 | FEBRUARY 6 2020 11 Shvat 5780 Torah Portion of BESHALACH Exodus 13:17–17:16 A project of Shorashim of the Old City, the Biblical Shop "writing and gathering articles of spiritual or national interest from throughout the web"
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Torah Portion of BESHALACH Exodus 13:17–17:16 Moshe Kempinski The words describing the song of praise after the Israelites crossed the Red sea miraculously are surprisingly described in the future tense. The words of the text "Then( AZ YASHIR) Moshe and the children of Israel sang this song to Hashem, , "(Exodus 15:1) translate more accurately “Then Moshe and the children of Israel will sing this song to Hashem", (ibid). Why would the text read this way when their singing was clearly an outburst of gratitude for of the events that had just occurred? We had read earlier that the children of Israel leave their long period of slavery in Egypt with a sense of victory; “The children of Israel were marching out triumphantly (BeYad Ramah)." (Exodus 14:8) Yet they are then confronted with the reality of Egypt overtaking them at the Red sea and they become frightened, A people with the fears of an enslaved people confronting Egypt who in their oppressed experience saw as the embodiment of a superior "master culture and race". After the dramatic splitting of the Red sea we again read an unusual description. “On that day Hashem saved Israel from the hand of Egypt, and Israel saw Egypt ( Mitzrayim) dying on the seashore.."(Exodus 14:30). The text does not say “Egyptians dying on the seashore ”but rather Egypt. It was Egypt and all that Egypt represented to them, that they saw vanquished on the shores of the sea. As a result; “they believed in Hashem and in Moshe, His servant." (Exodus 14:30-31).With their fears vanquished they had the courage to move into faith. It is then that we hear of their "Song of Praise". This song they spontaneously sang, the “Song at the Sea( Shirat HaYam) is one of the great epiphanies of the Jewish experience and of human history . As a result of what they saw, they broke into collective prophetic singing ( SHIRA) . Rabbi Nehemiah (Sotah 30b) describes the experience in the following manner. “all the people were seized by divine inspiration and the same song ( SHIRA )and words came into their mouths at the same time." It simply poured out from their souls. SHIRA in the context of the Biblical text represents an intrinsic intuitive understanding that sometimes events cannot be truly comprehended or assimilated simply by our intelligence and powers of logic.SHIRA can be both the catalyst and the result of the elevated state of understanding called “prophecy”. "When the musician played, the hand and power of Hashem came upon Elisha and he prophesied."(2 Kings 3:15 ) The Midrash Tanchuma (on Beshalach 10.) describes ten examples of “SHIRA” in the history of Israel. All of these were examples of the souls simply bursting into song. The ten are found in Exodus 15:1-21, Numbers 21:17-20, Deuteronomy 31-32, Joshua 10:12-13, Judges 5, 2 Samuel 22, Isaiah 30:29 Psalm 30 and the ninth is King Solomon’s “Song of Songs”. The tenth song, says the Midrash, will be the Shir Chadash, the “new song” of the ultimate redemption; (Psalm 96) In all these cases these songs come out of souls that understood how close they came to oblivion or into barren wilderness. They come out of real appreciation of the hand of G-d active in our daily lives. Yet we are struck by the fact that this song of praise at the shores of the Red Sea ( Reed Sea) are written in the future tense. The words that introduce the Song at the Sea “Az Yashir” are written in the future tense as are the words that quickly follow "Ashirah ; I will sing to Hashem,( Exodus 16:1). This was to teach this people that was not only a song for that time but was in fact a tool of redemption. This SHIRA gave d this battered people the “Power to Sing”. To Sing throughout the generations of Destiny. In the midst of persecutions and circuitous roads the people of Israel have been given this incredible power to shake the heavens. In the tractate of Talmud ( Brachot) that is being studied in this week as part of the Daily Daf or page regiment of study we read the following statement by Rabbi Elazar. Since the time of the destruction of the Temple all the "gates" that allowed for easy entry into the Divine throne room have been closed. The prayerful entry through those gates necessitates great and "strenuous prayer". These gates are simply metaphors for the myriads of our spiritual approaches and activities , study, piety, meditation etc..Yet all those gates have been closed except for one. The gate of tears remains open always . "Hear my prayer, O Lord, and hearken to my cry. Be not silent to my tears, for I am a stranger with You, a dweller as all my forefathers."(Psalm 39:13). Reb Nachman of Breslov added this powerful insight. The Gates may be closed and must be dealt with, but Song-Shira simply breaks down all the walls. Reb Nachman writes " Get into the habit of singing a tune. It will give you renewed life and fill you with joy. Get into the habit of dancing. It will displace depression and dispel hardship...." Even if you can't sing well, sing. Sing to yourself. Sing in the privacy of your home. But sing." The songs in the Temple, the tunes of prayer and the meditative niggunim (melodies) that encompass our spiritual journeys have been the cloud of protection that has kept us moving forward In the final days of redemption all of mankind will truly understand how close they were to oblivion and failure. They will all then recognize the power of Shira (song). As a result it will be then they will sing a new song". A song of unconditional praise and purposeful direction. “Sing ( Shiru) to Hashem a new song( Shir Chadash) , sing( Shiru) to Hashem, all the earth ( Psalm 96:1) Lerefuat Kol HaPtzuim ve Hacholim Lerefuat Yehudit bat Golda Yocheved and Yehudit bat Chaya Esther |  to explore further click on picture | "A woman of Virtue Who Can Find her Value Is Far Beyond Pearls" Most Greek based translations translate the Hebrew word Peninim
as Rubies or Jewels Yet the hebrew clearly translates as pearls.
The things of greatest value are those that come from a lower source
and are raised to a higher source, like a pearl!
The Proverbs 31 verses then are not describing the perfect woman. They are describing the perfecting woman TO ORDER |  General al-Burhan | INN NEWS STAFF Military says meeting between General al-Burhan and Netanyahu in Uganda was "in the interest of Sudan's security." Sudan's military said Wednesday it backed a surprise meeting between the country's leader and Israel's prime minister in Uganda this week, saying the opening would help boost national security. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's ruling sovereign council, met Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met in Entebbe on Monday in a previously unannounced meeting. Israel remains technically at war with Sudan, which supported hardline Islamists including Al-Qaeda during the three-decade rule of autocrat Omaral-Bashir, ousted amid mass protests last year. On Tuesday, Burhan briefed the sovereign council and top ministers about his meeting, saying he took the step to meet Netanyahu "to protect the national security of Sudan". The vote of support for Burhan from the military came after top officers met at army headquarters in Khartoum. "There was a meeting at the army headquarters today, and those present in the meeting were briefed about the visit of the army's commander to Uganda an its impact on Sudan's national security," military spokesman Brigadier Amir Mohamed Al-Hassan told AFP. "The army is in favor of this (Burhan-Netanyahu) meeting as it is in the interest of Sudan's national security." Soon after the meeting Netanyahu's office put out a statement saying that said he believed that post-Bashir Sudan was headed "in a positive direction". It said he and Burhan had "agreed to start cooperating leading to normalization of the relationship between the two countries". Sudan under Bashir was part of the decades-long Arab boycott of Israel. In the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967, Arab leaders held a historic meeting in Khartoum to announce what became known as the 'three nos' -- no peace, no recognition, no negotiations with Israel. The Palestine Liberation Organization called Burhan and Netanyahu's meeting "a stab in the back of the Palestinian people". In a statement carried on official news agency WAFA, Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Netanyahu and his US allies of "trying to liquidate the Palestinian cause". |  TO VIEW OR TO ORDER CLICK HERE | There are times that an item does not show up on our web site but it was in our shop.If such an item is of interest you can be in touch with us at shorashimshop@yahoo.com. Then when if you decide to order it you need to simply choose this SPECIAL ORDERS item and adjust the quantity amount so that it matches the product price TO USE THIS SERVICE CLICK HERE We hope this will help those of you who remembered an item from our shop in Jerusalem but do not know how to go about and purchase it Thank you |  THE AROUS RESORT | by Raffi Berg Far from being passive victims, it was the Ethiopian Jews' incredible heroism, sacrifice and steadfast commitment that enabled them to be saved. Gunshots ring out, panic sets in, the black Jews are told to hurry – take only what they can carry and get out of the village as heavily armed troops close in. Terrified, the Jews are helped onto a waiting truck and whisked from immediate danger by white men – Israeli Jews from the Mossad, come to take them out. “We leave no one behind,” says one of their saviours, leaving the vehicle and leading the group across arid, sun-baked plains and mountainous terrain, all the way from Ethiopia to a safe-house in Sudan. Such are the opening scenes which set the narrative in the Netflix movie “Red Sea Diving Resort” – a film which describes itself as “inspired by true events”. What it does not claim is that it is “based on” facts. (Whether it is a good or bad movie is for viewers to decide). It is, by now, well known that around 30,000 Ethiopian Jews were spirited to Israel, in epic operations carried out by the Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces in the 1980s and early 1990s, in such legendary missions as Operation Moses and Solomon. It is also commonly understood that they were rescued – plucked from the brink of extinction – as civil war, drought and famine gripped northern Ethiopia, an appalling situation which pricked the world’s conscience and culminated with the historic Live Aid charity event watched by billions of people. That the Jews were saved by Israel is unquestionable – but the conception, and all too often depiction, that they were “rescued” is not only dubious, but incorrect. There is a difference – and it is a big one. Red Sea Diving resort When I set out to write my book “Red Sea Spies: The True Story of Mossad’s Fake Holiday Resort” – the incredible tale of how Israeli agents smuggled Ethiopian Jews to Israel while using a bogus holiday village as cover – I laboured under the illusion that these “hapless” and endangered Jews owed their salvation entirely to the heroic actions of those carrying out the orders of then Prime Minister Menachem Begin to bring them to Israel. However, the more I researched and learned about this special community, the more I came to realize that they were not passive victims of circumstance whose destiny lay in the hands of the Israelis sent to retrieve them. On the contrary – had it not been for the heroism, sacrifice and single-mindedness of the Ethiopian Jews themselves, Moses, Solomon and the other operations of their kind would never have happened. Period. As the Mossad commander who instigated and led the mission, Dani, told me in one of our many meetings: “It was like two big wheels, two strong wheels, actually met – one was the old Ethiopian Jews’ dream to go back to Zion and Jerusalem, and the other one was the Israeli Jews that came to help them fulfil this – it was the fusion of wheels that was the strength of this operation.” For centuries and even millennia, the longing to return to what they knew as the Land of Jerusalem was their life force. “Jerusalem” – a land they literally thought of as paved with gold and flowing with milk and honey – occupied their thoughts and prayers. Grandparents told grandchildren about a city which was Heaven on Earth, animals were shechted (the laws of kashrut were scrupulously observed, along with Shabbat and other tenets of the Jewish faith) in its direction and songs and poems were sung about it (“Shimela! Shimela!" Ethiopian Jewish children would sing on catching sight of a stork, as migrating musters headed to the Holy Land. "Agerachin Yerushalem dehena?" – "Stork! Stork! How is our country Jerusalem doing?") In 1862, a first valiant but futile attempt was made to walk en masse to Jerusalem. Led by a spiritual leader (kes), Abba Mahari, thousands of Ethiopian Jews headed towards what they believed to be the Red Sea, but they failed to cross and many drowned trying. Years later, when the Ethiopian Jews were visited by scholar Josef Halevy (the first foreign Jew to find them), he wrote how the villagers paid little attention to him until he mentioned the word “Jerusalem,” whereupon they were seized by a burning curiosity and he was showered with questions about Mount Zion and the Temple (they did not know it had been destroyed, assuming the land was still under the occupation of the Romans). In 1948, when Ethiopian Jews heard that the State of Israel had been declared, they danced jubilantly in the streets, and when they learned it had been attacked they fasted. It wasn’t until 1975 that the State of Israel recognized the Ethiopian Jews as halachically Jewish, entitling them to settle in Israel under the Law of Return. Their immigration though was not encouraged, nor were they allowed to leave Ethiopia – then ruled by an anti-Zionist Marxist dictatorship – to go there. That all changed with the advent of Begin in 1977 and his instruction to the Mossad to do whatever it took to bring the Ethiopian Jews to the Jewish state. Getting them out of Ethiopia itself was an insurmountable challenge – the country was riven by conflict and its topography meant airlifts were out of the question. The Mossad was stuck for an answer, until the arrival of a cryptic letter from an Ethiopian Jew, wanted by the Ethiopian authorities for Zionist activity, who had run away to Sudan. “Send me a[n airline] ticket,” it said. The name of the fugitive Jew was Ferede Aklum. Dani was sent to track him down (which incredibly he did, despite having nothing to go on), and the two of them hatched a plan to get more Ethiopian Jews to follow Ferede’s lead and come to Sudan, from where the Mossad would smuggle them out to Israel. Dani and Ferede got word back to Ferede’s village in the Ethiopian Highlands, and the first to respond were Ferede’s brothers, who made the journey without hesitation. When more villagers heard that a way was open to get to Israel, more followed – at first a handful, then a trickle, and ultimately a deluge. Village after village emptied, Jews leaving behind the family homes they had lived in for centuries as well as their way of life, for the sole purpose of going to Israel – and they risked their lives to do it. They travelled by foot – up and down mountains, through jungle, across rivers and over desert – men, women, children, the elderly and the infirm. They left quietly at night so as not to alert their Christian neighbours, who would have informed the authorities. On their way they were attacked by bandits and wild animals, and stalked by hunger and thirst. The trek was hundreds of kilometres long and took weeks – in some cases, months. Some Jews were caught by Ethiopian soldiers patrolling the border with Sudan, arrested and sent back to where they started. Where they survived imprisonment, they just made the journey all over again. It is said that when the Jews got to Sudan they kissed the ground, in the mistaken belief that they had made it to Jerusalem; in one case, where an elderly Ethiopian Jew eventually arrived at an absorption centre in Ashkelon following an airlift, he ingested mouthfuls of soil, overcome at finally being in the Holy Land. More than 1,500 Ethiopian Jews died in their effort to get to Israel, to return to their ancestral home and fulfil an ancient dream. No – the Ethiopian Jews were not passive, but very much agents of their own destiny, who took their fate in their own hands, and suffered greatly in doing so. Memorial in Jerusalem to Ethiopian Jewish refugees And they were incredibly brave, both those who made it out alive and those who did not. Not only did they put themselves through the most gruelling ordeal, but even after they had reached the camps, mothers sent their children, alone and into the unknown, to get smuggled out by the Mossad, because they knew it would save their lives, while they remained behind. Every year, their odyssey and their sacrifices are remembered at a ceremony attended by the president, prime minister and other leading state figures, on an occasion known as Memorial Day for Ethiopian Jews who Perished on their Way to Israel. By law, it coincides with Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), such is the level of its importance, and it is held on Mount Herzl, the resting place of the founding father of Zionism. Where the Ethiopian Jews were rescued by the Mossad and IDF, it was from the refugee camps in Sudan where they languished in terrible conditions. The Israelis operating behind enemy lines to get them out of there were heroic, for sure; but no less so were the Ethiopian Jews themselves who paved the way which enabled the secret operations to happen. For this they deserve our utmost respect and deepest admiration, and for the sake of history the narrative ought to be correct. “Red Sea Spies: The True Story of Mossad’s Fake Holiday Resort” (Icon Books), by Raffi Berg is released in the UK on 6 February, and in the US on 14 April. |  TO VIEW OR TO ORDER CLICK HERE | THE HARP OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP Pendant
$30 Pendant created by Shorashim is based on the verse I will sing to the L-rd for all that He has bestowed upon me.( Psalm 13:6) The Words “I will sing to Hashem ( the L-rd) “
Are Engraved on the Harp in Hebrew silver or gold plated | Times of Israel Staff National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, Emirati envoy to DC said to have held talks at White House in December on Tehran, non-aggression pact between Abu Dhabi and Jerusalem The White House in December hosted a secret meeting last December with officials from Israel, the US and the United Arab Emirates to discuss countering Iranian influence in the Middle East. The officials discussed better coordinating their positions against Iran, and the possibility of advancing a non-aggression pact between Israel and the UAE, which could mark a possible step toward normalizing relations between the countries.
Attending the December 17 meeting were Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, and the Emirati ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba, who is considered close to the UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahayan. The US special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, and Deputy National Security Adviser Victoria Coates also attended. Israel’s Channel 13 and the US news site Axios first reported the meeting on Tuesday, citing senior Israeli and American officials as sources. The reports said that the meeting spurred a tweet several days later by the Emirati foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan apparently in support of warming Israel-UAE ties. Al Nahyan, the UAE’s top diplomat, tweeted a link to an article titled “Islam’s reformation: an Arab-Israeli alliance is taking shape in the Middle East.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded, writing “I welcome the closer relations between Israel and many Arab states. The time has come for normalization and peace.” Jerusalem is said to have developed clandestine ties with numerous Arab countries in recent years over the countries’ shared antipathy toward Iran and the need to counter jihadism. Israeli officials have also openly visited several such countries recently. In October 2018, Netanyahu was welcomed to Oman by the country’s then-ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said. That same month Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev traveled to Abu Dhabi for the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam judo tournament, where Israel’s national anthem was played for the first time in the Arabian peninsula following Israeli judoka Sagi Muki’s first place win. Israel has also been invited to participate at the Expo 2020 in the UAE city of Dubai. In June, Bahrain’s foreign minister told the Times of Israel his country wished for peace with the Jewish state. In October, Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he was advancing non-aggression treaties with several Arab nations in the Gulf, a “historic” démarche he said that could end the conflict between Jerusalem and those states. Arab leaders, however, have also indicated that true normalization can not take place so long as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not resolved. The UAE ambassador to Washington, along with envoys from Bahrain and Oman, attended the January 28 unveiling of the Trump administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal in a tacit sign of support for the US initiative. The UAE issued the most complimentary statement on the plan of any Arab state, calling it “a serious initiative” and stating that it “offers an important starting point for a return to negotiations within a US-led international framework.” The UAE also signed on to an Arab League rejection of the plan, however. Arab countries in the Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, view Iran as a major regional foe and strongly oppose its support for armed groups throughout the Middle East |  TO VIEW OR TO ORDER CLICK HERE | The Tree of Life (Biblical Wisdom) is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; ( proverbs 3:18) silver tree nestled in the silver circle The tree represents the wisdom of G-d's word nestled into the cycle of our lives Sterling Silver 925. Includes chain. TO ORDER CLICK HERE | Leonard Saxe Two decades after it launched, it’s clear the free trip to Israel helped bring about a 25% rise in the US Jewish population
Twenty years ago, in late December 1999, an El Al flight from New York City landed at Ben Gurion Airport. Among the passengers were 40 college students – the inaugural Birthright Israel participants from the United States. Their arrival was the beginning of an experiment in Israel-Diaspora education that has transformed Jewish life in America. Since its launch, approximately 750,000 Jewish young adults – more than 425,000 from the United States – have participated in Birthright’s ten-day educational programs. Numerous studies have demonstrated Birthright’s impact on the Jewish identity of its participants. Less appreciated is how the program is reshaping American Jewry’s demographic profile. When Birthright was launched, there were approximately 5.5 million Jews in the United States. Today, the US Jewish population is 7.5 million individuals, a 25% increase. Birthright is not solely responsible for the growth, but the program has become emblematic of efforts to engage future generations with Jewish life. Birthright was conceived partly as a response to assimilation and what was believed to be the devastating impact of high rates of intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews. The 1992 finding from the National Jewish Population survey that 52% of recent marriages of Jews were to non-Jews caused widespread consternation and reinforced fears of a “vanishing” American Jewry. Given the number of Jews in intermarriages who rejected their Jewish identities, concern was not altogether unwarranted Even more important was the impact of intermarriage on the religious identity of the children of intermarried parents. Among children of intermarried parents who came of age (18 or older) before 2000, only a small proportion (less than 30%) identified as Jews when they became adults. The timing of Birthright’s rollout proved to be impeccable. Just as it was launched, the first of the millennial generation came of age. They were the first young adults to grow up during a time when the discourse around intermarriage was shifting from disparagement to welcoming. Attitudinal shifts were in the air, but there was little evidence that the changing environment had altered disaffiliation and assimilation. With its free “no strings attached” Israel trip, Birthright fit with the Jewish community’s welcoming approach and provided a new paradigm to inspire members of this generation to explore, and in some cases, discover their Jewish identities. Traveling in Israel with a diverse group of fellow Jews helped young adults experience being a part of a Jewish community. Over the ten days, participants had a taste of living Jewishly and what it meant to see themselves as part of the Jewish people. The long-term impact of the program for participants is now evident. For more than a decade, my colleagues and I have followed nearly 4,000 Birthright applicants (who applied/participated from 2001-2009). Panel members are now in their late 20s to early 40s. Nearly three quarters are married and about half are parents. The program’s long-term impact is most dramatically evident on patterns of family formation. Our latest data indicate that non-Orthodox participants are almost 50% more likely to marry a Jewish spouse than similar others who had applied but did not take part in Birthright. The program’s impact on marrying someone Jewish was evident both for those who had two Jewish parents and for those who came from homes where only one of the parents was Jewish. Inmarriage, in turn, is associated with a host of Jewish engagement metrics. Because Birthright participants are more likely to be partnered with other Jews, they are more likely than similar others who did not participate to engage in Jewish life. They are more likely to raise their children Jewish (among those who are inmarried raising Jewish children is near universal), more likely to celebrate Shabbat, be members of a synagogue, and to have Jewish friends. Participants (whether inmarried or intermarried) are twice as likely as similar others who did not go to express a very strong emotional connection to Israel. Had prior demographic trends persisted, predictions of the vanishing American Jew might have been realized. A disruptive technology, in the form of Birthright Israel, altered the trajectory of engagement of a large share of Jewish young adults. As the program becomes a normative experience for young adult Jews, it continues to reshape Jewish life. We cannot know what would have happened had Birthright Israel not been created. Evidence, however, of how it has been a catalyst to sustain the Jewish identity of a generation of young Jews is unequivocal. As the program marks its 20th year and the first progeny of Birthright alumni become eligible for the Birthright experience, the next chapter is likely to be even more interesting. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Leonard Saxe, Ph.D, is the Klutznick Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies and Social Policy at Brandeis University |  TO VIEW OR TO ORDER CLICK HERE | "A woman of Virtue (Valour) Who Can Find , Her Value Is Far Beyond Pearls" sterling silver opal stone
diameter 3/4 inces comes with sterling silver chain $60 ========== |  "The Dance of Miriam" available at shorashimshop.com ( click on pictutre) | Moshe Kempinski The Torah Portion of “ Beshalach” Exodus 13:17–17:16 After the Exodus from Egypt , the children of Israel find themselves being chased by the Egyptians. They are confronted by a raging Red Sea. They gather courage and jump in. It is then that Hashem splits the sea in a dramatic flourish of His redemption; On that day Hashem saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egypt dying on the seashore. And Israel saw the great hand, which Hashem had used upon the Egyptians, and the people feared Hashem, and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe, His servant. ( Exodus 14:30-31) In a spontaneous expression of gratitude the people of Israel break into song;
Then Moshe and the children of Israel sang this song to Hashem, and they spoke, saying, I will sing to Hashem, for very exalted is He; a horse and its rider He cast into the sea.( 15:1)etc. When the men finish their song of praise we read the following;
“Miriam, the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women came out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered ( VaTaan) out to them, Sing to Hashem, for very exalted is He; a horse and its rider He cast into the sea “( ibid :20-21) Three questions need to be examined. Why Miriam was called Miriam?
What does her name signify as all names are a whispers of destiny, spiritual strengths and weaknesses ? Furthermore why is she called “Miriam, the prophetess” ? Thirdly the text describing the beginning of their singing literally says that she” answered them..VaTa-An Miriam", rather than simply “called out” to the men.
What was the question that she was answering? The name Miriam is made up of two words Mar which translates as Bitterness as the midrash teaches "Why was her name Miriam? Because of the bitterness (mar). (Seder Olam Rabba 3)”. The second part of her name Yam which translates as sea or waters. That was the essential quality that made Miriam so impactful on the history of the people of Israel. The Talmud (Massechet Taanit) teaches that there were three miraculous gifts bestowed upon the Israelites in the wilderness. The first was the well of water which accompanied the people on their voyage, which came on account of Miriam.The second gift was the Clouds of Glory which came on account of Aaron, and the third was the Manna which came on account of Moshe. Waters soothe and give life . Waters refresh and rejuvenate. Miriam was an unusual mixture of empathy and sensitivity. She felt the pain the fears and the Bitterness of those around her , her people and her immediate family. She recognized and lived the Bitterness fully. Yet she had a clear intuitive faith in the promises of redemption hope and rebirth. The Midrash in tractate Sotah describes subtext. When Pharaoh decreed that all baby boys would be thrown into the Nile ,Amram and Yocheved the parents of Moshe decide to separate so as not to endanger any more children. When they did so, they were followed by most of the other Israelite couples. Desperation and hopelessness gripped the people and thrust them into despondency. According to this midrash, Miriam approached her father and said, “your decree is worse than Pharaoh’s. Pharaoh decreed against the boys, you decreed against both boys and girls. Pharaoh decreed only in this world, you decreed in this world and the world to come. Pharaoh’s decree may be overturned, your decree (not having children at all) cannot be overturned.” Miriam convinced her father to remarry her mother, and so Moshe and subsequently many other children in many other families were born. She continued to be the source of that refreshing waters throughout the sojourn in the wilderness. Regarding her prophetic ability, Miriam is listed among the seven Jewish prophetesses. This sense of "knowing" gave her the conviction stand before her parents and give them hope again. It was her prophetic awareness ,that this younger brother would lead the people of Israel into redemption, that gave her the courage to stand by the bushes to watch over her little brother "And his sister stood from a distance" to know "what would happen to him. (Exodus 2:4). The words “to stand” denotes a surety of faith that cones with the "knowing" of prophetic insight. As the Midrash teaches “And she stood” – with Divine inspiration resting upon her. (Midrash – Mechilta d'Rabbi Yishmael) It was that divine awareness that gave her the incredible courage to approach the daughter of Pharaoh with advice regarding the baby in the basket. It also gave her the insight to prepare accordingly for their exodus from Egypt. The men of the Israelites were probably looking for the best walking apparel and carry bags to enter into the wilderness .Miriam, and her sisters , on the other hand, were gathering musical instruments. They simply "knew". This then helps us top understand the final question.
Women according to our tradition, sense G-d and spirituality from the” inside out” as opposed to Men who generally experience G-d and spirituality from the “outside in” . In the verse describing the creation of woman we read “And Hashem G-d built (Va’Yiven ) the side that He had taken from man into a woman, and He brought her to man”. ‘The word va’yiven, which is derived from the same root as binah or spiritual intuition and understanding. The men thereupon sing of the greatness of G-d’s miracle and describe every aspect and detail of the great miracle. 5The depths covered them; they descended into the depths like a stone. 6Your right hand, O Lord, is most powerful; Your right hand, O Lord, crushes the foe. ....8And with the breath of Your nostrils the waters were heaped up; the running water stood erect like a wall; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea. ....10You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the powerful waters. 11Who is like You among the powerful, O Lord? Who is like You, powerful in the holy place? Too awesome for praises, performing wonders! 13WithYour loving kindness You led the people You redeemed; You led [them] with Your might to Your holy abode. 14Peoples heard, they trembled; a shudder seized the inhabitants of Philistia.( Exodus14:5-14) Then Miriam and her sisters took the musical instruments they brought with and began to dance . They then "answered" the men. What they were answering and saying to the men was that "It is really much simpler than all those details. It is all about Hashem being exalted” "Sing to Hashem, for very exalted is He; a horse and its rider He cast into the sea ( ibid :20-21)"
Hashem is simply so elevated and exalted .All that was frighteningly Bitter ( Mar), all that is so called “ reality “ was just thrown into the depths of the sea( Yam). This then is the power of Miriam which we all need to aspire to become. The power to banish the bitter with the cleansing power of the living waters. The ability to sense the prophetic power ensconced within each soul. And the power to sing and dance. LeRefuat Yehudit Bat Golda Yocheved and Yehudit bat Chaya Esther | | |
