Do You Remember What Happened to Miriam the Prophetess? You Should...

Do You Remember What Happened to Miriam?

Remembering how Hashem punished Miriam for speaking lashon hara is one of the six mitzvot that Jews are required to recall every single day. Why was this mitzvah one of those singled out?

The Essence of the Mitzvah:

Remembering the incident with Miriam is a positive commandment according to Ramban (Nachmanides). It involves recalling the tzara'at (a spiritual disease that manifests on the skin) that Miriam was afflicted with, as a result of her speaking lashon hara (evil speech) about her brother Moshe Rabbeinu.

Recalling this incident should bring us to reflect on Miriam's actions and internalize the severity of lashon hara, which is one of the greatest sins.

The Source of the Mitzvah:

The Torah instructs us: "Remember what Hashem your God did to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt" (Devarim 24:9). Ramban interprets this as a positive commandment, similar to other commandments such as remembering the Shabbat day or remembering what Amalek did to the Jewish People. This mitzvah was established to remind us of the severe punishment Miriam received for speaking lashon hara, despite her being righteous and a prophetess.

How to Fulfill the Mitzvah

The mitzvah is fulfilled by remembering what happened to Miriam, who spoke lashon hara about her brother Moshe and was punished with tzara'at.

According to many halachic (legal) authorities, one should actually verbalize the Torah verse describing the incident, not just remember it in one's heart.

It is thus appropriate to recite daily the verse: "Remember what Hashem your God did to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt." In many prayer books, this verse is printed following the morning service.

According to some halachic authorities, one should recall this incident with Miriam whenever one is tempted to speak lashon hara.

A Spiritual Remedy to Help Avoid Lashon Hara

Remembering what happened to Miriam is a spiritual mitzvah that helps one avoid the sin of lashon hara.

The Chofetz Chaim notes that many people recite this verse yet still end up speaking lashon hara. How is this possible? In his book "Zachor L'Miriam," the Chofetz Chaim identifies five reasons why this happens:

The First Reason – We don't recognize the severity of this sin. Therefore, we should learn about the gravity of lashon hara (for instance, by studying the introduction to the book "Chofetz Chaim" or the book "Shemirat HaLashon"), in order to gain appreciation for the magnitude of this sin.

The Second Reason – We recite this verse but don't contemplate the bitterness of the punishment Miriam received. If we reflected on this, Hashem's advice would certainly help us to avoid this sin.

The Third Reason – Even though we recognize the severity of the sin, we give up without even trying, thinking, "What good will remembering what happened to Miriam do? Lots of other people remembered and still spoke lashon hara." Instead of falling into despair, we should reflect on the matter and realize that after a few weeks of practice, this remembrance will greatly help in avoiding the sin.

The Fourth Reason – If we don't stay away from topics or people that lead to speaking lashon hara, the advice of remembering what happened to Miriam won't help.

The Fifth Reason – After someone has frequently committed this sin, the evil inclination entices them to give up in despair, and assume that there's no hope and no spiritual remedy that can help. The solution is to perservere and encourage oneself, repent for past sins, and fortify oneself for the future. Otherwise, the evil inclination will cause the person to fall into the spiritual abyss.