RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT Beha'alotcha PART 2: A Tale of Two Prayers
A Short Prayer for Miriam
When Miriam was stricken with leprosy, Moses beseeched God to heal his sister, saying a remarkably brief prayer: "Please God, please heal her" (Num. 12:13). The Talmud (Berachot 34a) took note of the unusual brevity of this prayer in the following story:
Once, a student led the prayers in Rabbi Eliezer's house of study, and his prayers were unusually lengthy. The other students complained, 'Master, how slow this fellow is!' Rabbi Eliezer responded to them, 'He is no slower than Moses, who pleaded on behalf of the Jewish people [after the sin of the golden calf] for forty days and forty nights.'
On another occasion, a different student led the prayers. This student recited the prayers quickly. The other students complained, 'How hasty this fellow is!' This time Rabbi Eliezer replied, 'He is no hastier than Moses, who pleaded for his sister's recovery with a few short words.'
What determined the length of Moses' prayers? Why did his own sister merit only a brief, one-line prayer?
A Short Prayer for Miriam
When Miriam was stricken with leprosy, Moses beseeched God to heal his sister, saying a remarkably brief prayer: "Please God, please heal her" (Num. 12:13). The Talmud (Berachot 34a) took note of the unusual brevity of this prayer in the following story:
Once, a student led the prayers in Rabbi Eliezer's house of study, and his prayers were unusually lengthy. The other students complained, 'Master, how slow this fellow is!' Rabbi Eliezer responded to them, 'He is no slower than Moses, who pleaded on behalf of the Jewish people [after the sin of the golden calf] for forty days and forty nights.'
On another occasion, a different student led the prayers. This student recited the prayers quickly. The other students complained, 'How hasty this fellow is!' This time Rabbi Eliezer replied, 'He is no hastier than Moses, who pleaded for his sister's recovery with a few short words.'
What determined the length of Moses' prayers? Why did his own sister merit only a brief, one-line prayer?
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