Difference between revisions of "Miriam" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:Miriams-Song.jpg|thumb|250px|"Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing." (Ex. 15:20)]]
 
[[Image:Miriams-Song.jpg|thumb|250px|"Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing." (Ex. 15:20)]]
  
'''Miriam''' (מִרְיָם, Miryam—"wished for child," "bitter")was the sister of [[Moses]] and [[Aaron]], and the daughter of [[Amram]] and [[Jochebed]].  She appears first in the book of [[Exodus]] in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. Her name could also be derived from the Egyptian words ''myr'' "beloved."  
+
'''Miriam''' (מִרְיָם, Miryam—"wished for child," "bitter")was the sister of [[Moses]] and [[Aaron]], and the daughter of [[Amram]] and [[Jochebed]].  Her story is told in the books of [[Exodus]] and [[Numbers]] in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. Miriam's name could also be derived from the Egyptian words ''myr'' "beloved."  
  
Miriam helped the infant Moses to be nursed by his own mother after being adopted by the daughter of Pharoah and later went on to become a [[prophet]]ess in her own right. She led the Israelite women in celebrating the [[Israelite]]s' successful march through the sea, in a verse still sung by millions of Jews today. However, she and Aaron criticized Moses for marrying a [[Cush]]ite woman. For this she was punished by God with a dreaded skin disease. Upon her death many years later, the Israelites lost faith in Moses and Aaron, causing Moses himself to sin by striking the rock at Kadesh.  
+
Miriam enabled the infant Moses to be nursed by his own mother after being adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh. She later went on to become a [[prophet]]ess in her own right. She led the Israelite women in celebrating the [[Israelite]]s' successful march through the sea, in a verse still sung by millions of Jews today. However, she and Aaron criticized Moses for marrying a [[Cush]]ite woman. For this she was punished by God with a dreaded skin disease. Upon her death years later, the Israelites lost faith in Moses and Aaron, causing Moses himself to sin by striking the rock at Kadesh.  
  
Miriam is the only woman in history known to have been allowed to enter the sacred tent in which the [[Ark of the Covenant]] was housed. She was honored in verse by the prophet [[Micah]], who placed her on a par with Moses and Aaron, and her name was particularly popular in New Testament times, where it is rendered as "Mary." In rabbinical tradition Miriam was the teacher and leader of Israelite women; as a girl she convinced her parents to conceive Moses after they had decided not to risk having additional children due to Pharaoh's policy of murdering Israelite baby boys, and it was her merit that caused the miraculous, life-giving waters of the desert to flow for her people.
+
Miriam is the only woman in history known to have been allowed to enter the holdy [[Tabernacle]] in which the [[Ark of the Covenant]] was housed. She was honored in verse by the prophet [[Micah]], who placed her on a par with Moses and Aaron, and her name was particularly popular among Jews in [[New Testament]] times, where it is rendered as "Mary." In rabbinical tradition Miriam was the teacher and leader of Israelite women; as a girl she convinced her parents to conceive Moses after they had decided not to risk having additional children due to Pharaoh's policy of murdering Israelite baby boys, and it was her merit that caused the miraculous, life-giving waters of the desert to flow for her people.
  
 
==Bibiclical Narrative==
 
==Bibiclical Narrative==
 
===Childhood===
 
===Childhood===
 
[[Image:Miriam-baby-moses.jpg|thumb|Miriam assists her mother in saving the baby Moses from Pharaoh.]]
 
[[Image:Miriam-baby-moses.jpg|thumb|Miriam assists her mother in saving the baby Moses from Pharaoh.]]
It was Miriam who, at Jochebed's request, followed as Moses (then a baby) floated down the Nile in a reed basket to evade the [[Pharaoh]]'s order that newborn [[Hebrews|Hebrew]] boys be killed. She watched as the Pharaoh's daughter discovered the infant. "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" Miriam asked the princess. (Ex. 2:7) Miriam returned with Jochebed. Pharaoh's daughter sent the child home with the "nurse," who raised him until he was weaned and "grew older." As a result of Miriam's act, Moses could be raised to identify with his background as a Hebrew, as well as his new role as an Egtyptian prince. (Exodus 2:1-10)
+
It was Miriam who, at Jochebed's request, followed as [[Moses]] (then a baby) as he floated down the Nile in a reed basket to evade the [[Pharaoh]]'s order that newborn [[Hebrews|Hebrew]] boys be killed. She watched as the Pharaoh's daughter discovered the infant. Approaching the princess, she asked: "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" (Ex. 2:7) Miriam then returned with Jochebed. Pharaoh's daughter sent the child home with the "nurse," who raised him until he was weaned and "grew older." As a result of Miriam's act, Moses could be raised to identify with his background as a Hebrew, as well as his new role as an Egyptian prince. (Exodus 2:1-10)
  
 
===Prophetess and leader===
 
===Prophetess and leader===
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::he has hurled into the sea." (Exodus 15:20-21)
 
::he has hurled into the sea." (Exodus 15:20-21)
  
This short verse is considered by scholars to be one of the oldest in the Bible and is also celebrated in Jewish liturgy and folk music to this day.
+
This short verse is considered by scholars to be one of the oldest in the [[Bible]] and is also celebrated in Jewish [[liturgy]] and [[folk music]] to this day.
  
 
===Miriam and Aaron's sin===
 
===Miriam and Aaron's sin===
 
[[Image:Tent-of-meeting.jpg|thumb|250px|The sacred tent where Miriam spoke with Aaron and Moses.]]
 
[[Image:Tent-of-meeting.jpg|thumb|250px|The sacred tent where Miriam spoke with Aaron and Moses.]]
Later, Miriam objects to the marriage of [[Moses]] to a [[Cush]]ite woman. She and [[Aaron]] discuss the matter with Moses in the [[Tent of Meeting]], the sacred structure in which was housed the holy [[Ark of the Covenant]]. No other woman is recorded as having the privilege of entering this sacred space. Indeed, both the larger [[Tabernacle]] and the inner courts of the later [[Temple of Jerusalem]] were strictly out of bounds for women.
+
Later, Miriam objects to the marriage of [[Moses]] to a [[Cush]]ite woman. She and [[Aaron]] discuss the matter with Moses. Afterward, God commands her to enter the Tabernacle, where he speaks to Miriam and [[Aaron]] outside the sacred tent. No other woman is recorded as having the privilege of entering this sacred space.
  
However, Miriam and Aaron have presumed too much. Standing at the entrace of the tent in a pillar of cloud, God speaks to tell them that while they may indeed be prophets, Moses' authority is higher than theirs. To Moses alone does God speak "face to face." To punish her, God stikes Miriam with a disease making her skin white and putrid, possibly in retaliation for her objections to the Cushite woman, who was likely dark-skinned. After [[Aaron]] asks Moses to intercede for Miriam, Moses utters a five-word prayer: ''El nah refa nah-la''—"O [[El]] make her well."
+
However, Miriam and Aaron have presumed too much. Standing at the entrace of the tent in a pillar of cloud, God speaks to tell them that while they may be prophets, Moses' authority is higher than theirs. To Moses alone does God speak "face to face." To punish her, God stikes Miriam with a disease making her skin white and putrid, probably in retaliation for her objections to the dark-skinned Cushite woman. After [[Aaron]] asks Moses to intercede for Miriam, Moses prays that God will heal her. Moses requires her to be confined outside the camp for seven days, after which she recovers. ([[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] 12). Aaron, however, is not punished, perhaps because a skin disease of this nature would disqualify him from the priesthood. The text implies the essential role of Miriam in the community in noting: "the people did not move on till she was brought back." (Num. 12:15)
 
 
He requires her to be confined outside the camp for seven days, after which she recovers. ([[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] 12). Aaron, however, is not punished, perhaps because a skin disease of this nature would disqualify him from the priesthood. The text implies the importance of Miriam to the community in noting: "the people did not move on till she was brought back." (Num. 12:15)
 
  
 
===Death===
 
===Death===
  
Miriam dies and is buried at Kadesh and a great old age of more than 120 years. Her death apparently affects the Israelites deeply. Their internal longing for Miriam as a mother-figure is parallelled by the external thirst they experience for lack of water and this encampment. [[Moses]], too, may have been affected by the loss of his sister. Commanded by God to "speak" to a rock and bring forth water for the people, Moses instead loses his temper, denounces the people and stikes the rock twice. Water is indeed produced, but God punishes both Moses and [[Aaron]] for Moses' striking the rock instead of speaking to it, telling them that they will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land of [[Canaan]] as a result.
+
Miriam dies and is buried at Kadesh at a great old age. Her death apparently affects the [[Israelites]] deeply. Their internal longing for Miriam as a mother-figure is parallelled by the external thirst they experience for lack of water and this encampment. [[Moses]], too, may have been affected by the loss of his sister. Commanded by God to "speak" to a rock and bring forth water for the people, Moses instead loses his temper, denounces the people, and stikes the rock twice. Water is indeed produced, but God punishes both Moses and [[Aaron]] for this act, telling them that they will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land of [[Canaan]] as a result. (Num. 20:12)
  
 
==Legacy==
 
==Legacy==
Line 46: Line 44:
 
In [[New Testament]] times, Miriam was perhaps the most popular name for Jewish woman. The Greek rendering of Miriam is "Mary." At least three important people in Jesus' life were named Miriam: his mother [[Virgin Mary|Mary]], his best known female disciple [[Mary Magdalene]], and [[Mary of Bethany]], the sister of Martha and Lazarus who washed and anointed Jesus shortly before his death.
 
In [[New Testament]] times, Miriam was perhaps the most popular name for Jewish woman. The Greek rendering of Miriam is "Mary." At least three important people in Jesus' life were named Miriam: his mother [[Virgin Mary|Mary]], his best known female disciple [[Mary Magdalene]], and [[Mary of Bethany]], the sister of Martha and Lazarus who washed and anointed Jesus shortly before his death.
  
Today, Miriam is a popular figure among some Jewish feminists. Some place a "Cup of Miriam," filled with water, beside the customary "Cup of Elijah" (filled with wine) during the [[Passover]] [[Seder]]. The cup contains water in memory of Miriam's well, which according to a [[midrash]] accompanied the Israelites on their journey through the desert. At [[Passover]], some Modern Orthodox Jews have revived a millennium-old custom of adding a piece of fish to the seder plate, with the lamb, egg and fish jointly symbolizing the three prophets—Moses, Aaron, and Miriam—referred to in Micah 6:4. This food also alludes to the mythical beasts: (the bird [[Ziz]], the animal [[Behemoth]], and the sea-creature [[Leviathan]]) which, according to Jewish legend, are to be served at the feast for the righteous following the [[resurrection]] of the dead.<ref>Levine, Yael. [http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3238942,00.html "Where is Miriam on the Seder plate?"] ''www.ynetnews.com.'' Retrieved April 13, 2007.
+
Today, Miriam is a popular figure among Jewish feminists. Some place a "Cup of Miriam," filled with water, beside the customary "Cup of Elijah" (filled with wine) during the [[Passover]] [[Seder]]. The cup contains water in memory of [[midrash]]ic tradition of Miriam's association with the miraculous waters that accompanied the Israelites on their journey through the desert (see below). At [[Passover]], some Orthodox Jews have revived a millennium-old custom of adding a piece of fish to the seder plate. The lamb, egg, and fish symbolize the three prophets—Moses, Aaron, and Miriam—referred to in Micah 6:4. This food also alludes to the mythical beasts: (the bird [[Ziz]], the animal [[Behemoth]], and the sea-creature [[Leviathan]]) which, according to Jewish legend, are to be served at the feast for the righteous following the [[resurrection]] of the dead.<ref>Levine, Yael. [http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3238942,00.html "Where is Miriam on the Seder plate?"] ''www.ynetnews.com.'' Retrieved April 13, 2007.
 
</ref>
 
</ref>
  
Line 63: Line 61:
 
Rashi also taught that when Miram led the women in their victory song, their singing was more profound than that of the men, for the women not only sang, but also played their tambourines and danced. Thus, the women's hearts filled with joy than were the men's. (Rashi on Ex. 15:20)
 
Rashi also taught that when Miram led the women in their victory song, their singing was more profound than that of the men, for the women not only sang, but also played their tambourines and danced. Thus, the women's hearts filled with joy than were the men's. (Rashi on Ex. 15:20)
  
Moreover, Miriam's death was directly connected to the lack of water at Kadesh. Her merit was so great that a well there, hidden under the infamous rock, dried up when Miriam the [[prophet]]ess died. Rashi further taught that, just as the manna fell from heaven because of the merit of Moses and the Cloud of Glory enveloped the Israelites because of the merit of Aaron, the life-giving water was due to the merit of Miriam. <ref>Winston, Pinchas, [http://www.neveh.org/winston/parsha57/chukas.html "The Point of No Discern"] ''www.neveh.org''. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
+
Moreover, Miriam's death was directly connected to the lack of water at Kadesh. Her merit was so great that a well there, hidden under the infamous rock, dried up when Miriam the [[prophet]]ess died. Rashi further taught that, just as the manna fell from heaven because of the merit of Moses and the Cloud of Glory enveloped the Israelites because of the merit of Aaron, the life-giving waters that nourished them during their travels was due to the merit of Miriam. <ref>Winston, Pinchas, [http://www.neveh.org/winston/parsha57/chukas.html "The Point of No Discern"] ''www.neveh.org''. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
 
</ref>
 
</ref>
  
 
===Miriam's sin===
 
===Miriam's sin===
  
The rabbis knew that no human being was without sin. Even [[Moses]] sinned, and [[Aaron]], so of course [[Miriam]] too sinned, in the matter of Moses' marriage to the Cushite woman. Miriam's skin was turned white because she criticized Moses for marrying a black woman. But why was she punished, and not Aaron? According to [[Leviticus]] 13, anyone with a skin disease was disqualified from the high priesthood. The Talmud thus notes that if Aaron had been punished as well as his sister, he would no longer have been able to perform his duties.  
+
The rabbis knew that no human being was without sin. Even [[Moses]] sinned, and [[Aaron]], so of course Miriam too sinned, in the matter of Moses' marriage to the Cushite woman. Miriam's skin turned white because she criticized Moses for marrying a black woman. But why was she punished, and not Aaron? According to [[Leviticus]] 13, anyone with a skin disease was disqualified from the high priesthood. The Talmud thus notes that if Aaron had been punished as well as his sister, he would no longer have been able to perform his duties.  
  
A separate question regards the identity of Moses' Cushite wife. [[Zipporah]] is identified as the wife of Moses, so the traditional Jewish and Christian view is that Zipporah is the wife in question. However, Zipporah is described as being a [[Midianite]]. According to Richard E. Friedman, because Cush refers to [[Ethiopia]] or other African lands, the "Cushite woman" of the story is not Zipporah. Friedman, building on interpretations from the [[documentary hypothesis]], notes that Zipporah is only mentioned in the [[Yahwist]] text, ("J"), while the story of the Cushite woman is assigned to the [[Elohist]].<ref>Friedman (1997) pp. 78,92</ref>
+
A separate question regards the identity of Moses' Cushite wife. [[Zipporah]] is identified as the wife of Moses, so the traditional Jewish and Christian view is that Zipporah is the wife in question. However, Zipporah is described as being a [[Midianite]]. According to Richard E. Friedman and other modern scholars, because Cush refers to [[Ethiopia]], the "Cushite woman" of the story is not Zipporah. Friedman, building on interpretations from the [[documentary hypothesis]], notes that Zipporah is only mentioned in the [[Yahwist]] text, ("J"), while the story of the Cushite woman is assigned to the [[Elohist]].<ref>Friedman (1997) pp. 78,92</ref>
  
 
According to Friedman's interpretation, shared by several other scholars, these two accounts reflect the stories of two rival priesthoods, the Aaronic priesthood in the [[Kingdom of Judah]], which claimed descent from Aaron and which controlled the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], and a priesthood based at [[Shiloh]], in the northern [[Kingdom of Israel]]. According to Friedman, the Elohist supported the Shiloh priesthood, and thus had a strong motivation to repeat this story, which is aimed not so much at Miriam as at Aaron. It is also the Elohist who tells the story of Aaron's creating the [[Golden Calf]], while the Yahwist does not mention the incident.<ref> ''ibid''., pp. 76-77</ref>
 
According to Friedman's interpretation, shared by several other scholars, these two accounts reflect the stories of two rival priesthoods, the Aaronic priesthood in the [[Kingdom of Judah]], which claimed descent from Aaron and which controlled the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], and a priesthood based at [[Shiloh]], in the northern [[Kingdom of Israel]]. According to Friedman, the Elohist supported the Shiloh priesthood, and thus had a strong motivation to repeat this story, which is aimed not so much at Miriam as at Aaron. It is also the Elohist who tells the story of Aaron's creating the [[Golden Calf]], while the Yahwist does not mention the incident.<ref> ''ibid''., pp. 76-77</ref>
Line 87: Line 85:
  
 
*Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. ''Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories''. Schocken, 2002. ISBN 978-0805241211
 
*Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. ''Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories''. Schocken, 2002. ISBN 978-0805241211
 
*Kirsch, Jonathan. ''The Harlot By the Side of the Road''. Ballantine Books, 1998. ISBN 0345418824
 
  
 
*Russell, Letty M. ''Feminist Interpretation of the Bible''. Westminster John Knox Press, 1985. ISBN 978-0664246396  
 
*Russell, Letty M. ''Feminist Interpretation of the Bible''. Westminster John Knox Press, 1985. ISBN 978-0664246396  

Revision as of 13:50, 13 April 2007


"Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing." (Ex. 15:20)

Miriam (מִרְיָם, Miryam—"wished for child," "bitter")was the sister of Moses and Aaron, and the daughter of Amram and Jochebed. Her story is told in the books of Exodus and Numbers in the Hebrew Bible. Miriam's name could also be derived from the Egyptian words myr "beloved."

Miriam enabled the infant Moses to be nursed by his own mother after being adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh. She later went on to become a prophetess in her own right. She led the Israelite women in celebrating the Israelites' successful march through the sea, in a verse still sung by millions of Jews today. However, she and Aaron criticized Moses for marrying a Cushite woman. For this she was punished by God with a dreaded skin disease. Upon her death years later, the Israelites lost faith in Moses and Aaron, causing Moses himself to sin by striking the rock at Kadesh.

Miriam is the only woman in history known to have been allowed to enter the holdy Tabernacle in which the Ark of the Covenant was housed. She was honored in verse by the prophet Micah, who placed her on a par with Moses and Aaron, and her name was particularly popular among Jews in New Testament times, where it is rendered as "Mary." In rabbinical tradition Miriam was the teacher and leader of Israelite women; as a girl she convinced her parents to conceive Moses after they had decided not to risk having additional children due to Pharaoh's policy of murdering Israelite baby boys, and it was her merit that caused the miraculous, life-giving waters of the desert to flow for her people.

Bibiclical Narrative

Childhood

Miriam assists her mother in saving the baby Moses from Pharaoh.

It was Miriam who, at Jochebed's request, followed as Moses (then a baby) as he floated down the Nile in a reed basket to evade the Pharaoh's order that newborn Hebrew boys be killed. She watched as the Pharaoh's daughter discovered the infant. Approaching the princess, she asked: "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" (Ex. 2:7) Miriam then returned with Jochebed. Pharaoh's daughter sent the child home with the "nurse," who raised him until he was weaned and "grew older." As a result of Miriam's act, Moses could be raised to identify with his background as a Hebrew, as well as his new role as an Egyptian prince. (Exodus 2:1-10)

Prophetess and leader

Miriam does not appear again in the text until the time of the Exodus. She is called a prophetess, and composes a victory song after Pharaoh's army is drowned in persuit of the Israelites. She plays a central role in leading the Israelite women:

When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them:
"Sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he has hurled into the sea." (Exodus 15:20-21)

This short verse is considered by scholars to be one of the oldest in the Bible and is also celebrated in Jewish liturgy and folk music to this day.

Miriam and Aaron's sin

The sacred tent where Miriam spoke with Aaron and Moses.

Later, Miriam objects to the marriage of Moses to a Cushite woman. She and Aaron discuss the matter with Moses. Afterward, God commands her to enter the Tabernacle, where he speaks to Miriam and Aaron outside the sacred tent. No other woman is recorded as having the privilege of entering this sacred space.

However, Miriam and Aaron have presumed too much. Standing at the entrace of the tent in a pillar of cloud, God speaks to tell them that while they may be prophets, Moses' authority is higher than theirs. To Moses alone does God speak "face to face." To punish her, God stikes Miriam with a disease making her skin white and putrid, probably in retaliation for her objections to the dark-skinned Cushite woman. After Aaron asks Moses to intercede for Miriam, Moses prays that God will heal her. Moses requires her to be confined outside the camp for seven days, after which she recovers. (Numbers 12). Aaron, however, is not punished, perhaps because a skin disease of this nature would disqualify him from the priesthood. The text implies the essential role of Miriam in the community in noting: "the people did not move on till she was brought back." (Num. 12:15)

Death

Miriam dies and is buried at Kadesh at a great old age. Her death apparently affects the Israelites deeply. Their internal longing for Miriam as a mother-figure is parallelled by the external thirst they experience for lack of water and this encampment. Moses, too, may have been affected by the loss of his sister. Commanded by God to "speak" to a rock and bring forth water for the people, Moses instead loses his temper, denounces the people, and stikes the rock twice. Water is indeed produced, but God punishes both Moses and Aaron for this act, telling them that they will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land of Canaan as a result. (Num. 20:12)

Legacy

A passage in Micah suggests Miriam had a legacy with significant regard among later prophets:

And I brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, and I set before you Moses, and Aaron, and Miriam." Micah 6:4)

In New Testament times, Miriam was perhaps the most popular name for Jewish woman. The Greek rendering of Miriam is "Mary." At least three important people in Jesus' life were named Miriam: his mother Mary, his best known female disciple Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus who washed and anointed Jesus shortly before his death.

Today, Miriam is a popular figure among Jewish feminists. Some place a "Cup of Miriam," filled with water, beside the customary "Cup of Elijah" (filled with wine) during the Passover Seder. The cup contains water in memory of midrashic tradition of Miriam's association with the miraculous waters that accompanied the Israelites on their journey through the desert (see below). At Passover, some Orthodox Jews have revived a millennium-old custom of adding a piece of fish to the seder plate. The lamb, egg, and fish symbolize the three prophets—Moses, Aaron, and Miriam—referred to in Micah 6:4. This food also alludes to the mythical beasts: (the bird Ziz, the animal Behemoth, and the sea-creature Leviathan) which, according to Jewish legend, are to be served at the feast for the righteous following the resurrection of the dead.[1]

Rabbinical tradition

In praise of Miriam

Miriam reunites Moses and Jochabed.

Miriam is greatly lauded by the rabbis. The Talmud preserves a tradition that it was the girl Miriam who convinced her parents to have more children despite the Pharoah's decree to kill the firstborn of the Israelites. Thus, without Miriam, there would have been no Moses, and no Exdous.

The great medieval Jewish sage Rashi taught the young Miriam assisted her mother as a midwife and was particularly skilled in calming newborns and infants with her soothing voice. (Rashi on Exodus 1:15) On the other hand, she was not all sweetness. Miriam bravely demonstrated righteous indignation when, just a girl of five, she encountered the Pharaoh, saying: "Woe to this man, when God avenges him!" (Midrash Rabbah, Shemot 1:13)

Following Micah, the Talmud places Miriam on a par with Moses and Aaron in leadership: "There were three excellent leaders for Israel. They were Moses, Aaron and Miriam." While Moses and Aaron were leaders for all the people, "Miriam was the teacher of the women." (Taanit 9; Targum Micha 6:4) Seeing the suffering of her people in slavery, Miriam wept bitterly. She prayed unceasingly, and hoped for a better future. No one knew the bitterness of Egypt more than Miriam.

Miriam leads the women in song.

Rashi also taught that when Miram led the women in their victory song, their singing was more profound than that of the men, for the women not only sang, but also played their tambourines and danced. Thus, the women's hearts filled with joy than were the men's. (Rashi on Ex. 15:20)

Moreover, Miriam's death was directly connected to the lack of water at Kadesh. Her merit was so great that a well there, hidden under the infamous rock, dried up when Miriam the prophetess died. Rashi further taught that, just as the manna fell from heaven because of the merit of Moses and the Cloud of Glory enveloped the Israelites because of the merit of Aaron, the life-giving waters that nourished them during their travels was due to the merit of Miriam. [2]

Miriam's sin

The rabbis knew that no human being was without sin. Even Moses sinned, and Aaron, so of course Miriam too sinned, in the matter of Moses' marriage to the Cushite woman. Miriam's skin turned white because she criticized Moses for marrying a black woman. But why was she punished, and not Aaron? According to Leviticus 13, anyone with a skin disease was disqualified from the high priesthood. The Talmud thus notes that if Aaron had been punished as well as his sister, he would no longer have been able to perform his duties.

A separate question regards the identity of Moses' Cushite wife. Zipporah is identified as the wife of Moses, so the traditional Jewish and Christian view is that Zipporah is the wife in question. However, Zipporah is described as being a Midianite. According to Richard E. Friedman and other modern scholars, because Cush refers to Ethiopia, the "Cushite woman" of the story is not Zipporah. Friedman, building on interpretations from the documentary hypothesis, notes that Zipporah is only mentioned in the Yahwist text, ("J"), while the story of the Cushite woman is assigned to the Elohist.[3]

According to Friedman's interpretation, shared by several other scholars, these two accounts reflect the stories of two rival priesthoods, the Aaronic priesthood in the Kingdom of Judah, which claimed descent from Aaron and which controlled the Temple in Jerusalem, and a priesthood based at Shiloh, in the northern Kingdom of Israel. According to Friedman, the Elohist supported the Shiloh priesthood, and thus had a strong motivation to repeat this story, which is aimed not so much at Miriam as at Aaron. It is also the Elohist who tells the story of Aaron's creating the Golden Calf, while the Yahwist does not mention the incident.[4]

Notes

  1. Levine, Yael. "Where is Miriam on the Seder plate?" www.ynetnews.com. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  2. Winston, Pinchas, "The Point of No Discern" www.neveh.org. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  3. Friedman (1997) pp. 78,92
  4. ibid., pp. 76-77

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Bellis, Alice Ogden. Helpmates, Harlots, and Heroes: Women's Stories in the Hebrew Bible. Westminster John Knox Press, 1994 ISBN 978-0664254308
  • Frankel, Ellen. Five Books Of Miriam: A Woman's Commentary on the Torah. HarperSanFrancisco, 1998. ISBN 978-0060630379
  • Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories. Schocken, 2002. ISBN 978-0805241211
  • Russell, Letty M. Feminist Interpretation of the Bible. Westminster John Knox Press, 1985. ISBN 978-0664246396

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