Beha'alotecha

Wisdom for Wedding Season

Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan

Miriam and Aharon spoke against Moshe on behalf of the Cushite woman he had married. (Bamidbar/Numbers 12:1)

Midrash teaches that Miriam was a mender of marriages.

When Pharaoh decreed that Israelite baby boys were to be drowned, Midrash teaches, Israelite families separated. Young Miriam, however, foresaw that her parents could give birth to an amazing baby who would lift the Israelites from their gloom. She insisted that her parents remarry. They listened! As the children Miriam and Aharon danced in front of their parents' chuppah, they saw their mother shed years of worry, transforming back into the young woman they knew.

When Moshe became so involved in his leadership responsibilities that Tzipporah left him, he got married again, to a Cushite woman. Midrash teaches that Miriam saw the late-night lights burning in Moshe's tent as his new wife waited, every night, for his return. So she spoke to Moshe on behalf of his wife. God took Moshe's side in this family issue, but Moshe recognized Miriam's insight, and prayed for healing for an unnamed female  - perhaps his sister, perhaps his wife, perhaps even his marriage.

As summer wedding season begins, we have much to learn from Miriam about married life: Don't let fear come between you. Don't let work - even holy work - take over all your time. If you are blessed with children, listen to their wisdom. And, best of all, a loving marriage keeps you young.

Return to Reb Laura's "Taste of Torah" list.

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