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Why was Miriam punished for speaking about Moshe when her intent was purely to help his shalom bayis? The shiur develops that Miriam's mistake wasn't malicious speech but measuring Moshe by her own standards of nevuah rather than recognizing he operated on an entirely different level. This failure to search for another's unique greatness—especially greatness beyond one's own—constitutes the deeper dimension of lashon hara that the mitzvah (מצוה) to "remember Miriam" teaches.
The shiur opens with a Midrash on "Zachar et asher asa Hashem (ה׳) l'Miriam" that compares Miriam to a matron who praised a king after war and was appointed a counselor (ba'alas eitzah), but was later imprisoned when she confused the king's commandments. Similarly, Miriam sang shirah at the sea and was called a neviah, but was later punished with tzara'as for speaking about Moshe. The obvious question: why does the Midrash need this mashal? The halacha (הלכה) of lashon hara applies to everyone—why should Miriam's previous greatness be relevant? The shiur carefully examines what Miriam actually said. She noted that Moshe separated from his wife, which was factually true. When Miriam heard Tziporah say "Oi l'nesheihem" (woe to their wives) about Eldad and Meidad becoming prophets, she understood that Tziporah was suffering from Moshe's separation. Critically, Miriam's intention was purely constructive—she believed Moshe was practicing an unnecessary stringency (midas chasidus) that was harming his wife, and she wanted to help restore their shalom bayis. This was not malicious speech but an attempt to perform a mitzvah (מצוה) of correcting what she perceived as a problem.
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How does the covenant of Arvot Moav differ from earlier obligations? The shiur develops the yesod that this covenant created a new level of unity — not just working for the same Master, but collectively becoming a reflection of Hashem's presence. When Klal Yisrael embraces yichud Hashem as a shared vision rather than individual service, future generations become bound, teshuvah becomes natural, and mutual responsibility reaches the depth of "kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh."
Why was Miriam punished with tzaraas when her criticism of Moshe seemed justified? The shiur develops a yesod based on a Midrash that Miriam's error wasn't lashon hara in the conventional sense — she actually intended to help with a shalom bayis issue — but rather her failure to search out Moshe's unique madrega and recognize that his separation from his wife was a halachic requirement for his level of nevuah, not just a chumra. This reframes the entire mitzvah of "zachor es asher asah Hashem" as an obligation to actively seek out people's hidden ma'alos.
Ki Seitzei - Zachar et asher asa Hashem l'Miriam
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