NUM93 [God] is angered by human craving for meat (basar); (reluctantly?) allows humans to eat all living things within a sacrificial system that includes an absolute prohibition on consuming blood as a permanent symbol of the sanctity of life. (By Aaron S. Gross, "Jewish Animal Ethics")

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NUM94 See [[NUM74]] Numbers 11:4 craving SINAI2 187

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NUM97 See [[EXOD42]] Exodus 2:12 struck BOROJMV 139-40

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NUM95 … appropriate sanctions should be imposed on people who knowingly allege false charges to harm the accused or gain sympathy for themselves. So, for example, falsely accused people should avail themselves of any and all remedies prescribed in civil law. In addition, though, they have a right to expect the Jewish community to demonstrate its disgust at such behavior and its unwillingness to tolerate it. Depending on the situation, that might include dismissal from a job in the Jewish community (on grounds of moral turpitude); expulsion from the camp, school, or synagogue in which the incident took place; and, minimally, a demand for a public apology. In the process of dealing with such an instance within a community, the relevant laws prohibiting defamation (motzi shem ra), lying (sheker), and even the related law about plotting witnesses (edim zomemim) (For defamation, see Numbers 12:1-6 and Deuteronomy 22:13-19. For lying, see Leviticus 19:11. For plotting witnesses, see Deuteronomy 19:15-21.) should be taught, along with their rabbinical developments, so that this instance may become the occasion to teach people the kinds of speech the Jewish tradition expects Jews to avoid. All sanctions imposed on the accuser, of course, apply only to cases were no abuse had occurred and the accuser knew that; they would not be appropriate in cases where there is reasonable question as to whether the defendant's actions constitute abuse or not. In such cases, the accuser, in lodging the complaint, acted out of an honest, even if mistaken, understanding of the situation and is in blameless for doing so. The defendant can then dispute that understanding in a judicial tribunal if she or he thinks that the accuser misconstrued the situation, and the judges can decide.

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NUM96 If, among your colleagues, there is one who is more advanced than you in the service of God, whose deeds are better than yours, and who endeavors to draw closer to God more than you do, the evil inclination will try to incite you against that person and will say to you: “Any manifestation of diligence in God's service on the part of someone beside you underscores your own deficiency. Were it not for that individual, you would appear, to both man and God, more righteous than any of your contemporaries. Incite against him, envy and hate him. Search for his defects and anything contemptible in him. Lie in wait to discover his failings, and keep track of his mistakes. Call attention to them as best you can, and discredit him on their account. If you can spread slander about him, to diminish his reputation among the people, do so.” Answer it by saying, “How shall I despise one whom God loves, disparage one whom the Creator praises? If I am too lazy to fulfill God's service as he does, should I also hate he who fulfills it? That is no way to repay the Creator, make He be exalted, for what I owe Him! Rather, it is my duty, for love of Him, to love those who love Him; And, out of honor for Him, to honor those who honor Him, as it is written: ‘He honors those who revere God’ (Tehillim 15:4). You know what happened to Miriam in the narrative beginning, ‘Miriam and Aharon spoke against Moshe...’ (Bemidbar 12:1), and what happened to Korach and his party when they were envious of Moshe and Aharon, and drew near to God.”

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NUM98 See [[NUM113]] Numbers 12:3 humble DUTIES 575-7

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NUM99 We should learn the extent of the prohibition against loshon hora from Miriam's speaking against Moshe. Miriam heard from Moshe's wife, Tzipora (see Rashi for the reason why she was referred to as a Cushite), that Moshe had separated himself from her. Miriam felt that Moshe's behavior was improper and related this to her brother Aharon. The Chofetz Chayim (Shmiras Haloshon 2:18) writes that from these verses [12:1-3] we learn a number of principles concerning loshon hora: 1) The prohibition against speaking loshon hora applies even when the person spoken against is very humble and does not mind if others speak against him. For this reason, immediately after Moshe was spoken against the Torah states that he was humble. 2) Even if you have done many favors for another person, it does not give you the right to speak against him. Miriam helped save Moshe's life but was still punished for her loshon hora. 3) The prohibition against loshon hora applies even if you do not publicize the loshon hora but will only relate it to one person, and that person is a relative who will not repeat it to anyone else. Miriam told the loshon hora only to her brother Aharon who would not publicize it. 4) If you say about a truly great man that his behavior would only be proper if he were on a higher level, but on his present level his behavior is improper, it is considered loshon hora. Miriam felt that Moshe was wrong for separating himself from his wife. She erred, since Moshe's level of prophecy was such that at any moment God could communicate with him and his abstention was proper.

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NUM100 When the government of Israel airlifted 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel, it was the first time in the history of man that black people were taken from Africa to achieve freedom and not slavery. (Nevertheless, some ignorant Israeli Jews are still prejudiced against black Jews, even though this is totally contrary to Jewish and Israeli law). In fact, in Judaism, blackness is not looked upon as a mark of inferiority, but rather as a badge of merit and something to be admired. The Talmud (Mo'ed Katan 16b) relates that the Scripture calls King Saul a black man (from Ethiopia) (Psalms 7:1) because just as a black man is different in his skin color, so, too, King Saul is different and superior to others in his behavior. The passage continues and asks why Tzipporah, the wife of Moses, was called a black woman [this verse] and answers that just as a black person is different in his or her skin color, so, too, Tzipporah stood out in her good deeds. King Tzidkiyahu was also called a black man (Jeremiah 38:7) to demonstrate Tzidkiyahu's superior moral behavior. Finally, the entire Jewish people are compared to black people before God (Amos 9:7), to demonstrate how different and superior their moral behavior is to the nations of the world.

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NUM101 Envy and jealousy cause people to speak unfairly of others. Thus, Aaron and Miriam were the second and third most powerful figures in ancient Israel, and heroes to the entire Israelite community. But when they grew envious of their younger brother Moses--apparently for being accorded more prominence than they were [also, as my friend Daniel Taub points out, Moses had just appointed 70 elders, and perhaps they felt their status has been undermined.]--they spoke unfairly of him among themselves, an act for which Miriam (who seems to have instigated the slander; see [this verse]) was punished.

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NUM104 Some students claim that since they are prepared for the exam and merely let others copy from them, they are doing nothing wrong. They claim that this kind of cheating, called passive cheating, is not wrong since the cheating students would get their information elsewhere anyway. Why lose friendships by covering up one's paper? Is this argument valid? The situation can be analogous to gossiping, or the sin called, in Hebrew, lashon hara. If people want to speak evil of others, but no one wants to listen, this sin could not be committed. In cheating, as well, if all who studied refused to passively cheat by letting students copy, no one would be able to cheat in this manner and they would have to develop more dubious, less reliable methods or not cheat at all. And if one just sits passively and lets others copy, Judaism does hold that person responsible. In the classic sin in the Torah about speaking evil about another person, Miriam spoke evil to Aaron about their brother, Moses. Although she did the speaking, as the verb is in the singular, the Torah [this verse] records that both Miriam and Aaron spoke, in order to teach that one who listens passively is just as guilty as the one who speaks. The Talmud (Arachin 15) states that this one act kills three individuals: the speaker, the listener, and the person being spoken about. Using this analogy, it can clearly be seen that a person who cheats passively is no less guilty than the active cheater, even though the passive cheater does not benefit. In fact, Judaism demands even more. Not only may a person not passively cheat by letting others copy, Judaism also expects a Jew to stop the cheating of the other people. If someone sits by and sees a sin being committed and could have stopped it, that person is also guilty (Shabbat 54b). Therefore, the honest student must try to prevent the cheating. Of course, the possible recriminations from other students may make it psychologically very difficult to openly tell the teacher who cheated, but there are other options. The threat to tell the teacher before the act is committed often can act as a deterrent. If a group of students can ban together in the effort, it becomes far easier. And when finally telling the teacher, it could easily be done anonymously, thus easing the pressure a bit from the person informing.

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