Moses on the Nile
住驻专 讛讗讙讚讛鈥撟溩撟� 讜讙讬讚讜诇讜 诪砖讛, 讟讝’
讜转转爪讘 讗讞讜转讜 诪专讞讜拽
诇诪讛 注诪讚讛 诪专讬诐 诪专讞讜拽? 讗诪专 专讘 诇驻讬 砖讛讬转讛 诪专讬诐 诪转谞讘讗转 讜讗讜诪专转: 注转讬讚讛 讗讬诪讬 砖转诇讚 讘谉 砖诪讜砖讬注 讗转 讬砖专讗诇 诪讬讚 诪爪专讬诐. 讜讻讬讜谉 砖谞讜诇讚 诪砖讛 谞转诪诇讗 讻诇 讛讘讬转 讻讜诇讜 讗讜专. 注诪讚 讗讘讬讛 讜谞砖拽讛 注诇 专讗砖讛. 讗诪专 诇讛: 讘讬转讬 谞转拽讬讬诪讛 谞讘讜讗转讱! 讜讻讬讜谉 砖讛转讬诇讜讛讜 诇讬讗讜专, 注诪讚 讗讘讬讛 讜讟驻讞 诇讛 注诇 专讗砖讛: 讘讬转讬, 讛讬讻谉 谞讘讜讗转讱? 讜讝讛 砖谞讗诪专 “讜转转爪讘 讗讞讜转讜 诪专讞讜拽, 诇讬讚注 诪讛 讬注砖讛 诇讜, 诇讬讚注 诪讛 讬讛讗 讘住讜祝 谞讘讜讗转讛.
Sefer Ha-Aggadah鈥攖he Birth and Childhood of Moses, 16
“And his sister stood afar off” (Exod. 2:4) What is meant by the statement that Miriam stood afar off? Rav explained that Miriam had prophesied: “My mother is destined to give birth to a son who will save Israel from Egypt.” And so when Moses was born and the house, all of it, was flooded with radiant light, Miriam’s father stood up and kissed her on the head, saying, “My daughter, your prophecy is fulfilled!” But after Moses was put into the river, her father tapped her on the head and whispered sadly, “My daughter, what is to become of your prophecy?” Hence the verse is to be read, “And his sister pondered over what would be done to him afar off”鈥攑ondered over the ultimate outcome of her prophecy in a time far off.
Hayim Nahman Bialik and Yehoshua Hana Ravnitsky’s The Book of Legends/Sefer Ha-Aggadah: Legends from the Talmud and Midrash is a masterpiece not only for its breadth and thematic arrangement of midrashim, but also for the editorial hand that weaves stories from various sources into vibrant legends of their own. Here we are given a midrash imagining not only Miriam’s role as a young prophet, but also the emotional turmoil she and her father, Amram, endured as Moses is born and then sent off in his basket down the Nile.
How familiar are their emotions and the way that those emotions quickly turn from joy鈥攁 joy that seems able to literally fill one’s home with light鈥攖o a sadness that causes us to speak in whispers of our despair. How tender, too, the relationship painted between Miriam and Amram鈥攁 relationship in which he marvels at his daughter’s gift of prophecy and shares with her his own rich inner life. How human, the image of the daughter eager to please her father and save her brother, hoping almost beyond hope in the truth of her prophecy as she wanders over to stand at a distance from the scene unfolding and ponder what will be.
I write this week from JTS’s Rabbinic Training Institute (RTI), a conference designed to give Conservative rabbis a chance to stand afar in order to gain perspective on the work they do and to take stock of the joys, despairs, and questions they deal with daily. And so it is this image鈥攐f Miriam standing at the riverbank wondering what will happen to this brother she loves so much鈥攖hat resonates most. In our own journeys we are all a bit like Miriam, not knowing how things will end but living through the ups and downs of life and sharing those moments with those closest to us. The midrash invites us all to do what RTI invites the rabbinic leaders of our communities to do: to every so often take a step back to watch the scenes of our lives unfolding and ponder what is happening and what is yet to come.
