On the shores of the Red Sea, Moses cried out to God on behalf of the Israelites as they fled Egypt, trapped between the sea before them and the Egyptian army behind them. God answered him: “Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the children of Israel and let them move forward."
At that moment, prayer was not enough. The people had to continue their journey toward the Land of Israel, even if that meant stepping directly into the sea. God would lead them safely through dry land.
Yet in this week’s Torah portion, we encounter the opposite situation. Because of words spoken by Miriam and Aaron about Moses and the Cushite woman he had married, the entire nation halted its journey in order to wait for Miriam after she was struck with leprosy. Here, speech delayed the march toward redemption.
Again Moses turned to prayer, crying out: “El Na, Refa Na Lah" - “Please, God, heal her now." But unlike at the sea, this prayer was not interrupted. Still, it was only partially answered. Miriam was not healed immediately. God decreed that she remain outside the camp for seven days before returning. Sometimes prayer is answered fully; sometimes only in part.
This raises an important question: why did Moses pray for Miriam rather than Aaron, who was both her brother and directly involved in the matter? Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl explains that Aaron himself had been rebuked for participating in the gossip and therefore could not serve as the primary advocate.
Another question follows: why did God not respond to Moses here as He did at the sea, saying, “Why do you cry out to Me?" Perhaps because Moses’ prayer was brief and immediate, impossible to interrupt. Yet there is clearly a deeper lesson in this remarkable episode involving the three great leaders of Israel in the wilderness: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
To understand Miriam’s actions, one must return to her earliest years in Egypt. The Torah states: “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses." Miriam, the older sister, spoke to Aaron about Moses’ separation from his wife, Zipporah. According to the Sifri, Miriam realized Moses had withdrawn from marital life when she noticed that Zipporah no longer adorned herself like other women. When Miriam asked why, Zipporah answered that Moses no longer concerned himself with such matters. From this, Miriam understood that Moses had separated from her.
This troubled Miriam deeply. Years earlier, when she was still a child, she had persuaded her father Amram to remarry her mother Yocheved after he divorced her because of Pharaoh’s decree that every Hebrew baby boy be cast into the Nile. Amram reasoned that there was no point bringing children into such a world.
Miriam courageously challenged him. She told her father that his decree was harsher than Pharaoh’s: Pharaoh sought only to destroy the boys, but Amram’s decision prevented the birth of both boys and girls. Since Amram was a leader of the generation, others would follow his example.
The Talmud relates that Miriam presented her argument before the elders, who agreed with her. Amram publicly remarried Yocheved, and through that reunion Moses was eventually born. Thus, at only six years old, Miriam helped bring the future redeemer of Israel into the world.
This creates a striking contrast. Earlier in life, Miriam was praised for encouraging marriage and family life. Yet in this Torah portion, when she sought something similar - that Moses return to Zipporah - she was punished with leprosy and isolation.
The answer lies in Moses’ unique prophetic status. Miriam and Aaron mistakenly assumed that Moses was like other prophets. They too were prophets and yet maintained normal family lives. God therefore revealed that Moses’ prophecy stood entirely apart from all others. God spoke to Moses directly, “face to face," without dreams or symbolic visions. His level of spiritual attachment demanded complete readiness at every moment.
Miriam’s greatness, however, cannot be overstated. Together with Yocheved, she defied Pharaoh’s murderous decree. The Torah praises the Hebrew midwives who “feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them." Through their courage, countless Jewish children survived.
Miriam also watched over the infant Moses as he floated upon the Nile. “And his sister stood at a distance to know what would happen to him." Even then, Miriam foresaw Israel’s redemption. According to the Sages, she already possessed the tambourine she would later carry at the splitting of the sea, leading the women in song and celebration after the Exodus.
The Torah specifically calls her “Miriam the prophetess, sister of Aaron," emphasizing that she prophesied even before Moses was born. She declared that her mother would give birth to the child who would redeem Israel.
Throughout the wilderness years, Miriam continued to sustain the nation spiritually and physically. Tradition teaches that the miraculous well accompanying Israel in the desert existed in her merit, supplying water throughout their journeys.
Given this background, her concern for Moses and Zipporah becomes understandable. Miriam believed that holiness should not require separation from family life. She spoke privately with Aaron out of sincere concern, not malice.
Nevertheless, the Torah teaches that even well-intentioned speech can cause harm. Gossip and slander remain grave sins regardless of motive. God rebuked Miriam and Aaron: “Why were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?"
The issue was not merely the criticism itself, but their failure to recognize Moses’ singular spiritual level. Unlike other prophets, Moses experienced direct and constant prophecy. His role demanded a unique form of separation.
Even so, God remembered Miriam’s righteousness. Just as she once stood beside the Nile waiting over the infant Moses, now the entire nation waited seven days for her return to the camp. Measure for measure, her devotion was repaid with honor.
The Torah also highlights Moses’ extraordinary humility: “The man Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth." Despite his unmatched greatness, Moses responded to criticism not with anger but with prayer for his sister’s healing.
The discussion also touches upon the broader Jewish view of marriage and holiness. The High Priest, on Yom Kippur, could not perform the holiest service unless he was married. Judaism does not generally see spirituality and family life as opposing forces. Marriage itself is called Kiddushin, sanctification, because the Divine Presence rests between husband and wife.
Only exceptional individuals, such as Ben Azzai, who devoted themselves entirely to Torah study and mastered worldly temptation, were considered exempt from ordinary family life. Moses belonged to a uniquely elevated category.
The portion ultimately teaches profound lessons about prayer, speech, humility, leadership, and human limitation. Sometimes prayer is answered immediately. Sometimes only partially. Sometimes action matters more than prayer itself, as at the Red Sea.
And sometimes, as with Moses’ plea for Miriam, the prayer remains eternally relevant: “Please, God, heal her now."
Let us cry out to God again, and pray that healing comes swiftly to all our soldiers wounded in body or spirit.
The author is the CEO of Tzifha International Real Estate.