Miriam’s Rainbow

A Sermon on Lashon Hara

This past Shabbat was Parashat Korach (Numbers 16-18). In this episode of the Israelite’s wilderness journey, Korach and his gang of ambitious levites arise to challenge Moshe’s authority — and are dramatically swallowed up by the Earth itself.

This always sounds a little harsh at first glance, like Jabba the Hut throwing his political opponents into the Sarlacc pit. But in the Torah, it’s part of a gradually metastasizing story of lashon hara — the misuse of speech. That story began several weeks ago in Parashat Beha’alotcha (Numbers 12) with the murmurings if Moses’ own siblings, Aaron and Miriam.

The following is the sermon which I gave for that parashah. I will take some comfort that some of my readers may know the musical, Finian’s Rainbow (1968), which I reference in order to explain the biblical narrative. I’d like to also offer my thanks to Mr. Barry Isaacs, who first introduced me to the Second Temple sources on Moses’ Ethiopian bride.

Enjoy, and shavua tov.