The Torah juxtaposes the parasha of the spies with the story of Miriam to teach a lesson about the consequences of speaking lashon ha'ra. Despite seeing Miriam's punishment, the spies did not learn and spoke negatively about the Land of Canaan. The severity of lashon ha'ra is highlighted through the punishments of Yosef, Miriam, the spies, and Korach and his followers.