When the Jews were ready to move on after a whole year of camping in one place, Miriam, Moses’ sister, got leprosy as a punishment for speaking badly about her brother. Oh, man! Great timing! Not only did that mean that she would have to leave the camp and wait until she was healed, it also meant that the entire Jewish nation would wait a full week for Miriam to heal, and travel only once she rejoined the camp.1
Wait a second! Why in the world did hundreds of thousands of people have to wait for one person who was sent away for something that she did wrong? The answer to that is really amazing.
Before Moses was born, Pharaoh had commanded that all baby boys must be thrown into the Nile River. When Moses was born, his mother placed him in a basket in the river. She followed Pharaoh’s command, but managed to save her baby’s life. Miriam sat in the bushes by the river, watching her baby brother and making sure he remained safe in the basket.
Now that Miriam was sent out of the Jewish encampment and would be unable to travel with her people, how could Moses not wait for her? He had so much appreciation for all she had done, and now was his chance to show it.
So, why did the whole nation wait too, you ask? They, too, wanted to show appreciation to their beloved Miriam for all she had done for them. Therefore they were right behind Moses, waiting for her.
So, let’s think of the people who have done so much for us, like our parents, and look for ways to show them how much we appreciate all they do, and how much they mean to us.
- It is very special when others go out of their way for us. Let’s let them know how much it means to us by showing appreciation. Now you are bar/bat mitzvah; you have a more mature understanding of things. We can now realize just how much our parents do for us. What can you do to let them know that you really appreciate all they do?
- When is a time that someone showed you appreciation for something that you did? How did you feel? How much more willing were you to go ahead and do another favor for them?
“So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not travel until Miriam had entered.” (Numbers 12:15)
“The people did not travel: This honor was accorded her by the Omnipresent because of the time she remained with Moses when he was cast into the river, as it says (Exodus 2:4), ‘His sister stood by from afar to know what would be done to him.’” (Rashi on this verse)
