Miriam. Miriam is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The Torah refers to her as Miriam the Prophetess and the Talmud names her as one of the seven major female prophets of Israel. Scripture describes her alongside of Moses and Aaron as delivering the Jews from exile in Egypt: For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. According to the Midrash, just as Moses led the men out of Egypt and taught them Torah, so too Miriam led the women and taught them Torah. Miriam was the daughter of Amram, the leader of the Israelites in ancient Egypt, and of Jochebed; she was the sister of Aaron and Moses. The narrative of Moses' infancy in the Torah describes an unnamed sister of Moses observing him being placed in the Nile; she is traditionally identified as Miriam. In the biblical narrative of The Exodus, Miriam is described as a prophetess when she leads the Israelites in the Song of the Sea after Pharaoh's army is destroyed at the Sea of Reeds. The Torah describes Miriam and Aaron as criticizing Moses' Cushite wife in Numbers 12. Regarding the death of Miriam, the Torah states, The entire congregation of the children of Israel arrived at the desert of Tzin in the first month, and the people settled in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there. The Midrash explains the entire story as follows: It became known to Miriam and Aaron that Moses had separated from intimacy with his wife Tzipora. They disapproved of this separation because they considered her to be outstandingly righteous, much as a dark-skinned person stands out among light-skinned people-hence the reference to Tzipora as a Cushite. This usage of the word Cushite is non-pejorative and is often used in Jewish sources as a term for someone unique and outstanding. In fact, King Saul and even the Jewish People are referred to by the term Cushite. Their complaint, therefore, was not about the union between Moses and Tzipora, but about their separation. The only justification they could find for Moses' celibacy was in order to maintain his prophetic state. This explains their claim that God spoke not only to Moses but also to them, yet they had not separated from their spouses. But God rebuked them by calling them all out suddenly, causing Miriam and Aaron a great burning sensation since they lacked immersion in a mikva after marital relations. God thus demonstrated to them Moses' unique level of prophecy for which he had to be prepared at all times, thereby justifying his separation from Tzipora. Afterwards, God's wrath flared against them. Rabbi Louis Ginzberg wrote the anger of God to them. Myself ordered him to abstain from conjugal life, and the word he received was revealed to him clearly and not in dark speeches, he saw the Divine presence from behind when It passed by him. Wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against a man like Moses, who is, moreover, My servant? Your censure is directed to Me, rather than to him, for 'the receiver is no better than the thief,' and if Moses is not worthy of his calling, I, his Master, deserve censure.,   Legends of the Jews vol. III Afterward, Miriam is left with bodily tzara'at, which according to Jewish sources is a divine punishment for slander. This was because she, not Aaron, was the one who initiated the complaint against Moses. Despite Miriam's intent to help Tzipora, she should have judged Moses favorably and approached Moses on Tzipora's behalf privately. Aaron asks Moses to intercede for Miriam, Moses prays to God to heal her, and God concedes after requiring a quarantine of seven days. Both Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, but only Miriam contracted tzara'at. It has been suggested that since according to the Hebrew Bible anyone with tzara'at was tamei, Aaron was spared this punishment in order not to interrupt his duties as High Priest. However, noting the wording of the verse, God s wrath flared against them, the Talmud appears to conclude that Aaron was also smitten with tzara'at initially, but was then immediately cured. It has been suggested that Josephus and Irenaeus identify the Cushite woman as Tharbis, the daughter of the king of the Ethiopians.