The painting ‘The Mother of Moses’ by Simeon Solomon (1860) depicts Jocheved and Miriam looking and holding Moses. (Photo: Delaware Art Museum/Wikipedia Commons)

By Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Rabbi Lauren Holtblatt

On Passover, Jews are commanded to tell the story of the Exodus and to see ourselves as having lived through that story, so that we may better learn how to live our lives today. The stories we tell our children shape what they believe to be possible–which is why at Passover, we must tell the stories of the women who played a crucial role in the Exodus narrative.

The Book of Exodus, much like the Book of Genesis, opens in pervasive darkness. Genesis describes the earth as “unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep.”¹ In Exodus, darkness attends the accession of a new Pharaoh who feared the Israelites and so enslaved them. God alone lights the way out of the darkness in Genesis. But in Exodus, God has many partners, first among them, five brave women.

There is Yocheved, Moses’ mother, and Shifra and Puah, the famous midwives. Each defies Pharaoh’s decree to kill the Israelite baby boys. And there is Miriam, Moses’ sister, about whom the following midrash is taught:

[When Miriam’s only brother was Aaron] she prophesied… “my mother is destined to bear a son who will save Israel.” When [Moses] was born the whole house… filled with light[.] [Miriam’s] father arose and kissed her on the head, saying, “My daughter, your prophecy has been fulfilled.” But when they threw [Moses] into the river her father tapped her on the head saying, “Daughter, where is your prophecy?” So it is written, “And [Miriam] stood afar off to know what would be[come of] the latter part of her prophecy.”²

Finally, there is Pharaoh’s daughter Batya, who defies her own father and plucks baby Moses out of the Nile. The Midrash reminds us that Batya knew exactly what she doing:

When Pharaoh’s daughter’s handmaidens saw that she intended to rescue Moses, they attempted to dissuade her, and persuade her to heed her father. They said to her: “Our mistress, it is the way of the world that when a king issues a decree, it is not heeded by the entire world, but his children and the members of his household do observe it, and you wish to transgress your father’s decree?”³

But transgress she did.

These women had a vision leading out of the darkness shrouding their world. They were women of action, prepared to defy authority to make their vision a reality bathed in the light of the day.

Retelling the heroic stories of Yocheved, Shifra, Puah, Miriam and Batya reminds our daughters that with vision and the courage to act, they can carry forward the tradition those intrepid women launched.

While there is much light in today’s world, there remains in our universe disheartening darkness, inhumanity spawned by ignorance and hate. We see horrific examples in the Middle East, parts of Africa, and Ukraine. The Passover story recalls to all of us-women and men-that with vision and action we can join hands with others of like mind, kindling lights along paths leading out of the terrifying darkness.

Sources:

1 Genesis 1:2

2 Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 14a

3 Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 12b

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second woman to serve as a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Appointed by President William Jefferson Clinton in 1993, she was known as a strong voice for gender equality, the rights of workers, and separation between church and state. She began her career as a justice where she left off as an advocate, fighting for women’s rights. In 1996, Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion in United States v. Virginia, holding that qualified women could not be denied admission to Virginia Military Institute. Her style in advocating from the bench matches her style from her time at the ACLU: slow but steady, and calculated. Instead of creating sweeping limitations on gender discrimination, she attacked specific areas of discrimination and violations of women’s rights one at a time, so as to send a message to the legislatures on what they can and cannot do. She passed away at age 87 on September 18, 2020.

Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, a rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C.., is recognized by the Forward as one of the “32 most inspiring rabbis,” and has not only radically transformed Adas Israel and led it to a period of unprecedented success, but her influence extends far beyond the pulpit. As a key figure in spiritual leadership and national Jewish and interfaith engagement, she has welcomed two sitting U.S. presidents and numerous world leaders into the community, facilitating meaningful dialogue between them and the broader Jewish community. At Adas, she has revitalized the caretaking (Hesed) and bereavement efforts, co-created the acclaimed MakomDC adult learning curriculum, launched wildly successful worship services, and directs the Jewish Mindfulness Center of Washington, recognized as a top innovative Jewish project. Previously, she served as the Hillel Foundation Director of Campus Initiatives, Associate Rabbi at Yale University Hillel, and was a rabbinic fellow at B’nai Jeshurun in New York. Rabbi Holtzblatt is married to Ari Holtzblatt, and they have two children, Blumah and Elijah.

This essay is part of American Jewish World Service’s Chag v’Chesed (“Celebration and Compassion”) series. Written by prominent leaders, Chag v’Chesed draws on teachings from the holidays to inform our thinking about Judaism and social justice. AJWS is committed to a pluralistic view of Judaism and honors a broad spectrum of interpretation of our texts and traditions. It was originally published at the AJWS website on March 18, 2015.