Water, Water, Water - Chronicle Online/The WORD 07/11/2024

Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah

July 11, 2024

5 Tamuz 5784

Parashat Chukat

Just a few days ago, Hurricane Beryl pummeled Texas. Perhaps, it caught my attention because Beryl was my father’s Yiddish name. I suspect that the hurricane’s name has a different etymology from my father’s name, which means “little bear.”  

At the same time, drought conditions continued in the DC/Virginia area after the driest June on record. And, California just adopted strict new water conservation rules state-wide.

It seems that water is in the headlines across the country—either because of too much or because of too little water. I couldn’t help but think about Miriam the Prophetess whose death is described in this week’s Torah portion. She has long been associated with the blessing of water.

Specifically, in this week’s Torah portion, after Miriam’s death, we read the following: The Israelites arrived in a body at the wilderness of Zin on the first new moon, and the people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there. The community was without water, and they joined against Moses and Aaron (Num. 20:1-2).

As a result of the juxtaposition of Miriam’s death and the absence of water, the ancient rabbis inferred that Miriam had been responsible for providing water to the Israelites during their years of wandering in the wilderness. According to the midrash, Miriam had a miraculous well that followed her wherever she went.  The community was without water because their access to that well was cut off after Miriam’s death. Some of us commemorate that well by placing Miriam’s Cup on our Seder tables.

Previously in the Torah, we read about Miriam’s role in arranging for Moses to be nursed by his own mother after he was found by the daughter of Pharaoh: When she [the Levite woman] could hide him [the infant] no longer, she got a wicker basket for him and caulked it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child into it and placed it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. And his sister [Miriam] stationed herself at a distance, to learn what would befall him (Exodus 2:3-4).

In addition, we have also read about Miriam’s role in the celebration after the crossing of the Sea of Reeds: 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 15:20-21).

Three stories about Miriam, and all of them are connected to water. In all three of the stories, the water posed a danger—the absence of water in the wilderness, a helpless baby floating on the water of the Nile, and the crossing of the Red Sea. Somehow, though, in all three stories, water sustained life instead of taking it. Through Miriam, we are reminded of both the necessity of water as well as the power of water.

Hopefully, through sound environmental decisions, we can ensure that water continues to sustain us without posing a risk to our lives. Perhaps, that is what we should think about when we place Miriam’s cup on our Seder tables.

Shalom,

RAF.