B'haalot'cha
Miriam, Aaron Complain about their brother The humble Moses
Displaying anger G-d punishes Miriam Turning her skin white
But Moses reacts With compassion, not anger Prays for her healing
In the story that concludes this week's portion, we find an example of how to react to those who spread rumors about us. Miriam and Aaron are guilty of lashon hara (evil speech, gossip). G-d punishes Miriam, but after Aaron pleads to his brother not to hold a grudge against them, Moses prays to G-d that Miriam be healed. G-d limits her punishment to seven days. (Numbers 12) Image by Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik from his blog.