Parshas Chukas (5779)
According to Jewish tradition, one of the greatest women who ever lived was Miriam, the older sister of Moses and Aaron. And in this week’s Torah portion, Parshas Chukas, we are told that she died. As the Torah states: “The Children of Israel, the whole assembly, arrived at the Wilderness of Zin in the first month and the people settled in Kadesh. Miriam died there and she was buried there†(Numbers 20:1).
In honor of this great biblical personality, I would like to share with you ten things about Miriam that you might not know. Enjoy!
1) In his commentary to the Song of Songs on the verse (2:11), “the rain is over and goneâ€, Rashi cites a Midrash which explains that just as rain is the harshest part of winter, so the harshest part of the 210 years of Egyptian bondage was the 86 years from the birth of Miriam; they, too, are now over and gone. In a parenthetical phrase Rashi adds she was called Miriam (lit. “bitternessâ€) because from her birth the Egyptians increased the bitterness of the bondage upon the Jews [as it says (Exodus 1:14): “they embittered their livesâ€].
2) Miriam also had other names. In the Book of Chronicles 1 2:18 she is referred to as Azuvah. The Talmud in Sotah 12a explains that Miriam was called Azuvah (which literally means “rejected†or “abandonedâ€) because as a young girl she was sickly, and no Jewish boy wanted to marry her. She was also called Yerios (lit. “sheetâ€), because her face was like a sheet, with an unhealthy pallor. [See the Book of Chronicles (ibid.) for other names that were given to Miriam.]
3) Ultimately, it was the righteous Jew Kalev who married Miriam for the sake of Heaven. [Kalev ben Yefuneh was one of twelve Jews who Moses sent ahead of the Jewish people to spy out the Land of Israel – see Numbers 13:1-14:45. Yet only he and Joshua bin Nun came back with a favorable report while the rest of the spies spoke negatively about the land, and they – along with the Jewish people who believed their report – were duly punished.] Kalev was honored in the Book of Chronicles 1 4:5 by the addition of the name Avi, “my father,†because he became like a father to his wife Miriam. Rashi explains that he busied himself getting Miriam the medicines and foods which sick people need and nursing her back to health. Our Sages relate that Miriam fully recovered from her illness and her face became beautifully youthful once again.
4) Miriam was one of the two heroic midwives in Egypt who defied Pharaoh’s order to kill all Jewish baby boys during childbirth. [The other midwife was none other than Miriam’s own mother Jochebed!] Even though the Torah in Exodus 1:15 refers to the midwives as Shifra and Puah, the Talmud in Sotah 11b tells us that Puah’s real name was Miriam, yet as a midwife she was called “Puah†because she would coo (“pooâ€) and sooth the crying babies. Due to the brave efforts of Miriam and her mother Jochebed, untold numbers of Jewish babies were saved.
5) The Talmud in Sotah 12a tells us that Amram, Miriam’s father, was "head of the Sanhedrin" and "the leader of his generation". When Pharaoh decreed the death of all the male Jewish children, Amram divorced Jochebed, his wife, declaring: "We labor in vain." His example was followed by all the men in Israel. His daughter, Miriam, however, criticized his action, declaring that his example was worse than Pharaoh's decree. Whereas Pharaoh issued a decree (only) against the males, Amram effectively issued a decree against the females as well [for now none will be born.] Amram heeded her words, and remarried Jochebed. All the men of Israel then followed his example and remarried their wives. We can thus say that Miriam “caused†the birth of Moses, the savior of the Jewish people, for without her critique of her father’s actions, Amram would not have remarried Jochebed and Moses would not have been born!
6) The Talmud in Megillah 14a lists seven great Jewish prophetesses that the Jewish people had throughout history: Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Chuldah, and Esther. How do we know that Miriam was a prophetess? Because it says, “Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister …†(Exodus 15:20). And what was her prophecy? She said, “In the future my mother will give birth to son who will save Israelâ€. When Moses was born, the whole house was filled with light. [Seeing this] her father rose and kissed her on the head and said to her, “My daughter, your prophecy has been fulfilledâ€. But when they had to place Moses into the Nile River, her father rose and tapped her on the head and said, “My daughter, where is your prophecy?†Therefore it says, “[The child’s] sister [Miriam] stood herself at a distance to know what would happen to him†(Exodus 2:4), which is interpreted to mean: to know what would be the outcome of her prophecy.
7) After the miraculous Splitting of the Sea, the Torah relates the following: "Miriam the Prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took her drum in her hand and all the women went forth after her with drums and with dances. Miriam spoke up to them, "Sing to G-d for He is exalted above the arrogant, having hurled horse with its rider into the sea." (Exodus 15:20-21). One has to wonder how the women got a hold of drums at that time? They certainly didn’t buy them from a music store in the desert! Rashi quotes a Midrash that tells us the most incredible thing: The Jewish women – led by Miriam the Prophetess - were so confident that G-d would perform miracles and save them from their Egyptian captors, that they actually brought drums with them as they were packing up to leave Egypt! What faith Miriam and the rest of the Jewish women showed during a time of crisis when no one could have known what the outcome of the great escape from Egypt would be! The women just knew that G-d would come through for them, and they took along musical instruments for just such an occasion! Amazing!
8) The Talmud in Ta’anis 9a teaches that the Jewish people were sustained for forty years in the desert by three great benefactors: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Why are these three seen as being benefactors of Israel? Because it was in their merit that Israel was granted three gifts: the manna in the merit of Moses, the clouds of glory in the merit of Aaron, and the well in the merit of Miriam. “Miriam’s Well,†as it became known - a miraculous “rolling rock†that accompanied the Jewish people on their wanderings - provided fresh water in the desert, not only for the people but also for their cattle and sheep. It also made the desert bloom with green pastures and beautifully scented flowers. [According to a Midrash, cited by Rashi in his commentary to Ethics of the Fathers (5:8), expressions of praise miraculously gushed forth from the well, recounting G-d’s great miracles on behalf of His people!] When Miriam passed away, the waters in the well ceased. As we read in this week’s Torah portion: “Miriam died there and she was buried there. There was no water for the assembly ...†(Numbers, 20:1-2)".
9) The Torah relates in Numbers 12:1-16 that Miriam and Aaron spoke lashon hara (slander) against their brother Moses regarding his relationship with his wife Zipporah. As punishment for instigating the criticism against Moses, Miriam was afflicted with a Divinely imposed skin condition called tzaraas, Moses prayed to G-d and Miriam was cured of her tzaraas – yet G-d decreed that she be quarantined outside the camp for seven days before moving on. And here the Torah tells us the most amazing thing: “…and the people did not journey until Miriam was brought in†(ibid. 12:15). This means that the entire Jewish nation had such a love and respect for Miriam that they all decided to wait an entire week in the desert just for Miriam to come back to the camp!
10) Miriam, the great prophetess and benefactor of the Jewish people, passed away on the 10th of Nissan in the Hebrew year 2487 - a year to the day before the Jewish people crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land, under the leadership of Joshua bin Nun. The day of Miriam's passing became a fast day for all generations, in memory of this righteous woman. [See Shulchan Aruch O.C. 580:1-2 that most people don’t fast on these days anymore.]
[Sources: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/112396/jewish/Miriam.htm]
http://www.torchweb.org/torah_detail.php?id=573