민수기 11:35의 주석

ויהיו בחצרות. They remained there for a period the length of which has not been revealed. We find this expression, for instance in Ruth 1,4 where the period is defined as about 10 years. In Deuteronomy 10,5 when Moses speaks about the Tablets remaining in the ark in which he deposited them, the period was considerably longer. In our situation it is reasonable to assume that the length of time meant is the period during which Miriam had to remain in isolation. Seeing that the Tabernacle had already been erected by that time, G’d invited all three of them to leave their tents and to come to the entrance of the Tabernacle.

'מקברות התאוה נסעו העם חצרות וגו; according to the plain meaning the verse tells us that the people journeyed from this location now called קברות התאוה to a place called Chatzerot, and that they remained there until after Miriam had been cured. This is the reason why the Torah added the words: ויהיו בחצרות, they remained in Chatzerot.
There is an allegorical Midrash in Sifrey at the end of this portion which is worth reading. Further on in 12,7 we are told that after the people had left Chatzerot they came to the desert of Paran and made camp there. This seems strange unless we assume that there had been two locations both with the name Chatzerot, a most unlikely scenario. My teachers were not clear how to answer my question, so that when I was once asked about this in Paris, I explained the apparent contradiction as follows: When the verse here tells us that the Israelites journeyed from Kivrot Hataavah to Chatzerot, adding that they remained there for a while, this is what the Sifrey meant when writing that they waited until Miriam was cured. [The thread of this story is taken up again in 12,16 with the Torah writing: “and after the isolation period of Miriam was over the people resumed their journey from Chatzerot, making their next stop in the desert of Paran.” The unusual feature of this story is that whereas normally the Torah writes ויסעו ויחנו, “they journeyed and they subsequently made camp,” it being understood that the whole people journeyed, here the words העם, “the people” have been added for no apparent reason.
When the first “flag” journeyed, the Tabernacle had not yet been dismantled, so that G’d calling to Aaron and Miriam suddenly to come to the Tabernacle, as reported in chapter 12,4 is not all that surprising. Seeing that Miriam subsequently was struck with tzoraat and the people had to wait with journeying (or volunteered to wait) until she had been cured, the first “flag” (three tribes) presumably turned back to join the mainstream and to wait there. After these seven days passed, this time around the whole people left Chatzerot again, so that the words “the people journeyed” are eminently justified. I have found this whole Midrash in the Mechilta on Parshat Beshalach relating it to the first verse I have quoted above.
Furthermore, I have found in the responsa of Rabbi Klonimaus from Rome that he writes exactly as I have done. I have also explained the first verse in Beshalach in which the Israelites are portrayed as having moved from Raamses to Sukkot, as if this had been a few kilometers although its over 120 kilometers as understandable in terms of G’d saying in Exodus 19,4 “I carried you on eagles’ wings.” The first stage of the Israelites’ journey from Raamses was indeed as if G’d had transported them on a magic carpet.

ויהיו בחצרות, “And they remained at Chatzerot.” These words belong to the next paragraph, as the people remained in Chatzerot until Miriam had been cured.

V. 35. ויהיו בחצרות, leitet wohl zu dem folgenden Ereignis über, indem es die Örtlichkeit angibt, wo es geschah.

מקברות התאוה נסעו, “from that place they continued journeying, etc.” this was on the twenty second day of the month of Sivan

ויהיו החצרות, “they remained at Chatzerot for some time.” We would have expected the Torah to have written: ויחנו בחצרות, “they made camp at Chatzerot,” as it did when reporting on all the other places where the people made camp. The reason why there was a change here was that the Torah wished us to know that their departure from Chatzerot had been delayed because Miriam had spoken critically of her brother Moses, and when having been punished with skin eczema, the people waited until she had been healed. This is another example of the Torah not having reported events in their chronological order. Part of the people had already moved on during that episode, but they turned back after finding out what had occurred.