Posted on 07/08/22
Miriam died there and she was buried there. There was no water for the assembly... (במדבר כ א)
The Shulchan Aruch records an ancient custom to pour out any water collected in vessels that was present when someone died in the neighborhood. Some suggest this is alluded to by the juxtaposition of Miriam’s death and the immediate mention of lack of water.
Although we are taught that the primary message in this connection is to inform us that the well that provided all their water needs during their forty-year sojourn in the desert was due to the great merit of Miriam, and thus disappeared upon her death, nevertheless this custom is hinted here as well.
Rav Shimshon Bar Tzadok, the devoted disciple of the legendary sage and leader, the Maharam M’Ruttenberg — who recorded many of his master’s teachings he culled while visiting him during the Rav’s seven-year imprisonment in the Ensisheim fortress — in fact states that it is precisely the intention of this custom to compare the deceased to Miriam. Just as it was in her merit that we benefited the well, and upon her death it ceased, this one as well is worthy that water should stop flowing upon his demise. (ספר תשבץ תמז)
Why do we commemorate Miriam’s worthiness in whose merit we benefited the miraculous well, more than the equally wondrous Manna and Clouds of Glory we were gifted in the merit of Moshe and Aharon respectively?
Rashi adds to this verse reporting Miriam’s death, how she too died through a נשיקה — kiss [על פי ד' —from G-d’s mouth rather than by the angel of death]. Why does it not say ‘by G-d’s mouth’ [as it does with Moshe]? שאינה דרך כבוד של מעלה — because it is not respectful to speak of the Most High in this way.
Is it truly inappropriate to utilize this description of ‘kissing’ in the context of Miriam?
This is after all a ‘spiritual’ kiss not a physical one? Secondly, isn’t it more reminiscent of a kiss of a loving father to a daughter, and thus void of any negative connotation?
The famed, holy Rebbe of Piaseczna, who perished during the holocaust, posits this very question and offers a most remarkable interpretation of this Rashi.
It is known from the works of my father... that a Jew must realize that even during the times that one awakens within himself initiative here ‘down below’(אתערותא דלתתא), it is He, may He be blessed, that implements the knowledge and will from above that arouses one here on earth to act... this is alluded in the verse in Psalms (62 13), ‘And Yours, O Lord, is kindness, for You repay each man according to his deeds.’ Because, in truth, He, may He be blessed, draws our attention, and gives us strength and the will... to do good deeds. So really, we do not deserve reward, since G-d is the doer, nevertheless ‘And Yours, O Lord, is kindness’ and rewards us as if we had done it. So, we discover that a woman who becomes righteous, studying Torah and performing good deeds, this is truly her own doing since she is not commanded as such, and was not prodded by G-d. Indeed, this one too, Miriam, died by the ‘kiss of death’, so why does it omit ‘by the mouth of G-d’? It is because it is inaccurate to credit and attribute her actions to G-d, for she had exhibited her greatness by initiating her goals, being inspired solely from below (אתערותא דלתתא), without any intervention from on High. So, it would be inaccurate to state ‘by the mouth of G-d’ since it is all sourced from within herself, and from her it stems. Therefore, the well is a source that pours forth ‘living holy water’, solely in her own merit.
(אש קודש חקת שנת תש"ב)
The phrase introduced by Rashi — שאינה דרך כבוד של מעלה — is not to be translated as ‘not a manner of respect to the one Above’, implying a disgraceful depiction of G-d kissing Miriam, and thus the reason for the omission of the expression ‘by the mouth of G-d’.
A death through a ‘kiss’ represents an absolute connection, as a kiss which bonds two beings, extracting the soul which so naturally adheres to G-d, and equally easily detaches from its physical container, due to the intrinsic connection of those who live being enthused and empowered, על פי ד', perforce the directive of G-d, that generates from Above and creates man’s arousal to action.
Miriam’s soul, though, released from its body, cleaving to G-d, in a bond generated purely through Miriam’s yearning, striving, and initiative, but not, על פי ד' — שאינה דרך כבוד של מעלה — for it is not attributed in honor of the Above, only to Miriam.
The of our theory is to realize ‘there is none beside Him’ and all is illuminated by His divinity... even the good choice a Jew makes, is from He, the blessed, for there is none other than Him, and what is incumbent upon man to do in order that G-d will influence man to the will and knowledge to choose well, and why is it that G-d endows one more than another that will and knowledge? A man must at the very least pine for G-d, that He may shower upon him His light to do his will and know how to serve, making oneself worthy that he may be suited to accept that brilliance of holiness, will, and wisdom from on High. As long as Miriam lived, precisely because she was not commanded to do, as men, it was evident that her elevated stature and righteousness was a product of that fervent desire for connection, that enlightened the entire Jewish nation to crave for G-d’s influence, so that they may merit to absorb those lights from Above that Moshe drew down to them. But once Miriam departed their thirst diminished and were unable to perceive as they had before.
On the 10th of Tamuz in the year 5697 (1937), the same Hebrew date and parsha as this Shabbos, the dear and beloved wife of the Rebbe of Piaseczna, passed away. Her full name was Rachel Chaya Miriam, a descendant of great lineage.
In a memorial tribute the Rebbe wrote the following words:
An outstanding righteous woman, possessing exceptional character traits, who always performed acts of charity and kindness,
way beyond her natural strength and abilities, which was the joy of her life. She was a compassionate mother to the downtrodden in general and the chassidim and bnei Torah specifically.
She engaged in Torah study daily, as well as delving into sifrei chassidus, to fathom from where she was hewn, and to draw close to His holiness, may He be blessed. Knowledge, wisdom, and heart enmeshed perfectly within her. She assisted me in all my endeavors.
Each one of us possesses the ability to rise above our limitations. We each can chart our own destiny and determine the measure of closeness we will obtain in our sojourn on earth and beyond.
We must emulate the Miriam’s of the world in thirsting for more, drinking from the waters of Torah, but never quenching that craving.
Every person can rise to greater levels as evident in the custom of the pouring out of water upon one’s demise.
May we always imbibe from the sweet waters of the Well of Miriam that are still accessible even today.
באהבה,
צבי יהודה טייכמאן