Aliya Summary: More mitzvot: A newlywed man is exempt from military
service for a full year. It is forbidden to accept utensils used to
prepare food as loan security or to forcibly take a debtor's possessions
as collateral, and a poor man's security must be temporarily returned
to him on a daily basis. Kidnapping is a capital offense. We are
commanded to always remember that Miriam was afflicted with tzara'at for
speaking badly about Moshe.
We are instructed to be
cautious and meticulous about tzara'at, the affliction for speaking
Lashon Hara (slander about others). As if the double warning wasn't
enough to make the point, the very next Passuk (24:9) tells us to
remember what happened to Miriam when she spoke Lashon Hara about Moshe.
Obviously two Pessukim (verses) and three warnings means that Lashon
Hara is a pretty big deal. Sifri explains that the first two warnings
are for us not to hide the symptoms if afflicted with tzara'at (do not
peel the skin or cut away any spots), which makes sense if the symptoms
are to serve as a deterrent. As for Miriam: Lashon Hara differs from
defamation in that its focus is on the use of true speech for a wrongful
purpose, rather than falsehood and harm arising. Surely Miriam
justified her words with the benefits of speaking, but the ends didn't
justify the means. The third warning is then to avoid that justification
that even Miriam can fall for.
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