The name of the Torah portion “Behaalotecha” alludes to growth, “when you light up the candle, it’s flame rises upward.” At the end of the Parashah Miriam and Aharon spoke against Moses regarding the Cushite ( word used to a person with dark skin color)woman he married and was now divorcing. They didn’t say anything bad about Tzipora or Moses, Miriam was only telling Aharon that Moses was divorcing his wife.
For this she was punished with tzaras (a type of leprosy, that used to afflict those who spoke evil about others)and was also put in quarantine.
But conveying news is considered lashon hara?
According to the commentators, Miriam’s sin was the reference she made to the color of her sister in laws skin color.
This is the type of lashon hara that Miriam spoke, the slightest of the slightest, but nevertheless H”S punishes her for that. For seven days she was put in isolation outside the camp.
How many times do we make inocente remarks on others:”the fat one, the big nose, the loud one, etc…) in our level this wouldn’t be looked as evil speech, but in reality if you take a closer look at it, anything that could embarrass or make someone feel bad if they could hear you it is.
Miriam was a prophetess and a very spiritually elevated person, at her level this was unacceptable and this is why H”S was so strict with her.
Although we are not in Miriam’s level and B”H G-d deals with us in much more lenient ways, we should always strive to think before we talk and accustom ourselves to be more sensitive about others feelings making sure to not make remarks that can make others feel bad about themselves.
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