Illustration credit: Rebecca Kerzner
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
After Benei Yisrael crossed the יַם סוּף (Yam Suf, Reed Sea), a party broke out.
(כ) וַתִּקַּח֩ מִרְיָ֨ם הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה אֲח֧וֹת אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־הַתֹּ֖ף בְּיָדָ֑הּ וַתֵּצֶ֤אןָ כׇֽל־הַנָּשִׁים֙ אַחֲרֶ֔יהָ בְּתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹלֹֽת׃
Then Miriam the prophetess, Aharon’s sister, took a drum in her hand, and all the women went out after her, dancing with drums.
A midrash wonders how this worked.
"אֶת הַתֹּף בְּיָדָהּ" - וְכִי מִנַּיִן הָיוּ לָהֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל תֻּפִּים וּמְחוֹלוֹת בַּמִּדְבָּר?
אֶלָּא הַצַּדִּיקִים הָיוּ מֻבְטָחִים וְיוֹדְעִים שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹשֶׂה לָהֶם נִסִּים וּגְבוּרוֹת עֵת שֶׁיּוֹצְאִין מִמִּצְרַיִם. וְהִתְקִינוּ לָהֶם תֻּפִּים וּמְחוֹלוֹת.
Miriam “took a drum in her hand” – but how did Benei Yisrael have drums with them in the wilderness? It’s because the righteous people were totally faithful and confident that God would perform miracles for them at the time they went out of Mitzrayim (Egypt). So they prepared their drums in advance.
- The midrash is noticing that Benei Yisrael needed a lot more miracles to save them even after they left Mitzrayim. But Miriam and the righteous people seemed to have complete faith that they would be saved.
- Where do you think that faith came from? Would that have come easily, or would it have been difficult to have that faith?
- What about you—can you think of challenges in your life that you feel confident will work out well, even if you’re not sure how? Do you also have challenges that you feel less confident about? Have you ever tried to act more confident than you feel?
- Consider Benei Yisrael’s actions throughout our parashah. When do they seem to have a lot of faith and optimism that things will be ok? When do they seem to be lacking that confidence?
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