As I heard it tonight...
Miriam, daughter of the leader of the Jewish community, convinced her dad that the community's idea that all Jewish married couples should get divorced and stop having babies to avoid the Pharaoh's ruling that boy babies be killed was unjust - it also eliminated life for all girl babies. Six years old, and a convincing prophetess, Miriam got her dad to shift the course of action, leading to the conception and birth of her brother, Moses. Moses would later encounter the burning bush and be convinced by seeing his staff turn into a snake to lead his people, despite his stutter. She let her people know that we had to not walk, not run, but DANCE across the parted Red Sea. Later, during the forty years in the desert, Miriam had a well which followed her, helping her people have water.
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| Miriam Dancing, a weaving by Anna Kocherovsky |
The midwives are honored for not following the Pharaoh's proclamation, by supporting the birth and life of those babies being born, not following the authoritarian command that the baby boys be killed.
We also had an orange on the Seder plate, in support of all those who feel alienated and like they have no place at the table - "like an orange on a Passover Seder plate."
L'CHAIM!
