The Rise of Miriam
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Grab your timbrels and fill your cup
By Jacqueline Weiss
While Moses is the main character in the story of Passover, he’s definitely not the only one worthy of your attention. Enter, Miriam — older sister of Moses, player of timbrels and leader of women. Despite her efforts to help lead the Jewish people out of Egypt and sustain them for 40 years as they wandered the desert, why have her contributions not been viewed in the same way as those of Moses?
“There are an infinite number of things to focus on in Jewish life and in Torah,” said Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot of Temple Ju – dea. “And so Miriam’s contributions may not have been expressed in the same way before as they have come to be now.”
Along with the integration of Miriam’s cup into today’s Passover Seders, things changed in 1989 with the release of Debbie Fried – man’s album, “And You Shall Be a Blessing” — and one special song in particular, “Miriam’s Song.”
Debbie Friedman z”l, who died in 2011, was a transformative force in the world of Jewish music. She recorded 22 albums be – tween 1971 and 2010, and was known for music that made Jewish stories and prayers accessible, easily understandable and, best of all, enjoyable. Of her many songs, “Miriam’s Song” has become a favorite tune to sing and enjoy not only during Passover but all year round as well.
“Debbie was an incredible person who not only brought in new insights, but also really was a student,” said Rabbi Cantor Wissot of Friedman’s impact. Rabbi Cantor Wissot received a Master of Sacred Music and a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters — and a double ordination — from Hebrew Union College.
Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her in dance with timbrels.
And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea. (Exodus 15:20-11)
Rabbi Cantor Wissot continued: “It’s the reason that the Hebrew Union College renamed the School of Sacred Music the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music because she wasn’t just some – body out on the fringes writing random stuff that ended up getting included. She worked and studied diligently to source everything that she was doing in the tradition itself, and she did that more and more throughout her life.”
Rabbi Cantor Wissot explained that in pop culture, Moses usually gets the lead. “But in the Jewish tradition, and for people who observe Judaism, they know about Aaron and Miriam. And Debbie’s work helped make her more visible to everyone, not just to the people on the inside.”
In Friedman’s catchy and joyous lyrics, she tells the story of the Jewish women following a spirited Miriam out of the Red Sea and dancing toward the light with their timbrels (a percussion instrument similar to a tambourine) as they make their way out of Egypt and into the desert toward the promised land.
“When we left Egypt, people grabbed the things they thought would be relevant, all sorts of wealth that they could find, even weapons,” said Rabbi Cantor Wissot. “But Miriam grabbed the timbrel. And she encouraged all the women to grab musical instruments.”
“All of these contributions are meaningful and important. And so the elevating of Miriam to a status alongside Moses, and pointing that out and making that clear is something that helps us to build the Jewish people now and to recognize the unique gifts of all of the different contributors to this community now.” — Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot
Through the three folky verses of “Miriam’s Song,” the music offers a powerful image that almost transports listeners right to the Red Sea. Ironically, given the joy and positivity she exudes in “Miriam’s Song” and in the Exodus story as a whole, the name Miriam comes from the root word mar (meaning bitter).
In the third verse of the song, it reminds us to march on and celebrate living — a particularly vital and uplifting reminder even to this day:
And Miriam the prophet took her timbrel in her hand
And all the women followed her just as she had planned
And Miriam raised her voice in song
She sang with praise and might
We’ve just lived through a miracle
We’re going to dance tonight
Rabbi Cantor Wissot reflected on how Miriam was able to create “a spiritual uplift for people and knew that it isn’t enough to win the battle. You have to be able to celebrate. You have to be able to make a ritual out of what happens in life, and music is such a huge part of that.”
Although Miriam is only mentioned in the Torah on a few occasions, Rabbi Cantor Wissot said this shouldn’t be a reflection on her contributions not being as important as those of her brothers, Aaron and Moses: “We couldn’t have done this with just Moses. Miriam had to be a part of it too, and this is about balance. It is not about superiority of one gender over the next. It’s not about being forgotten or her not having validity. It’s really about creating balance.”
Rabbi Cantor Wissot added, “Jewish tradition says al shlosha dvarim (on three things, the world stands). And it’s really interesting that, in order to lead us from this in the greatest moment in our history, we needed these three. We needed Moses, the visionary. We needed Aaron, the priest and the voice. And we needed Miriam, who was the spiritual sustenance in the dark times.”
Traditionally, there are no women mentioned in the Haggadah (even Moses isn’t mentioned), despite their roles in the Exodus story. But within the same year that “Miriam’s Song” was released, another way to incorporate Miriam into modern Passover traditions also came about: Miriam’s cup.
A new ritual began in Boston, Massachusetts, from a group of women who met monthly to celebrate Rosh Chodesh. Stephanie Loo, a member of the group, set out a cup of mayim chayim (living waters) in honor of Miriam and made it a part of their monthly meetings. While it’s not clear which came first, “Miriam’s Song” or Miriam’s cup, word spread, and the new ritual caught on, making Miriam’s cup a new tradition to include in Passover Seders.
Exactly when to incorporate Miriam’s cup into the Seder is up to you. Some start with filling it at the beginning, which can be a nice opening bookend with Elijah’s cup at the end. Others may fill it during the Seder, or even toward the end.
Rabbi Cantor Wissot said, “If you’re thinking about your Passover Seder, I think this is the time period where the unity of the Jewish people is talked about a lot, and how we are not going to succeed unless we continue to build on that foundation of unity. And that doesn’t mean we all have to agree, and that doesn’t mean we all have to live our Judaism the same way. But it does mean that we have to stand strong together and have respect for the contributions that each player is able to give.”
Miriam is connected to the theme of water in several ways, hence the cup of water in her honor. At the beginning of the Exodus story, she watches over her younger brother, Moses, in the Nile River. Later, she sang, danced and played her timbrels at the shore of the Red Sea after the Israelites safely crossed through the parted waters. Once they were through the Red Sea and into the desert for 40 years, Miriam’s well was the source of water that followed them and sustained them.
Not only is Miriam’s cup something inclusive to have at your Seder in the context of the story of Passover, but it should be recognized for the meaning beyond that, says Rabbi Cantor Wissot. “Miriam’s cup is also a way to help girls and women understand that there is a solid place for them at the table.”
Rabbi Cantor Wissot went on to explain that the history of women in Judaism shows us that women are incredibly valuable and do have a seat at the table. “Women are really important, but it’s just not always as clear, and so this is one of those things that helps to make it clearer.”
From Miriam and the other strong women of the Torah, to the modern-day faces and voices of Judaism like Debbie Friedman and Rabbi Cantor Wissot, we are all more than deserving of a seat at the table.
