By Rabbi Michael S. Beals, aka “The Love Doctor,” Rabbi at Temple Beth El
—
Rabbi Michael Beals, Temple Beth El
Note: Introduce Miriam’s cup during the Magid or narrative telling of the Passover story, during the seder. Begin by singing “Miriam’s Song” by Debbie Friedman, z”l, holding a special glass filled with spring water.
Chorus:
And the women dancing with their timbrels
Followed Miriam as she sang her song
Sing a song to the One whom we’ve exalted
Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long
And Miriam was a weaver of unique variety
The tapestry she wove was one which sang our history
With every strand and every thread she crafted her delight
A woman touched with spirit, she dances toward the light (to Chorus)
When Miriam stood upon the shores and gazed across the sea
The wonder of this miracle she soon came to believe
Whoever thought the sea would part with an outstretched hand
And we would pass to freedom and march to the promised land (to Chorus)
And Miriam the prophet took her timbrel in her hand
And all the women followed her just as she had planned
And Miriam raised her voice in song
She sang with praise and might
We’ve just lived through a miracle
We’re going to dance tonight (to Chorus)
(Recording: youtu.be/p8cuaaswIME)
There are SIX incredible women, mentioned in close proximity to one another, in the Book of Exodus, who are responsible for saving Moses’ life and ensuring our redemption from Egypt. Without these six women, we would still be slaves unto Pharaoh in Egypt. Who were they?
- Shifra &
- Puah – two of the Egyptian midwives, responsible for assisting Israelite women in giving birth to their children. Pharaoh commands them to kill every newborn Hebrew baby boy (Exodus 1:16). Long before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or Mahatma Gandhi, these women practice non-violent civil disobedience, claiming that the Hebrew women are “vigorous,” giving birth and leaving before the midwives can implement Pharaoh’s decree. (Note: Rashi, the 11th century biblical commentator, who lived during a time of Christian mass murder of Jews during the Crusades, could not imagine non-Jews helping Jews. So, he translates m’yaldot ha-ivriyot as Hebrew midwives, and claims that Shifra and Puah are really Jews: Moses’ mother and sister).
- Yohevet – Moses’ mother who also practices non-violent civil disobedience by disobeying Pharaoh’ decree, by placing her son in a basket and placing him on the Nile River, rather than killing him (Exodus 2:3).
- Bat Paro (The Daughter of Pharaoh) – She also practiced non-violent civil disobedience by ignoring her father’s death sentence against Hebrew baby boys, and has the baby brought out of the water, names him Moses, arranges with Miriam to have Yohevet nurse him, and then raises him as a prince of Egypt (Exodus 2:5–10).
- Tsipora – Moses’ wife, who saves her husband’s life by performing a circumcision, saving both his life, and the life of their baby son, Gershom (Exodus 4:24–26).
- Miriam – Moses’ sister who guards his journey down the Nile from the riverbank and arranges for Bat Paro to have her mother, Yohevet, nurse the baby (Exodus 2:4–8). In an earlier Midrash, it is written that when Pharaoh commanded all Hebrew baby boys should be killed, Amram, father of Miriam and Aaron, decreed all Hebrew husband and wives should divorce immediately so no Israelite boys would be conceived. An eight-year-old Miriam challenges him, saying, “you are worse than Pharaoh. He only decreed Hebrew boys should be killed. Your decree would condemn BOTH Hebrew boys AND girls to death.” Amram agreed with Miriam, and every couple remarried. Moses was born shortly after Miriam’s intercession. Later, an adult Miriam would lead all the Israelite women singing a song of praise to God after they are saved at the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 15:20–21).
Miriam is the pivotal character in this story of Moses’ redemption and the redemption of all the Israelites. Because two of her key moments are associated with bodies of water: the Nile and the Sea of Reeds, it is customary to represent Miriam with a glass of spring water. This tradition also arises because as soon as Miriam dies, the Children of Israel complain that there is no water (Numbers 20:1). The Midrash imagines that there was a well of water accompanying the Israelites on their journeys, based on Miriam’s righteousness. When she dies, the source of water disappears.
During the seder, after introducing the Six Amazing Women of the Exodus, it would be wise to focus on the amazing women of your own families who helped ensure your survival and thriving in America. You might want to share stories of brave great grandmothers, entrepreneurial grandmothers, doting mothers—all who played their roles in helping your families.
Passover is a time to share stories—primarily about the redemption of our people from Egyptian slavery. But it can also be a time of sharing more personal stories about your own family’s redemption. There is a tendency to focus on Moses in this story of redemption. But without the six redeeming women of Exodus, there would be no Moses and there would be no redemption. So, adding both these Biblical women and women in your own family to our narrative, you hiddur et-ha mitzvah, you beautify and elevate the commandment of retelling our redemptive story telling by adding women into the narrative.
Note: as a pre-Passover craft activity, purchase an inexpensive wine glass. Go to your family photo albums and make photocopies of pictures of important women in your family story. You can also include daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters. Using multicolored tissue paper, decoupage them to the glasses. Then take small, cut out pictures of these female members of your family and glue them on to the tissue paper. This becomes your family’s unique Miriam’s Cup. (idea courtesy of Hadassah).
