Behaalotecha

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Behaalotecha The Woman from Kush and the Limits of Peshat Bemidbar 12 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married: “He married a Cushite woman!” They said, “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” The LORD heard it. Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any other man on earth. Suddenly the LORD called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the Tent of Meeting.” Tzippora Spurned Rashi AND MIRIAM AND AARON SPAKE — She opened the conversation, therefore Scripture mentions her first. And whence did Miriam know that Moses had separated himself from his wife (for this was the statement she made; cf. Rashi below)? R. Nathan answered: “Miriam was beside Zipporah When it was told to Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp’ (Numbers 11:27). When Zipporah heard this, she exclaimed, Woe to the wives of these if they have anything to do with prophecy, for they will separate from their wives just has my husband has separated from me!” It was from this that Miriam knew about it, and she told it to Aaron. Now what was the case with Miriam who had no intention to disparage him? She was punished thus severely! How much the more will this be so in the case of one who intentionally speaks in disparagement of this fellow”! (Sifrei Bamidbar 99). THE CUSHITE WOMAN — This tells us that all agreed as to her beauty just as all agree as to the blackness of an a ,יפת מראה Ethiopian (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 99).The numerical value of this word (736) is the same as that of woman of beautiful appearance. BECAUSE OF THE [CUSHITE] WOMAN — because of her having been divorced by Moses THE CUSHITE WOMAN — Because of her beauty-she was called, “the Ethiopian” just as a man calls his handsome son “Moor”, in order that the evil eye should have no power over him (Midrash Tanchuma, Tzav 13). אבן עזרא - והישר בעיני שזו הכושית היא צפורה, כי היא מדינית, ומדינים הם ישמעאלים, והם דרים באהלים, וכן כתוב ירגזון יריעות ארץ מדין (חבקוק ג, ז). ובעבור חום השמש אין להם לבן כלל, וצפורה היתה שחורה ודומה לכושית רבינו בחיי - והיו חושבים שלא נמנע משה מהיות עם צפורה אלא בשביל שאינה יפה...ולכך הזכיר: "והאיש משה ענו מאד", כי הכתוב יעיד על ענותנותו שלא ידע בה אם היתה יפה אם לאו, כענין הנזכר באברהם אבינו. תולדות יצחק - ולפי זה הפירוש נאמר שמה שדברו עתה ולא קודם לכן, שמקודם לכן אמרו בטוב עשה בפירש ממנה, בעבור שהיה משא כבד עליו לפייס לכל ישראל ולטרוח בדיניהם ובכל עניניהם, אבל עתה שמסייעין לו שבעים זקנים למה לא חזר להיות עם אשתו. ועל זאת ההקדמה אפשר לומר שלזה אמר והאיש משה ענו מאד, כלומר לא ראה מימיו אם היא יפה או כעורה, ולשניה אם יהיה נביאכם. ר' הירש - מסיבות שונות הזכיר כאן הכתוב את ענוותנותו של משה. אילו שמו אחותו ואחיו את ליבם למידה זו של משה - שודאי היתה ידועה להם - לא היו דנים אותו לכף חובה ולא היו מייחסים את מעשהו להתנשאות. שהרי מי כמשה רחוק מהתנשאות! ועוד: משה בענוותו לא היה מגן על עצמו, ולפיכך יצא ה' לריב את ריבו. ובסופו של דבר, אפשר שהמלים "והאיש משה" וגו' רומזות לסיבה שהביאה אותם לדון את משה כך. ענוותנותו היתירה של משה גרמה שלא ידעו דבר על יחסו המיוחד והיחיד - במינו אל ה'. A Former Wife רשב"ם - כושית - שהיא ממשפחת חם: כי אשה כושית לקח - כדכת' בדברי הימים דמשה רבנו שמלך בארץ כוש ארבעים שנה ולקח מלכה אחת ולא שכב עמה כמו שכתוב שם, והם לא ידעו כשדיברו בו שלא נזקק לה. זהו עיקר פשוטו. שאם בשביל צפורה דיברו, מה צורך לפרש כי אשה כושית לקח? וכי עד עתה לא ידענו כי ציפורה מדיינית היא? ועוד תשובה כי לא היתה כושית כי כוש מבני חם הוא, ומדיין מבני קטורה אשר ילדה לאברהם: Chronicles of Moses - http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/coj/coj049.htm During this siege Moses, having fled from Egypt, came to the camp of Qinqanos, the King of Cush. He was then but eighteen years old…He was therefore made the king's counsellor. It came to pass after nine years that the Cushite king was seized with an illness by which he died, so that after seven days Qinqanos departed this life…they said to each other, 'What shall we now do? If we try to get into the city and fight there will be many more of us slain than before. If we give up the siege, then all the Syrian kings and those of the East, having heard of the death of our king, will come upon us suddenly, and none of us will be left. Now, let us appoint a king over us, and we shall then continue the siege until the city falls into our hands.' They then hastily stripped themselves of their garments, and, casting them upon the ground, they made a large platform, upon which they placed Moses. They then blew the trumpets, and exclaimed, 'Long live the king!' And all the princes and all the people took the oath of obedience to him, and gave him a Cushite wife, the widow of Qinqanos. They then crowned him King of Cush. He was twenty-seven years old when he was made king…In the fortieth year of his reign, when he was sitting upon the throne with his queen by his side, the queen said to the princes in the presence of the people, 'Behold now, during the whole of the forty years that this king has reigned he has not once approached me, nor has he worshipped the gods of Cush...do not allow this man to reign over you any longer, but let my son Mobros reign over you, for it is better that you serve the son of your master than a stranger, a servant of the King of Egypt.' The people discussed the matter until the evening. They then rose up early next morning and crowned Mobros, the son of Qinqanos, king over them. But the Cushites feared to lay hands on Moses, for they remembered the oath they took to him. So they gave him valuable gifts and sent him away with great honour. Moses accordingly went forth thence, and his reign over Cush thus came to an end. מלבי"ם - וידענו שדברו על משה באריכות ושהיה לגנאי, וממ"ש ותדבר מרים ואהרן ידענו שמרים התחילה הוכוח ואהרן השיב לה, והיה זה בפני משה או שלא בפניו, והתורה לא ספרה כל הוכוח רק ראשי דברים. ואנחנו נבין מעצמנו שמרים התחילה לספר שמשה פירש מן האשה, ועפ"ז הזכירה שכבר עשה כן לאשתו הראשונה, וספרה מאשה הכושית אשר לקח ופירש ממנה ושאלה מדוע הוא עושה כן לצפורה. וע"ז אמרה כי אשה כושית לקח, ר"ל אז היה זה מן הראוי כי היתה כושית לא עתה שצפורה אינה מבנות כוש, כי מדין הוא מבני קטורה. ואהרן השיב לה שמשה עשה זאת מפני שה' מדבר עמו בכל עת וצריך שיהיה תמיד מוכן לנבואה, ולכן פרש ממנה, וע"ז השיבה מרים הרק אך במשה דבר ה' הלא גם בנו דבר ולא פרשנו מדרך ארץ. אולם ע"ז יפלא עדיין וכי לא ידעו שיש הבדל ביניהם ובין משה, שלהם לא ידבר ה' בכל עת רק לעת מצוא כשמכינים א"ע אל הדבור, משא"כ משה?...ולבאר הדברים אזכיר את אשר כתבתי בפי' במראה הסנה ובכ"מ שלהנבואה באספקלריא הבלתי מאירה כנבואת יתר הנביאים היה משה מוכן בטבע שנולד ממעי אמו שלם בכל המעלות השכליות והמדותיות ושלמות כח המדמה עד שהיה מוכן לנבואה בטבע בלא שום הכנה, כי לא סכך החומר ורגשותיו בעדו מראות מראית אלהית ומהתנבאות בכל עת שרצה מבלי שום הכנה. והמופת לזה הוא מה שהיה הוא הצנור שהריק שפע הנבואה לכל הנביאים שבדורו ובדורות הבאים שזה לא יצויר רק אם היתה הנבואה לו מורשה בטבע מבלי שום הכנה. שאם נבואתו לא היתה רק ע"י הכנה לא היה אפשר שיריק הנבואה וישפיע לזולתו אחר שהוא עצמו לא ישיגנה רק אם יכין עצמו אליה ודי שיפקיע א"ע בעת שיכין א"ע לא שישפיע גם לזולתו. ומזה הוכיחו מרים ואהרן שמשה א"צ הכנה ולפרוש א"ע מן האשה אחר שהנבואה קנויה לו בטבע והוא מוכן אליה תמיד...וישמע ה' וה' שמע והבין דבריהם שהגם שדברו תלונה נגד משה בכ"ז לא היה זה מפני שרצו להשפיל כבודו כי נהפוך הוא שהיה קדושתו גדולה בעיניהם עד שחשבו שיוכל להשאר בקדושתו גם אם ישוב לאהלו ולא יופרש מן האשה, וע"כ בא ה' להראותם שטעו בזה, כי יש מדרגה למשה שבו נעלה הוא מכל הנביאים שאל מדרגה זו צריך הוא להכנה ולפרוש מן האשה כמו שיתבאר: A…Current Wife??? בכור שור - לפי הפשט: שהיו אומרים: וכי לא מצא משה אשה מבנות ישראל שיקח לו לאשה, שהלך לקחת לו מבנות הכושים שהם ערלים! לפי שלא מצינו במקום אחר שמשה לקח אשה כושית, הגיד לך הכתוב כי בודאי אשה כושית לקח. ועל צפורה לא דברו, שלא היתה מישראל, כי אז אנוס היה מפני שהיה בורח, ולא יכול לבא במצרים בתוך בני ישראל. שד"ל - ועל צפורה לא היה אפשר לגנות אותו, כי במדין לא היה מוצא בת ישראל, אבל במדבר (אולי כי צפורה מתה) אין ספק שהוא מוצא בת ישראל שתנשא לו, אע"פ שהיה זקן, ואולי גם אהרן ומרים היו מבקשים לתת לו מבנותם, והוא לקח לו אשה כושית מאותם שהתחברו לישראל בעלותם ממצרים, וידוע כי מצרים קרובה לכוש, ויתכן שהיו מאנשי כוש מתגוררים במצרים, וראו את אשר עשה ה' בעבור ישראל, ונתחברו ר' יוסף אבן כספי - והיה הענין כן, כי משה אחרי נשאו צפורה לקח אשה כושית על צפורה לסבה שידע הוא ע"ה, ואין לשאול טעמים בפעולותיו כי בודאי מחכמה עשה זה, והנה לא ידענו הזמן המוגבל שנשא זאת, אם עתה בנסעם, אם לפנים זמן מה, כי לא נזכר בתורה עדיין, כי גם לא נכתבו בתורה כמה ענינים עברו אז, אבל בעבור שלא נזכר זה עד עתה, בעבור שלא נבהל באמרו על אדות האשה הכושית אשר לקח, בעבור שלא שמענו זה מעולם, אמר אח"ז, כי אשה כושית לקח, כאלו אמר דעו שאשה כושית לקח… ואוסיף בזה הערה ואומר, כי ידוע כי תורתנו השלמה, נמשכת אל שלמות הטבע, ולכן לא נצטוינו שננגד ונעיק לפעולת הטבע, אבל נתנהג בהכרחי, ולא נצטוינו בפרישה מאשה, כי המעשה ההוא הכרחי בטבע לנו, ...ואין ספק כי משרע"ה אדון הנביאים היה מזה המזג, עד שחיה מאה ועשרים ולא כהתה עינו ולא נס לחה, ואם הוא ע"ה יהיה פורש לגמרי מאשה כמו שאמרו הקדמונים ועשו על זה אסמכתות מן הכתוב אין בם ממש, הנה לא חיה משה האיש המשובח בזמן מעולם ועד עולם, והם אמרו כל הגדול מחברו יצרו גדול ממנו (בבלי סוכה נ"ב).
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