Why was Miriam punished with leprosy even though she caused no harm and her words were not spoken publicly?

This source-based Torah study examines the question: Why was Miriam punished with leprosy even though she caused no harm and her words were not spoken publicly? The canonical Hebrew discussion develops the issue through the weekly Torah portion and the sources cited there, preserving the distinctions, tensions, and practical implications of the original text. This localized discovery layer does not add any new halakhic, medical, legal, scientific, historical, theological, or empirical ruling or claim beyond the canonical Hebrew source.