Bemidbar 12:1,2 record that apparently out of the blue, Miryam and Aharon spoke about Moshe's Cushite wife, and they noted that G-d also spoke to them. These verses are surprising. Did Moshe have another wife? Why should this fact be mentioned at this point? Why are Miryam and Aharon attacking Moshe? Was it sibling rivalry? Why now? What does the issue of Moshe's second wife have to do with their statement that G-d also spoke to them?
Rashi (on 12:1,2), follows the approach that the reference to the Cushite wife is to Tzippora, and explains that during the events recorded in chapter 11, Miryam and Aharon learned that Moshe had separated from Tzippora. With this idea, Miryam and Aharon were not trying to attack Moshe but to help Tzippora. In 12:2, they were pointing out that Moshe did not have to separate from Tzippora since they were prophets and had not separated from their spouses. G-d’s response could then be understood that since Moshe was such a greater prophet, he had to separate from his wife, but lesser prophets, such as Miryam and Aharon, could remain with their spouses.
This explanation is troubling since nowhere in the text is it mentioned that Moshe separated from Tzippora and even if he did, the text also does not mention that Miryam and Aharon criticized him for this, only that they said that Moshe took a Cushite wife.
More likely, it seems that Moshe had another wife, apparently from the period when he ran away from Egypt, see Rashbam on 12:1, and comments by Joseph Ibn Kaspi, quoted by Nehama Leibowitz, 1980, pp. 130-132. It could be that this marriage ended before Moshe married Tzippora.
Bekhor Shor (on 12:1, see also Luzzatto on 12:1) explains that Miryam and Aharon referred to the Cushite wife to make the point that Moshe did not marry from among the Jewish people, while they married amongst the people. They were saying that Moshe was too proud, while they were not disdainful of the people. This was an attempt to denigrate the leadership of Moshe since it brought to the attention of the people the possibility that Moshe was separate in some ways from the people due to his foreign wife. Thus in 12:2, they were claiming that they were fit to be leaders because they were also prophets while Moshe was not fit to be either the leader or the only leader since he had married a foreigner. Accordingly, they were staking a claim for the leadership of the people.
Why did they make this claim now? Maybe they felt threatened by the 70 people who became prophets in the previous chapter 11:24-26, since this could have lowered their status. Previously, they were the only prophets besides Moshe in the camp, but now they had to share that role with 70 people. Accordingly, to raise their status they tried to make themselves equal or greater to Moshe. Or, maybe they were making a play for the leadership of the people since they saw that Eldad and Medad had rebelled and nothing had happened to them, 11:26-29. Or, maybe their comments were in response to Moshe's depression that began in chapter11, see our discussion above on 11:10-29, "The beginning of the great depression" http://lobashamayim.blogspot.co.il/2009/06/bemidbar-chapter-11behaalothekha.html. Miryam and Aharon realized that Moshe was depressed, and they thought that this made him unable to continue functioning as the leader of the people. Thus, they were attempting to become the leaders, and they noted that G-d also spoke to them. How did this claim relate to Moshe's Cushite wife? It could be, as the Bekhor Shor explained that they were trying to show that they were more qualified to be leaders than Moshe since Moshe had some foreign connections. Or, maybe Moshe in his depression spoke about this long lost wife, and they mentioned it to indicate that Moshe was unable to function as the leader of the people. Even if one follows the idea that 12:1 refers to Moshe separating from Tzippora, then this could also accord with Moshe being depressed since maybe he separated due to his depression.
Moshe did not respond to Miryam and Aharon's accusations. 12:3 records that he was humble which might be the reason for his non-response. Yet, we know that he responded very angrily to Datan and Aviram's accusation, 16:15. Maybe he did not respond since he was in shock that his sister and brother were attacking him, or maybe again this was another sign of his despondency.
Instead, G-d responded by calling Moshe, Aharon and Miryam to the ohel moed, and then telling Aharon and Miryam to step outside the tent, 12:4,5. Why did G-d have to call for Moshe to go to the ohel moed, if afterwards, G-d spoke only to Miryam and Aharon? Why did Moshe have to be around when G-d was speaking to Miryam and Aharon? In 12:4-8, G-d rebuked Miryam and Aharon and stated the greatest praises of Moshe in the Torah, which further establishes Moshe as the foremost prophet who ever lived. Why did G-d announce Moshe's greatness at this time?
My guess is that the discussion was also for Moshe's benefit that he could hear it from inside the ohel moed. Why could he not go outside? The answer is that G-d was angry at Miryam and Aharon, and speaking harshly to them. G-d wanted Moshe to hear what he said, but G-d did not want to speak harshly in front of Moshe. Why not? Again, Moshe was depressed and G-d was trying to end the depression by having Moshe hear how unique and important he was. It is not clear if G-d's effort succeeded.
After G-d's conversation with Miryam and Aharon ended, Miryam was afflicted with tsara'at, 12:10. Aharon confessed to their sins and urged Moshe to pray for Miryam, 12:11,12. 12:12 is usually understood (see Rashi on 12:12) that Aharon was telling Moshe that if he did not pray, then their sister would be dead since a person with leprosy is like a dead person. However, this reference to the Miryam is not in the verse, and has to be added to the text. Instead, the Rashbam (on 12:12) understands the verse simply that Aharon was telling Moshe not be dead to his sister's suffering, and the reference to being dead is to Moshe and not Miryam. (Milgrom, 1990, p. 97, writes that according to the Rashbam, Aharon was rebuking Moshe, but really Aharon was pleading with Moshe to pray for Miryam, as Aharon stated in 12:11, "my lord.") Yet, why did Moshe not initially pray for his sister? Was he so angry at her for her attacks on him? Or, was it again because he was still depressed?
In any event, Aharon's plea or Miryam's condition stirred Moshe to pray and G-d healed her, 12:13-15. This prayer and the answering of the prayer ended Moshe's depression. A similar case occurred by Avraham after the destruction of Sedom and Amora, and he too had to pray for Avimelekh to end his depression, see our discussion on Bereshit chapters 19 and 20 "The survivors."
If one has accepted this approach concerning Moshe's depression, we see the intrinsic connection between chapters 11 and 12. In addition, we understand why the two chapters were recorded in the Torah. Chapter 11 was recorded to prepare the reader for the failure of the spies that not everything was going well beforehand. This also signaled to Moshe the coming failure of the people, which caused him to be depressed, and then chapter 12 is recorded to explain how his depression ended.
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