Two of our ‘three shepherds’ in the desert die in this sedra; Aharon and Miriam. R’ Sorotskin notes that whilst the Torah records that Bnei Yisrael wept when Aharon died [and later with Moshe too], the Torah does not mention any crying when Miriam died. Why is this? He answers that the key is the pasuk ‘and Miriam died there and was burried there’ (20;1). This phrase is unique to Miriam’s death, for with Aharon and Moshe it only says ‘and he died there’ (20;28 & Devarim 34;5) with no mention of ‘burial there.’ R’ Sorotskin explains that one tends not to weep for the death of someone who is very old and has lived a fulfilling life actualising their spiritual potential. Thus, Bnei Yirael naturally would not have wept at any of Miriam, Aharon, or Moshe’s death for they were all very old and had fulfilled huge spiritual potential in their lives. What Bnei Yisrael did cry about with Moshe and Aharon was the suddenness of Aharon’s death and the fact that they did not know where Moshe was burried, so that they could not say a proper goodbye/had no kever to daven at. This is why Bnei Yisrael did not cry at Miriam’ death, for her death was not a sudden shock, and they knew where she was burried; ‘she died there and was burried there’
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