When Death Brings Atonement

Parshat Chukat 

 by Rabbi Avi Billet 

"…They came to the Tzin Desert, and the people stopped in Kadesh. It was there that Miriam died and she was buried there." (20:1)

Menachem Recanati asks, "This is all the Torah has to say about Miriam here, though her death was comparable to Moshe's (Baba Batra 17a), and Aharon's, and even Avraham's, on account of all them utilizing the word "Sham" ("there"), which even appears twice here?"

The Talmud (Moed Katan 28a) tells us Miriam's death is juxtaposed to the Parah Adumah (Red Heifer) of Chapter 19 because just as the Parah Adumah brought atonement, so does the death of the righteous bring atonement.

Toldot Yitzchak notes the problem with this passage; since the Parah Adumah is not classified as a Korban (sacrifice) it does not bring atonement! It brings about taharah (purity)!

This may explain why Rashi here misquotes the Talmud, saying "Just as Korbanot bring atonement, so does the death of the righteous." [Tosafot claim the atonement brought by Parah Adumah is for the Sin of the Golden Calf. See also Rashi19:22]

Other commentaries address the "death of righteous bringing atonement" idea. Torah Temimah focuses not on the death, but on observed mourning and honor given to the deceased, which translates to Honor of God, suggesting this is what brings atonement.

The Toldot Yitzchak surmises that "the Rabbis' intent was that the atonement was not available for a person who does not feel a real spiritual void, a loss for all of Israel, when the righteous die. Such a loss should humble a person, and make a person feel like the dust of the earth, an idea connected to the Parah Adumah which is burned to dust."

The deaths of Nadav and Avihu are mentioned in Yom Kippur's Torah reading to help us think, on the Day of Atonement, of what can be achieved for the people through the death of the righteous (see possibility #1 here) . [On what to say after such tragedies, see here]

Ricanati says after the Baal Peor incident in Bamidbar 25, Moshe was instructed to gather the leaders of the people in order to get God's wrath to subside from Israel (25:4) because through the leaders either judging the people or themselves dying, God's attribute of Judgment is appeased. (See Medrash Shir HaShirim 1:6) This helps explain why the wrongs perpetrated against the Givonim were only righted through the deaths of seven descendants of Shaul (see Shmuel II:21)

Recanati furthers this idea in his commentary on Eglah Arufah – the unsolved murder (Devarim 21) – quoting Bereishit Raba 44:5. When God told Avraham "I will [make a] shield [of] you" He was saying, "I will make righteous people descend from you, the kind who protect others from Judgment through their deaths." [i.e. Nadav and Avihu (Vayikra 10:3) and what Talmud Shabbat 55a learns from Yechezkel 9:6]

There is a more blatant connection between Miriam's death and Eglah Arufah. The Talmud (Avodah Zarah 29b) learns from a "gezeirah shavah" (a parallel word in two Torah cases) on the word "Sham" ("there") that just as one is forbidden from deriving benefit from the slaughtered cow (eglah arufah), it is forbidden to derive benefit from a corpse (such as Miriam was).

Baal Haturim connects Parah Adumah, Miriam's death and Eglah Arufah through equating the numerical values of "Issur B'hanaah" (prohibition of benefit) (340), the word "Sham" (340), "Mechaper" (brings atonement) (340), and "Parah Adumah" (341: gematria has a +/-1 factor).

Further, the Kli Yakar (19:2) connects the young cow (Eglah) slaughtered to achieve atonement and the Eigel (Golden Calf) in their giving or needing to achieve atonement for murder – shortly before the Golden Calf was formed, Chur was murdered.

With Miriam's death, the people missed an opportunity to achieve the atonement they so needed. This lost chance was the cause (if not the blessing!) that absolved Moshe and Aharon once and for all from leading the people from whom they had grown apart.

The Alshich describes Moshe's and Aharon's intent to deal with burying their sister. When they saw a large crowd coming, Aharon praised the people for wanting to do kindness, but Moshe questioned their intent as they weren't following the proper social order. And when they heard Moshe describing their visit negatively, they fought with him.

Rabbi Yosef Karo explained their confronting Moshe, "See! Miriam died a natural death! If we could only die a natural death! But who wants to die from thirst? Why did you bring us to the desert…?" They erred! Many commentaries point out that they should have responded properly over the loss of this righteous women, a prophetess, sister of Moshe and Aharon, and they should have expressed their gratitude for having water in her merit.

The well was taken away so the people would realize it had been there in her merit. Had they treated her death with proper reverence, as the Torah Temimah described, treating Moshe and Aharon with kindness, the water would return. They didn't – and they suffered on account of it.

Every generation has truly great leaders, who are revered, honored and respected in their lifetimes. It is our responsibility to make the most of their time on earth in enhancing our lives. When their time on this earth is over, we must feel the loss in the deepest depths of our being. We need the atonement that comes with such a loss.