Moses, doesn't seem to
fit with the rest of the list. Can we consider Miriam's mistake in judgment
on par with historical milestones such as the Exodus from Egypt or the
revelation of Torah?
"Listen carefully to My words. If someone among you experiences
Divine prophecy, then I make Myself known to him in a vision; I
speak to him in a dream. This is not true of My servant Moses...
With him I speak face to face... so that he sees a true picture of
God."