In Numbers 12, we are aware of the disagreements within the most important family among the Isarelites, while there were in the wilderness. More about this disagreement you will hear in our Biblical Hebrew Summit that will take place on 24/5/2012 Thursday evening 8:00-11:00 P.M. Eastern time. Today we will encounter just the outcome of this argument as written in Numbers 12:9-13-

” וַיִּחַר-אַף יְהוָה בָּם, וַיֵּלַךְ. וְהֶעָנָן סָר מֵעַל הָאֹהֶל, וְהִנֵּה מִרְיָם, מְצֹרַעַת כַּשָּׁלֶג; וַיִּפֶן אַהֲרֹן אֶל-מִרְיָם, וְהִנֵּה מְצֹרָעַת. וַיֹּאמֶר אַהֲרֹן, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה: בִּי אֲדֹנִי–אַל-נָא תָשֵׁת עָלֵינוּ חַטָּאת, אֲשֶׁר נוֹאַלְנוּ וַאֲשֶׁר חָטָאנוּ. אַל-נָא תְהִי, כַּמֵּת, אֲשֶׁר בְּצֵאתוֹ מֵרֶחֶם אִמּוֹ, וַיֵּאָכֵל חֲצִי בְשָׂרוֹ. וַיִּצְעַק מֹשֶׁה, אֶל-יְהוָה לֵאמֹר: אֵל, נָא רְפָא נָא לָהּ”

” So the anger of the LORD burned against them and He departed. But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother’s womb!” Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “O God, heal her, I pray!”

Why did G-d cause Miriam to be leprous? What has she done? Was it her own fault or Aaron was her partner?

Those three questions and more keep bothering me every time I read this chapter, and the summit will be a great opportunity to discuss those questions and more. I will just say now that the hand of the author, for sure, was a hand of someone who didn’t like the courage of Miriam- this was a hand of a male, who wanted to show us the power of Moses as the savior of his sister from the hands of G-d.

See you all at the summit, hope to answer all of your questions, Eli

Hebrew-Transcription –Translation

הֶעָנָן-he’ānān-The cloud

אֵל-’ēl-G-d

נָא-nā’-Please

אַל-’al-Don’t

מְצֹרַעַת-mətsōra’at-Leprous

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