Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Bilang 33:38

ותמת שם מרים, in the first month (Nissan) of the fortieth year. Aaron died after her in the fifth month as detailed in Numbers 33,38.

THAT ISRAEL CAME BY WAY OF ‘ATHARIM.’ According to the opinion of Onkelos [who rendered the verse: “that Israel came by the way which ‘the spies’ had gone”], the meaning is that when the spies came and went up from the south²³⁷Above, 13:22. and returned, the inhabitants of the Land noticed them, and this Canaanite who dwelt in the south heard about them, and so he followed the same route which they had taken, until he reached the camp of the Israelites. Onkelos has interpreted it well. And our Rabbis have said:²³⁸Rosh Hashanah 3a. “What was the report which he [the Canaanite] heard?” — because they found difficulty with the verse in the section [dealing with the stages] of the [Israelites’] journeyings,²³⁹Ramban by implication differs here from Rashi, who quoted this text of the Rabbis on the verse before us. According to Ramban, the Rabbis made their remark with reference to the verse mentioned further on. Ramban’s reason for disagreeing is apparent, because in our verse it states quite clearly the reason why the Canaanite came, namely because he had heard of the sending of the spies, as explained, and therefore he went to fight against Israel. But further on no reason is given and no war mentioned. Therefore Ramban says, the Rabbis found it necessary to give their interpretation. which states, And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel,²⁴⁰Further, 33:40. since it does not mention there any war, or any other event whatsoever. Therefore they said that the report was about the death of Aaron which is mentioned there,²⁴¹Ibid., Verses 38-39. and Scripture thus states that Israel’s enemies heard of the death of the righteous one, and they were consequently encouraged by that event to fight against Israel. Likewise the Rabbis have said²⁴²Tanchuma, Chukath 18. that this Canaanite was Amalek, and [therefore the Israelites] did not conquer his land, nor take any part of it; but they completely destroyed their cities.

ותמת שם מרים AND MIRIAM DIED THERE — She, too, as Moses and Aaron, died by a Divine Kiss. But why is it not said with reference to her: she died “by the command (lit., mouth) of God”, (this being the Biblical expression from which is derived the Midrashic statement that they died by the Divine Kiss)? Because this would not be a respectful way of speaking about the Most High God, as it would have reference to a woman. But of Aaron it says in the Sedrah אלה מסעי (Numbers 33:38), “By the mouth of the Lord” (Moed Katan 28a).