The past year, since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, has shown us that the civil rights of women, as basic as having control of and autonomy over their bodies, are still very much in doubt. The struggle of women to be treated as equal citizens, or simply as full human beings, with all the rights and privileges as men remains unsettled and a nexus of political conflict. Miriam, Moses’ sister, is an unusual example of a woman in the Bible. She is the motive force of the Exodus. According to the rabbis she convinced her parents to have a third child, leading to the birth of Moses. It was Miriam who hid Moses in the Nile, where Pharoah’s sister found him. She also convinced the princess to accept Moses’ mother to be his wet nurse. Without her intervention the Exodus wouldn’t have happened. During the long journey in the desert it was Miriam who provided the Israelites with water as, according to a midrash, a well of fresh water followed the Israelites as long as Miriam was alive. In this week’s Torah portion Miriam dies after a long life of service as a leader who guides, motivates and sustains her people. In this she combines classically feminine and masculine qualities. There are very few important women characters in the Bible, but Miriam reminds us that since the beginning of our people’s recorded history we have examples of the power of women. It is about time we caught up to that ancient wisdom and ensured that women are treated as fully equal members of society. To do otherwise is to deny the full God-given dignity and power of women as exemplified by Miriam.
Chukat-Balak, Numbers 19:1-25:9, Parshat Hashavua for Shabbat, July 1, 2023
June 30, 2023 by tbhrich • Drashot
The past year, since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, has shown us that the civil rights of women, as basic as having control of and autonomy over their bodies, are still very much in doubt. The struggle of women to be treated as equal citizens, or simply as full human beings, with all the rights and privileges as men remains unsettled and a nexus of political conflict. Miriam, Moses’ sister, is an unusual example of a woman in the Bible. She is the motive force of the Exodus. According to the rabbis she convinced her parents to have a third child, leading to the birth of Moses. It was Miriam who hid Moses in the Nile, where Pharoah’s sister found him. She also convinced the princess to accept Moses’ mother to be his wet nurse. Without her intervention the Exodus wouldn’t have happened. During the long journey in the desert it was Miriam who provided the Israelites with water as, according to a midrash, a well of fresh water followed the Israelites as long as Miriam was alive. In this week’s Torah portion Miriam dies after a long life of service as a leader who guides, motivates and sustains her people. In this she combines classically feminine and masculine qualities. There are very few important women characters in the Bible, but Miriam reminds us that since the beginning of our people’s recorded history we have examples of the power of women. It is about time we caught up to that ancient wisdom and ensured that women are treated as fully equal members of society. To do otherwise is to deny the full God-given dignity and power of women as exemplified by Miriam.