The Vocabulary of Evil:

Maimonides rules that one who does not believe that Moses achieved a unique level of prophecy is a heretic. After Aaron and Miriam spoke to Moses, God reacted by teaching them that Moses was different from all other prophets. Does that mean that Miriam and Aaron were heretics before they learned that Moses was different? Did they not know that the man who went up to Sinai for three sets of 40 days and nights was a different sort of prophet? Did they not experience Sinai? My father zt”l taught that Miriam and Aaron knew that Moses was different, but assumed that his great level of prophecy was a gift from God and not earned. They therefore spoke to him as less of a great human being than he was, and that is considered Lishon Harah. This implies that we must always speak with others with an appreciation of all they are. Anything less may cause us to converse in the vocabulary of evil.