Machshavot HaRav: Reflections from Rabbi Waxman
A Paean to Women

Shabbat Shirah, the Sabbath of song (or of poetry—the Hebrew word Shirah does double duty), is tomorrow. The appellation is derived from the fact that both Shirat HaYam, the song of the sea,  in Exodus 15, and Shirat Devorah, the song of Deborah, in Judges 5, are recited; the former as part of the Torah reading; the latter as the haftorah. This is a rare juxtaposition of two poetic passages, one from the Torah and one from The Prophets. (The only other instance is the poetic portion of Ha’azinu, which is usually read between Yom Kippur and Sukkot, and is joined with a psalm-like passage from II Samuel attributed to David, the soon to be king. [II Samuel 22 is almost identical to Psalm 18.])
 However, I would propose an alternate designation: Shabbat Nashim, the Sabbath of women.

The Torah and haftorah readings offer also an uncommon combination, in this case, of named women with prominent roles in both the Torah and haftorah readings. (The only other time this happens is on the 1st day of Rosh Hashanah, when the Torah reading mentions Sarah and Hagar and the haftorah highlights Hannah.) This week, the Torah reading mentions Miriam, and the haftorah highlights Deborah and Yael.

Most of us can readily identify Miriam. She is Moses’ older sister, the one who watched over him as he floated in his basket in the Nile. But what is interesting is how she is described in her brief appearance in this week’s reading. She is identified as a prophet, the sister of Aaron. The absence of reference to Moses is puzzling, especially since her moment in the sun comes right after the song of the sea attributed to Moses. (Interestingly, a number of contemporary scholars have suggested that the one line of song and which is attributed to Miriam, but sounds like a refrain, is but a snippet of what she and the women sang. And some have gone so far as to suggest that she was the singer of the song of the sea, not Moses.) The fact that Miriam is given the status of prophet makes her relatively distinctive: there are but a handful of women so identified in the entire Hebrew Bible. Her prophetic status will play itself out later in a challenge to Moses’ leadership, found in the Book of Numbers. And in our age she has captured a place at many of our seders, with the Cup of Miriam.
Deborah and Yael are a bit more obscure; certainly Yael (or Jael, as it is often appears in English) is an unknown cipher to many. Deborah is counted as one of the early leaders of Israel, during the time between Joshua and the first of the Hebrew kings, Saul. But it is clear that she does more than arbitrate cases. She is a leader and in this instance serves as a military leader. Furthermore, she, too, is designated as a prophet, even though no prophetic messages or miracles are associated with her, at least in the Biblical text.

Yael is even more interesting. Sisera, the commanding general of the Canaanites, seeks refuge in her tent after he flees the rout of his forces by the Israelite tribal army.  The text says she gave him some milk and while he slept she took a tent pin and drove it through his temple until he died. (Whether this was warm milk and had a soporific effect or she had it laced with something alcoholic the text does not say.) What makes this ever more interesting is that she was not a MOT, but the wife of Heber the Kenite. From the standpoint of the early Israelites she is clearly a hero, who despite the amity between the Canaanite king of Hazor and her husband intervenes on behalf of the Israelites. Her deed becomes the model for the fictional Maccabean age heroine Judith who will likewise eliminate an enemy general.

In our era when women still are far from equal in the seats of power, it is good to be reminded of powerful and forceful women in our history. There must have been many others; but their names are forgotten to history.  So this Shabbat while we celebrate the deeds of Miriam, Deborah and Jael who centuries ago guided the destiny of our people, let us pause to remember the countless un-named women who over the span of many centuries have shaped Jewish life for the better.
Shabbat shalom.

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PS.  You may have read or heard that  Susan G. Komen for the Cure has cut funding to Planned Parenthood for breast health screenings eliminating funding for 170,000 breast exams. It apparently has bowed to anti-choice pressure. I find this regrettable, as I have supported both organizations. There is a petition that is circulating on-line urging Komen to restore funding for breast health care to Planned Parenthood. I include it below, having signed the petition myself, as have many of my colleagues.

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Chadashot MeYisrael: News from Israel
Israel Ski Country

Sounds like an oxymoron: skiing and Israel. Yet, since the 6 Day War, there has been one part of Israel in which skiing is possible, albeit for a short time, up on Mount Hermon, on the Golan Heights, near the border with Syria. The season lasts all of a month and half. But as a journalist for Haaretz noted: “that's more than enough time to breathe in the crisp air, taste the dancing snowfalls, build a snowman, and slide or ski up and down the slopes. “

The snow is about 3 feet deep and there is probably another 4-5 feet on the upper slopes. As a non-skier, I don’t know if this is good or bad. But it appears sufficient for the Israelis who have caught the bug and don’t wish to bundle their skis and themselves off to Europe for the season.
The Mount Hermon ski slopes are spread out across 50 kilometers and range according to difficulty: blue (easy), red (hard) and black (very hard). There are also bunny trails to practice on, as well as extreme (and tamer) sledding courses. Of course, there are instructors available for both skiing and snowboarding.

The winter wonderland experience isn’t cheap. Indeed, just to enter the slopes and ride the cable car is 92 shekels, about $25 at current exchange rates. Children 12 and under save all of $2 and then there are the costs for ski passes—a day pass is about $70-- and add to that the rental of skis and the layered outfit you need for skiing,  and you find yourself with an expensive adventure. But it is a rare experience. So perhaps you should begin booking your trip to Israel for next January/February and its short sky season. Happy Trails!

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Payrushim LaTorah: Comments on the Weekly Torah Reading

The portion of B’shalach (Exodus 14:15-16:10) is read this Shabbat, February 4th.

15:21 And Miriam chanted for them: “Sing to YHWH, for He has triumphed gloriously; horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.”

15:21 And Miriam chanted for them. Interpreters visualized two choral groups at the sea chanting the same song, both led by prophets: the men by Moses, the women by Miriam. Just as Moses recited the Song among the men, so it was Miriam who recited among the women: “Sing to YHWH for He has triumphed gloriously” (M’chilta, Shirta 10).

In rabbinic literature, Miriam and Moses often appear in parallel, with Miriam given an equal status to Moses. In a midrash in the 13th-century-C.E. Midrash Hagadol, Joseph explains two dreams of Pharaoh in which the number three appears. According to Joseph’s interpretation, the double appearance of this number refers to the three patriarchs and to the three leaders who would redeem the people from Egypt: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Furthermore, the miraculous well of Miriam, which accompanied the people of Israel through the wilderness and sustained them because of Miriam’s righteousness BT [Babylonian Talmud] Taanit 9a; B’midbar Rabbah 1.2), was among the ten miraculous entities created by God during the twilight on the eve of the first Sabbath (Mishnah Avot 5:6). This well complements the manna, which was given to the people because of Moses’ righteousness. The Talmud (BT Taanit 9a, among many other sources) explains as follows: “Rabbi Yose the son of Rabbi Judah says, ‘Three good leaders had arisen for Israel—namely, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam—and for their sake three good things were given: the well, the clouds of glory, and the manna. The first was given for the merits of Miriam, the second for those of Aaron, and the third for those of Moses.’” The well disappeared at Miriam’s death, but one tradition says a vessel of water from Miriam’s well is one of three concealed objects that Elijah will restore in the messianic age, along with vessels of manna and of sacred oil M’chilta, Vayassa 6). (Claudia Setzer, “B’shalach: Post-biblical Interpretations,” in Eskenazi and Weiss, editors, The Torah: A Women’s Commentary. Setzer is Professor of Religious Studies at Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York and is the author of several studies dealing with rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity.)