Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The Torah’s command to remember what happened to Miriam offers a lasting lesson about lashon hara. By recognizing speech as a precious gift intended for praise and constructive communication, we can become more careful with our words.
Remembering Miriam and the Consequences of Lashon Hara
In this week’s Torah reading (24:9) we are commanded to remember that which God did to Miriam in the desert as the Jews were on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land. This is referring to an episode in which Miriam said something slightly negative to her brother Aaron about their brother Moses. Shortly after this conversation, God rebuked Miriam for her actions, and in addition, He explained why her criticism was incorrect. (Although it would have been forbidden for her to speak in such a manner even if her point was true, the fact that she was wrong made matters worse.) Immediately following, Miriam was punished with Tzara’as (a unique skin disease reserved as a consequence for certain sins).
Contemplating Miriam’s Story
The Chofetz Chaim writes (in the introduction to Zachor Lemiriam) that this Mitzvah (commandment) is actually given as a remedy to help us guard our mouths properly and refrain from speaking Lashon Hara (evil speech). However, the Chofetz Chaim cautions (ibid, chapter one) that a fleeting thought about the story with Miriam will not be sufficient in doing the job. Only if one takes the time to contemplate properly the story of Miriam, will this practice assist him in keeping his speech in line. The Rambam (end of laws of Tzara’as) describes the full weight of the lesson to be learned from this story as follows: “Look at what happened to Miriam the prophetess who spoke about her younger brother, who she raised lovingly and endangered her life to save from the water, and she did not talk disparagingly about her brother. All she did was mistakenly [say light criticism to] equate him to other prophets. Moreover, Moses himself was so humble that he felt no resentment towards her for her remarks, as the verse concludes that Moses was more humble than any human being. Nonetheless, [her action was considered a sin and] she was immediately punished with Tzara’as.”
A Mouth Created for Praise
The Magen Avrohom writes (Orach Chaim, 60:2) that we can perform this Mitzvah during the blessing in the morning prayers before Krias Shema. All the six matters we are instructed in the Torah to remember are hinted to in this blessing. When we say that God brought us close to Him to praise Him, this alludes to the Mitzvah of remembering the episode with Miriam. Our mouths should be reserved for praising God instead of talking gossip. This is a very interesting way of hinting to this Mitzvah, and it seems to contain an important message: If we realize that our mouths are special instruments designed for the lofty task of praising God, we will not be so quick to abuse them by allowing them to be used in a lowly manner of putting down others.
When Criticism Has No Constructive Purpose
A prominent figure of a certain group once came to the Chibener Rov (rabbi) and complained about the deficiencies in the policies of a certain network of schools which spanned across Israel. Upon the conclusion of his tirade, the Rov nodded as a sign of agreement. The fellow turned to leave, feeling satisfied with his position backed by the esteemed Chibener Rov. As he was about to leave, the Chibener Rov called to him, “So I understand that you are about to start your own network of schools across the country to rectify the problems.” The man responded with a surprised expression and said, “Can I commit to such an undertaking?!” “If so,” said the Chibener Rov, “all that you said about these schools, even if it’s true, is Lashon Hara. If you did not come to tell me your criticism for a constructive purpose, it is forbidden, and you may not speak to me about this topic ever again!”
Reserving the Power of Speech for Good
The power of speech is an awesome feature we possess, and many great things can be accomplished with it. It’s truly a disgrace to use such a special capability to paint others in a negative light. We must keep the story of Miriam vivid in our minds and gain an appreciation for our power to communicate. This will insure that we reserve this special gift of speech for constructive purposes only. As we learn from Miriam, even the slightest abuse of this precious feature in the form of unjustified negative speech, is intolerable by God. If someone so great was punished severely for sharing such minute criticism about someone she loved, and she didn’t even cause any harm, one can only imagine the repercussions from Heaven for hurtful gossip and real slander
By Rabbi Yitzchok Aryeh Strimber
