Living on the cusp of Mashiach, our wondrous generation is on a special search to understand the depth of the Torah’s teachings for women. Let’s explore deep wisdom about the rise of holy femininity in the pre-messianic era by studying the women in the Torah.
In order to redeem the Jewish people from Egypt, Hashem blessed them with three “shepherds”, leaders who would facilitate their national birth and deliverance, two men, and one woman: Moshe, Aharon and Miriam. Because the nature of the feminine dimension is so hidden, it requires the hidden dimension of Torah, called P’nimius haTorah – the internality of the Torah, to draw out its beauty in a safe and appropriate way, utilizing the kedusha of the feminine to achieve the greatest unity between us and Hashem. I hope that what follows helps you connect to the femininity of the women in the midbar (desert), and beyond, in a whole new way.
The Maharal writes that although in the final generation there will be another redeemer, like Moshe, – Mashiach – there will however not be another singular female figure like Miriam. Instead, all of N’shei Yisroel collectively will be the reincarnation of Miriam’s giant soul, forming one powerful force for redemption, just like Miriam was in Egypt. Miriam’s greatness is known – how she took her tambourine (having prepared them even before the Exodus), and led the women out of the exile with faith, song and joy, how she stood up against her father with hope (by objecting to his decision to avoid having more children because of Pharoah’s decree) in the darkest parts of the exile, and how she defeated all odds by withstanding the wicked Pharaoh in her role as midwife during their bondage.
The Arizal goes deeper into this, revealing that the inspiration of Miriam is not just paragonic – but that our generation actually IS a reincarnation of the generation that exited Egypt. As our sages say, “just like the nation was redeemed in Mitzrayim because of the righteous women, so too in every generation [right up to, and including, the final one] we will be redeemed in the merit of the righteous women of that generation.”
Aside from the glowing reports of Miriam’s faith, strength, and leadership – what actually was the merit of the women in Egypt, that according to our sages will reawaken and be reinstated within us, as the women living in the final generation?
Our sages tell us that after the people had safely passed through the sea and were preparing to erect the Mishkan in the desert so that Hashem’s presence could dwell among them, the women donated items to the dedication of the tabernacle – their copper mirrors, to build the Kiyor (laver), the vessel of the Mishkan which allowed the kohanim and levi’im to ritually cleanse themselves from impurity, and reinstate marital peace that had begun to fray.
What did the women use these mirrors for? Rashi tells us that during the most bitter parts of the exile, the women would gaze into their copper mirrors together with their husbands and say to their spouses; “I am more beautiful than you”, as if to remind them to appreciate their beauty, waking them up from the horrible nightmare of Egypt. The Midrash pulls back the curtain to reveal that when the women collectively began to donate these mirrors, Moshe began to balk at the thought of including them in the holy service of the Mishkan. But Hashem intervened, lovingly explaining to Moshe – “these are the most precious to Me of all.” And so, Moshe accepted them to craft the Kiyor (laver).
Even though Miriam’s name isn’t explicitly mentioned in this Midrash about the women in the desert, her essence and energy is all over these mirrors. (Even her name, Miriam, sounds similar to the English word, Mirror!). How did the female leader, the female “parnas”, shepherd, and midwife of this fledgling nation manage to inspire the women of her generation, that somehow we, the collective “Miriam” of our generation, will emulate? What is actually the righteous act that is being called for from the holy women?
In order to answer this enormous, relevant question, it is necessary to visit a part of Miriam’s story that we often skim over – precisely because on the surface, it carries pain, shame, and apparent blemish of our beloved leader and guide, Miriam the Tzadekes.
You know what I am referring to. It is one of the six remembrances that a Jew is obliged to incur in his mind, daily; “Remember what Hashem your G-d did to Miriam, on the way, as you departed Egypt.” During their encampment in the desert, a perilous and precarious time for a nation rehabilitating from their servitude in Egypt and preparing to enter into their Holy Land, Miriam overheard Tzipora say that now that Moshe Rabbeinu was entrusted to bring down the Torah, he had separated from her. This separation between husband and wife so troubled Miriam, a leader dedicated to bringing couples back together, that l’toeles, she confided her concern with her trusted brother, Aharon. Instantly, Hashem appeared to them and scolded them for speaking judgmentally about Moshe, explaining that his prophecy was on a higher level than theirs, and therefore he had different requirements with regard to his personal affairs.
What becomes clear is that although initially the issue Miriam brought up was with regard to the holiness of the Jewish marriage, in truth what Hashem wanted to teach us through her story is the supremacy of Moshe Rabbeinu’s prophecy. Miriam was stricken with tzara’as (leprosy) indicating her error, Moshe prayed for her recovery and the entire Jewish people waited seven days until her purification process was complete.
On the deeper level, Chassidic and Kabbalistic masters such as Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (the Ba’al HaTanya), the Arizal and others explain the essence of Miriam’s sin to reveal what was really happening behind the scenes. Just as Miriam’s well conjures up deep waters, the feminine teachings rise from within the earth and meet the revealed rainlike waters of the revealed Torah teachings, forming a complete transmission that heals and restores the soul.
In Hashem’s response to Miriam’s criticism of Moshe, He explains; Moshe is not like other prophets, who prophesize through dreams or riddles. Rather, he sees a direct representation of the Divine, communing with Hashem mouth to mouth, face to face.
If you pay attention to the different expressions of Hashem’s response and explanation of the difference between the prophecy of Moshe and other prophets (including Miriam and Aharon), you will notice that the vision, “mar’eh”, that Moshe sees is vowelised as מרֶאה (pronounced mar’eh, which is masculine), while the prophecies of all other prophets are vowelised מָראה (mar’ah, which is feminine). The different vowelization hints to a masculine vs. feminine prophetic experience which must be understood to grasp what is going on beneath the surface.
Our sages (Yevamos 55) explain the difference between feminine and masculine prophecies with an analogy. Moshe beheld the Divine with what is called an “Aspaklaria HaMe’irah” – a clear lens. There was no static, distortion or opacity in his prophetic vision – what he saw was the message itself, in pristine clarity. There was no one else that would ever beat this level of communion with Hashem – it was unique and exclusive to Moshe Rabbeinu, the giver of the Torah. Other prophets, however, prophesied with an “Aspaklaria She’aina Me’irah” – a muddied, cloudy, unclear lens of perception, where the subject of prophecy appeared through a haze or distant likeness of the original “image”. There were many who grasped the Divine in this way throughout history, and vis a vis Moshe, collectively they represent more of a feminine mode of perception.
Moshe was at the pinnacle of prophetic achievement, and no other prophet, male or female, will ever reach his level. But as we move closer to the messianic era, qualities that we thought were inferior are revealed as containing some sort of advantage, when we least expect it.
Though we are so far from the giving of Torah, we are indeed close to the coming of Mashiach, and a whole new scale of spiritual achievement is appearing on the horizon. For these qualities of achievement, Miriam is indeed its leader. Oh yes, she was before her time, and in the context of the giving of the Torah and the Jewish people’s wanderings in the desert, her critique of Moshe Rabbeinu was out of place and required correction. However, she was holding a special piece of wisdom that she wished to impart to us, women living in the final generation. She endured the repercussions of her misapplied speech – and yet it was still spoken “l’toeles” (with good intentions). She may have erred, misunderstanding Moshe’s greatness (to which he humbly didn’t react), but her actions were completely “lishma” – for the sake of Heaven, which means that deep down, there is a message for us even deep inside the shame of her sin.
What is fascinating is that the Rambam, in his description of Mashiach, reinforces that the pasuk that teaches us “in all generations, none with arise with the prophecy of Moshe Rabbeinu” – including Mashiach himself! Yet, Mashiach will prophesize with the most extreme expression of… the Aspaklaria She’aina Meirah, the UNclear, cloudy lens! This is because the essence of prophecy during the times of Mashiach will be none other than what we refer to as Ruach Hakodesh – defined as “Divine inspiration”, an integrated revelation into our senses and life stories. So what appeared lower to the eyes of Moshe Rabbeinu, will be revealed as actually “higher” in the messianic era – precisely due to its “lowliness” i.e. its closeness and proximity to real flesh and blood life experience.
In order to understand this, we must draw on the teachings of the Ba’al HaTanya, R’ Shneur Zalmon of Liadi (Torah Ohr, Mikeitz). In a revolutionary understanding that completely flips everything we thought we knew, he explains the essence and function of the Aspaklaria She’aina Meirah, the unclear lens through which Miriam (and all other prophets other than Moshe) prophesied. It was not just a damaged or impaired version of the clear lens, but had a different nature entirely. It was in fact a clear piece of glass, if you will (borrowing on the analogy), with a thin layer of silver lining – turning it into a – you guessed it – mirror! (Mar’ah literally means a mirror!) This changes the meaning entirely. Moshe certainly viewed his prophecies with “Temunas Hashem Yabit – an “image” of Hashem Moshe will see (Numbers 12:6-8)”, a clear revelation of G-dliness, by looking “up” through his prophetic lens and seeing Hashem’s message directly. Miriam (and all other prophets) on the other hand, looked down, and saw the subject of prophecy in the mirror, so to speak (as if behind their heads. Think of it like the difference between a camera lens – an outward, clear picture vs. turning the lens around towards yourself, in “selfie” mode, like a mirror).
In order to explain this interpretation, it is helpful to consider the two modes of light that the Arizal refer to as “masculine” and “feminine”. The first mode is considered “masculine”, called “Ohr Yashar” – direct light, and travels from above to below. The second, relative to the first is “feminine”, named “Ohr Chozer”, returning light, and is the reflection of the Ohr Yashar, direct light.
The implications of this image are profound. Though one would assume that Ohr Yashar is the more desired form of revelation, the mirror provides an advantage that in its relative “inferiority”, is superior to its counterpart. This is its mysterious ability to not only reflect back upwards the original image, but for its light to reach back up towards, and beyond, its source. In the humility of reflective light… the mysterious attributes of femininity (also called malchus in the sephirotic array) allow her to reach up all the way towards the Source of the prophetic message itself, and through its light, mysteriously, perceive an aspect of Hashem Himself. (It is for this reason that the qualities of femininity and malchus are praised with the expression “the last in deed originates first in thought”.)
Put more practically, what is the advantage of the unclear lens, or, the mirror? There is beauty and profundity in this point that is hard to put into words, and that has the potential to rewrite a whole new psychology of the holy feminine in our generation. The advantage of the mirror is its disadvantage – just when looked at from a different angle! When looking into a mirror (or putting a camera into “selfie” mode), in addition to seeing the reflection of the Heavenly revelation – you also see your own face.This is an incredibly healing, and delicate fact. What we always thought was the enemy – our own face, our own story, histories, egos, traumas and wounds – are actually part and parcel of our “prophecy”. When peering into the “unclear lens”, although at first blush we (embarrassingly) see our own image, warts and all, what Miriam is coming to tell us is that through our own face… somehow, peers Hashem.
It takes a woman (or anyone looking through the ‘unclear lens’) to see the Divine spark in the twinkle in the eyes of another human being, and another’s soul so deeply, profoundly, and essentially. Consider the role of a woman is not Torah learning per se, but caring for and raising her family and children. This is reminiscent of the teaching of R’ Tzadok HaCohen who, based on the Zohar, tells us that Hashem Himself learns the Torah of Souls, while we learn the Torah of Scrolls down here. A woman, too, is engaged in the Torah of Souls.Consider how much harder and yet commensurately more powerful it is when we can see Hashem through our own life-story, our own faults and struggles, and our own “prophecy” – calling and mission in this world as a flesh and blood vehicle of Divine presence, revealing Hashem through our very own “face”, as it were.
Perhaps what Miriam was pointing to, even at her own expense, so to speak, was the advantage of the Aspaklaria She’aina Meirah, the unclear lens, the mirror to Moshe Rabbeinu. Yes, her words were premature and not aligned with Moshe’s unique mission as the giver of the Torah in that generation. But she was priming him, encouraging him perhaps, to incorporate a feminine kind of viewing, one that will be characteristic of Mashiach himself. Our sources tell us that indeed, Mashiach will not need to separate from his wife in order to be Mashiach. Rather, the world will have arrived at its destination as the merger of spiritual and physical, Heaven and Earth, light and vessel, masculine and feminine, and the “whole earth will be covered with knowledge of Hashem as water covers the sea-bed” (Isaiah 11:9).
We can now return to the deed that the women of Egypt did to warrant the statement Chazal made that in the merit of righteous women redemption will come to the Jewish people. Remember their mirrors? Their act was not mere frivolity, harping on their physical beauty – for if that was the case, looking directly at them would have been enough. But by looking into the mirror together with their masculine counterparts, they were saying; we are women. We are here to reveal the beauty of the unclear lens – the Divine spark that lives within your own image, your own story, your own struggle. Through looking at your mirror (woman) you will learn how to harness the power of reflective light – light that is on the surface may seem inferior, but when looked at differently, actually is superior. For only light that has met the darkness of the world and still reflects its original image back to the owner of the light Himself, is truly light. Through looking into the mirror of another pair of eyes, you will see the source of your own light and reconnect with Hashem. This is the true meaning of our beauty. For in truth, if we are beautiful – it is only because we are shining your light.
The sources tell us that Miriam’s well, the be’er of Miriam, rests in the Kineret right outside Tiveria. The Talmud tells us that the name Tiveria is actually a contraction of the Hebrew words; טובה ראיתה – which literally means, “Good is its looking”. Indeed, when you look into a well, its smooth surface belies the depths of goodness and beauty within, acting as a mirror. When you see your own face – you can then glimpse the image of the Heavens, behind you.
May we be able to embody all that Miriam teaches us to see deep within, bridge the rifts between Heaven and earth, man and wife, Hashem and the Jewish people, and teach ourselves and others to see the greatness within.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Nashim Tzidkaniyos / Pesach.
