Parshat Beshalach opens with the Egyptian pursuit of the Jews into the desert, and the splitting of the Red Sea. Even to a non-Jew, Kriat Yam Suf (the splitting of the Red Sea) is one of the most well known and dramatic scenes in the Torah. Hashem split the sea in half, and Bnei Yisrael were finally saved from the hands of the Egyptians. The Torah describes how afterwards, they stood on the banks of the sea and sang praises to Hashem, with Moshe leading the men and his sister Miriam leading the women.
The pasuk describes the womenโs song, writing:
“ืึทืชึดึผืงึทึผืึฉ ืึดืจึฐืึธึจื ืึทื ึฐึผืึดืืึธึื ืึฒืึงืึนืช ืึทึฝืึฒืจึนึื ืึถืชึพืึทืชึนึผึืฃ ืึฐึผืึธืึธึืึผ ืึทืชึตึผืฆึถึคืืึธ ืึธืึพืึทื ึธึผืฉึดืืืึ ืึทึฝืึฒืจึถึืืึธ ืึฐึผืชึปืคึดึผึืื ืึผืึดืึฐืึนืึนึฝืช:”
โMiriam the prophetess, Aharon’s sister, took the tambourine in her hand and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dances.โ1
The Midrash2 comments on the tambourines mentioned in the pasuk. It writes that this is a testament to the Bitachon (trust) of the Jewish people at the time, for they were sure that Hashem would perform miracles for them as they left Egypt. Therefore, they brought tambourines and other festive instruments with them so that they would be able to celebrate these miracles. Rashi3 quotes a similar midrash, from the Mechilta DโRabbi Yishmael, but this Midrash attributes this Bitachon specifically to the women of the generation. Indeed, the tambourines often represent the unshakable faith of the women of our nation.
It is not surprising to note that the women were the ones who held a strong faith, for they played this role throughout the entire exile in Egypt. Miriam herself is a prime example of this. The aforementioned pasuk refers to Miriam as a prophetess, and as the sister of Aharon. The commentaries wonder: why is she referred to as the sister of Aharon rather than Moshe? The Rashbam explains this rather simply, stating that the firstborn brother is commonly used to identify a woman in the Torah. However, many commentaries offer a deeper explanation, linking her title of โsister of Aharonโ to her title of prophetess.
Miriamโs most famous prophecy was given to her parents, while the Jews were still enslaved. Pharaoh had decreed that all male Jewish babies be thrown into the Nile, Amram and Yocheved had separated to prevent this fate from befalling any of their potential children. As they were community leaders, much of the Jewish nation followed suit. Miriam gave her parents a prophecy in the form of rebuke.
โYou are worse than Pharoah!โ she declared. โPharaoh has only decreed regarding the males, but you are preventing both male and female children from ever existing.โ She prophesied that the future redeemer of Bnei Yisrael would be born to Amram and Yocheved, and this prophecy was fulfilled through her younger brother Moshe. When Moshe was born, Amram recognized that the prophecy had been fulfilled, but when Moshe was left in a basket on the river, his hope dwindled.
โWhere is your prophecy now?โ he asked his daughter, but Miriamโs faith was unwavering. She waited at the banks of the river, sure that salvation would arrive. She trusted in the prophesied redemption, and waited to see the next stage of its fulfillment4.
At the time, Amram and the rest of Bnei Yisroel were concerned about the fate of the Jewish people during their current exile. Their thoughts were entrenched in the present calamity that resulted from Pharaoh’s decree. Miriam, however, had her eyes on the future. She was worried about the continued existence of the Jewish people, as evidenced by her rebuke, for Jewish status follows the mother. Her prophecy regarding Moshe shows her future oriented mindset as well. While the majority of the nation was mentally and emotionally in Galut, Miriamโs thoughts were on redemption and Geula.
This is why, in our parsha, Miriam is called a prophetess and a sister of Aharon. The pasuk is referencing the prophecy she gave before Moshe was born, when she was a sister to Aharon and Aharon alone5. By referencing this prophecy, the pasuk alludes to her belief in redemption that she carried throughout the exile. How fitting is it, then, that she led the women in concert with tambourines that show that very same belief!
Under Egyptian rule, the Jews were subjected to arduous, tortuous labor designed to break their spirits. Any normative person, under the circumstances, would certainly have license to sink into depression and hopelessness. The women, however, did not do so. They used these mirrors to tend to their appearance, so at least they could bring a bit of happiness to their husbands that way. They also did not give up on their dreams of raising children. They believed that there would be an end to the exile, and that they would be redeemed.
This feminine faith is physically represented once more, later in Sefer Shemot. When the Torah describes the construction of the Mishkanโs vessels, it mentions that the Kiyor, the water basin, was constructed from the copper mirrors that were donated6. Rashi7 writes that these mirrors were donated eagerly by the women of the nation, who used these mirrors in Egypt to beautify themselves for their husbands. At first, Moshe was appalled at the thought of accepting the mirrors. Under no circumstances could such objects of vanity and physicality be used for the holy Mishkan! However, Hashem instructed him otherwise. These mirrors were not simple objects of vanity.
Under Egyptian rule, the Jews were subjected to arduous, tortuous labor designed to break their spirits. Any normative person, under the circumstances, would certainly have license to sink into depression and hopelessness. The women, however, did not do so. They used these mirrors to tend to their appearance, so at least they could bring a bit of happiness to their husbands that way. They also did not give up on their dreams of raising children. They believed that there would be an end to the exile, and that they would be redeemed. However, the nation could not have been redeemed if there was no nation to redeem. This is why the mirrors are referred to as โthe mirrors of legions,โ for through them, the women perpetuated the legions of Yisrael that stood at Matan Torah8. They maintained their belief in Geula, and thus ensured the survival of their people.
This belief endures in the women of our nation today. Whether it was mirrors or tambourines, women have literally carried their faith with them since the exile in Mitzrayim. Even in times of despair and darkness, we have not and will not abandon our faith, and with this faith, our people will endure.
- Shemot 15:20 โฉ๏ธ
- Sechel Tov, Lekach Tov ibid โฉ๏ธ
- ibid โฉ๏ธ
- Megillah 14a โฉ๏ธ
- Rashi,Shemot 15:20, among other commentaries โฉ๏ธ
- Shemot 38:8 โฉ๏ธ
- ibid โฉ๏ธ
- Rabbeinu Bachye โฉ๏ธ
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