Midrash sobre Números 15:32

4) "And they brought him to Moses": But they did not bring the wood-gatherer (mekoshesh) with him (see Bamidbar 15:32). "And the name of his mother was Shlomith the daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan." a blemish to himself, a blemish to his mother, a blemish to his family, and a blemish to his tribe whence he came.

(Fol. 96b) Our Rabbis taught: "The wood-gatherer was Zelaphehad, and so it is said (Num. 15, 32.) And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, and they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath, and it is further said (Ib. 27, 3.) Our father died in the wilderness. [We deduce this from the similar word Midbar (wilderness) which is found in both places.] Just as further [Our father died in the wilderness (Bamidbar) ] refers to Zelaphehad, so the wood-gatherer [who died in consequence thereof] was also Zelaphehad." This is what R. Akiba said. R. Juda b. Bethyra then said to him: "Akiba! Whether your opinion be true or false, you will have to account for it [at the time of Divine Judgment]; for if your words are true, you disclosed the name of a man whom the Torah shielded; and if your opinion is not correct you have slandered an upright person." (Fol. 97a.) Behold! R. Akiba inferred it by the rule of analogy. Such an analogy was not received by tradition [to R. Juda b. Bethyra]. A similar case occured in the following incident: It is said (Ib. 12, 9.) And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them and He went away. "We learn from this," said R. Akiba, "that Aaron also became leprous." R. Juda b. Bethyra then said to him: "Akiba! Whether your opinion be true or false, you will have to account for it at the time of Divine Judgment. For if your words be true you disclosed the name of a man whom the Torah desired to shield; and if your words are false, then you have slandered an upright man." But it is written And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them [including Aaron]. This means that Aaron was merely rebuked. We are taught that Aaron also became leprous, for it is written (Ib. ib. 10) And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and beheld she was leprous. It is explained that this implies that Aaron cleansed himself of his leprosy."

(Bamidbar 12:10) "And the cloud departed from above the tent": An analogy: A king says to a pedagogue: "Chastise my son — but not until I leave!" For a father is mercifully inclined to his son. Now does this not follow a fortiori, viz.: If the L-rd is mercifully inclined to the righteous in the time of His wrath, how much more so in the time of His (good) will! As it is written (Isaiah 49:8) "In a time of (good) will I (most certainly) will answer you!" (Ibid.) "And, behold, (after the cloud had departed), Miriam was as leprous as snow": We are hereby taught that she was stricken with intense (i.e., highly visible) leprosy, and that she was fair-skinned (for which reason it looked like snow). And thus is it written (Shemot 4:6) "And the L-rd said further to him (Moses): Place now your hand into your bosom … and, behold, his hand was leprous as snow." (Ibid.) "And Aaron 'turned'": He was "turned" from his leprosy. R. Yehudah b. Betheira says: He who says that Aaron was stricken (with leprosy) is destined to pay for it. He who spoke and brought the world into being covered up for him (by not mentioning it explicitly in the verse) and you would reveal it! He who says that Tzelafchad was the mekoshesh ("the wood gatherer" [viz. Bamidbar 15:32]) is destined to pay for it. He who spoke and brought the world into being covered up for him and you would reveal it! And he who says that the ban was placed on Akavya b. Mehalalel (viz. Berachoth 19a) is destined to pay for it. "And Aaron turned to Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous": Scripture hereby apprises us that whenever he looked at her she became leprous. (Ibid. 11) "And Aaron said to Moses: Pray, my lord, do not impute transgression to us in that we have been foolish and have sinned.": He said to him: If we have been willful (in our sin), forgive us, as if we were unwitting. (Ibid. 12) "Let her not be as a dead one": Just as a dead body imparts tumah in a tent, so, a leper imparts tumah by entrance (into a house). Aaron hereby said: Our sister loses on all accounts: I (being her kin) cannot quarantine her nor declare her tamei nor declare her clean. In passing we learn that Aaron expounds that one (a Cohein) does not inspect the plague-spots of his kin. "who leaving his mother's womb": He should have said "who leaving our mother's womb," but Scripture here is being euphemistic. "and half his flesh has been consumed": He should have said "and half our flesh," as in (Bereshit 37:27) "for he is our brother, our flesh," but Scripture here is being euphemistic. (Ibid. 13) "And Moses cried out to the L-rd, saying: 'Lord, I pray You; heal her, I pray You.'": Scripture hereby teaches us proper conduct — that one's requests should be prefaced by two or three words, of imploration. And what is the intent of "saying"? Moses said: Answer me whether You will heal her or not — and the Holy One Blessed be He answered him, viz. (14) "And the L-rd said to Moses: Now if her father had spat in her face, etc." R. Elazar b. Azaryah says: In four places Moses requested (to be answered by the Holy One Blessed be He), and he was answered. Similarly, (Shemot 6:12) "And Moses spoke before the L-rd, to say: "The children of Israel would not listen to me, etc." What is the intent of "to say"? Moses asked the L-rd to answer him whether or not he would redeem them. And He did answer him (Ibid. 7:4) "And I will take out My hosts. My people, Israel, from the land of Egypt." Similarly, (Bamidbar 27:15) "And Moses spoke to the L-rd to say: (16) Let the L-rd, the G-d of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation." What is the intent of "to say"? Moses said to Him: Answer me as to whether or not You will appoint leaders (for them). And He did answer him, (Ibid. 18) "Take for yourself Joshua the son of Nun." Similarly, (Devarim 3:23) "And I implored the L-rd at that time to say." What is the intent of "to say"? He said to Him: Answer me as to whether or not I will enter the land. And He did answer him, (Ibid. 26) "It is enough for you, etc." Here, too, let "to say" not be written. But, (the intent is that) he asked Him to answer whether or not He would heal her, and He answered "Now if her father had spat in her face, etc." (Bamidbar, Ibid. 13) "G-d, I pray You; heal her, I pray You": Why did Moses not prolong his prayer? So that Israel not say "His sister is in distress and he stretches out his prayer." Variantly: It is not that Moses prays and the L-rd hears his prayer, but (in the order of) (Iyyov 22:28) "You (the tzaddik) will decree, and it will be fulfilled for you," (Isaiah 58:9) "Then, when you (the tzaddik) call, the L-rd will answer." R. Eliezer was asked by his disciples: How long shall a man be in his prayer? He answered: Not longer than Moses, of whom it is written (Devarim 9:18) "And I fell down before the L-rd (in prayer) as at first, forty days and forty nights." And how short should he be in prayer? He answered: Not shorter than Moses, of whom it is written "G-d, I pray You; heal her, I pray You." There is a time to be short and a time to be long.

(Bamidbar 15:32) "And the children of Israel were in the desert, etc.": Scripture here speaks in disparagement of Israel, that they had observed only the first Shabbath, when they desecrated the second. "and they found a man mekoshesh wood on the Sabbath day." (mekoshesh" =) pulling (wood) up from the ground. You say that, but perhaps (the reference is to) a man himself, whose name was "Mekoshesh," (who was carrying wood). It is, therefore, written (in negation of this assumption, Ibid. 33) "And they brought him near, those who found him mekoshesh wood." How, then, must I understand (Ibid. 32) "mekoshesh wood"? As pulling up wood from the ground. And who was that man? Tzelafchad. It is written here (32) "desert," and elsewhere (27:23) ("Our father died in the) desert." Just as there, Tzelafchad; here, too, Tzelafchad. These are the words of R. Akiva. R. Yehudah b. Betheira said to him: In either case, you are destined to give an accounting if it is as you say — He who spoke and brought the world into being covered up for him, and you bring it to light! And you are libeling that tzaddik! But who was it? It was one of "the bold ones," viz. (Ibid. 14:44) "And they made bold to go up to the top of the mountain." (Ibid. 15:32) "And they found a man pulling up wood.": We are hereby apprised that Moses appointed watchers (to this end), and they found him pulling up wood. (Ibid. 33) "And they brought him near — those who found him pulling up wood.": Why is this mentioned again? Is not already written "And they found a man, etc."? We are hereby taught that they warned him (after finding him) and he continued doing so. R. Yitzchak says: This (repetition) is not necessary (to teach that prior warning is a prerequisite for the administration of the death penalty), viz.: If idolatry, the gravest (of all transgressions) is not liable (to the death penalty) without prior warning, how much more so does this hold for all the mitzvoth of the Torah. What is the intent, then, of "those who found him"? We are hereby apprised that they forewarned him, specifying the forbidden labor — whence it is derived that in the instance of all the proto-labors (avoth melachoth) in the Torah, there must be forewarning, specifying the forbidden labor. (Bamidbar, Ibid.) ("And they brought him near to Moses and to Aaron and to the entire congregation": If Moses did not know, would Aaron know? — Reverse the verse (i.e., "they brought him near to Aaron [who did not know] and to Moses," and expound it. These are the words of R. Yoshiyah. R. Channan says in the name of R. Elazar: They (Moses and Aaron) were sitting in the house of study, and they came and stood before them.