Pisqa’ 275377H:269;JN2: 220. 1 “Remember what HASHEM your God did to Miriam” (Dt.24:9)— Now, what is the relevance of this [incident] to that [ruling about plague-signs]? The connection is made in order to teach you that plague-signs appear only because of slanderous speech.378//ARNA:9. Now isn’t it a simple matter of logic? Just as Miriam— who spoke only out of Moses’ ear-shot, and for Moses’ own benefit, in praise of the All-Present, and for the up-building of the world— was punished in this way, all the more so should punishment come upon one who speaks of his companion’s shame in public!379Sifre Nu., 99. Cf. Pisqa’ 1.18.
2
בַּדֶּרֶךְ, בִּשְׁעַת טֵרוּפְכֶם.
2. “On the road” (Dt.24:9)— in the hour of your utter confusion.
“As you left Egypt” (Dt.24:9)— at the hour of your liberation.380This exegesis of Dt.24:9 seems to have be transferred from Pisqa’ 250.1. See also 296.2. Actually, the verse connects this to Miriam in order to teach you that whenever the [tribal] banners set forth to march, they would not budge until Miriam stood at their head. And so does He say: “And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam” (Mi.6:4)
(דברים כד ט) זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְמִרְיָם, וְכִי מָה עִנְיָן זֶה לָזֶה? נְתָנוֹ הָעִנְיָן לוֹ לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאֵין נְגָעִים בָּאִים אֶלָּא עַל לְשׁוֹן הָרָע, וַהֲלֹא דְּבָרִים קַל וָחֹמֶר: וּמָה מִרְיָם שֶׁלֹּא דִבְּרָה אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹּא בְּפָנָיו שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה, וְלַהֲנָיָתוֹ שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה וּלְשִׁבְחוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם וּלְבִנְיָנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, כָּךְ נֶעֶנְשָׁה, הַמְדַבֵּר בִּגְנוּתוֹ שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ בָּרַבִּים, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה שֶׁיֵּעָנֵשׁ.
Pisqa’ 275377H:269;JN2: 220.
1 “Remember what HASHEM your God did to Miriam” (Dt.24:9)—
Now, what is the relevance of this
[incident] to that [ruling about plague-signs]?
The connection is made
in order to teach you that
plague-signs appear only because
of slanderous speech.378//ARNA:9.
Now isn’t it a simple matter of logic?
Just as Miriam—
who spoke only out of Moses’ ear-shot,
and for Moses’ own benefit,
in praise of the All-Present,
and for the up-building of the world—
was punished in this way,
all the more so should punishment
come upon one who speaks of
his companion’s shame in public!379Sifre Nu., 99. Cf. Pisqa’ 1.18.
בַּדֶּרֶךְ, בִּשְׁעַת טֵרוּפְכֶם.
2. “On the road” (Dt.24:9)—
in the hour of your utter confusion.
בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם, בִּשְׁעַת גְּאֻלַּתְכֶם, אֶלָּא שֶׁתָּלָה הַכָּתוּב בְּמִרְיָם לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁהָיוּ הַדְּגָלִים נוֹסְעִים לֹא הָיוּ הוֹלְכִים עַד שֶׁמִּרְיָם מַקְדֶּמֶת לִפְנֵיהֶם, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (מיכה ו ד): ״וָאֶשְׁלַח לְפָנֶיךָ אֶת מֹשֶׁה אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם״.
“As you left Egypt” (Dt.24:9)—
at the hour of your liberation.380This exegesis of Dt.24:9 seems to have be transferred from Pisqa’ 250.1. See also 296.2.
Actually, the verse connects this to Miriam
in order to teach you that
whenever the [tribal] banners set forth to march,
they would not budge until Miriam stood at their head.
And so does He say:
“And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam” (Mi.6:4)