(א) אָ֣ז יָשִֽׁיר־מֹשֶׁה֩ וּבְנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ לֵאמֹ֑ר אָשִׁ֤ירָה לַֽיהוָה֙ כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֔ה ס֥וּס וְרֹכְב֖וֹ רָמָ֥ה בַיָּֽם׃
(1) Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. They said:
I will sing to the Lord,
for He has triumphed gloriously;
Both horse and its rider
He has hurled into the sea.
(כ) וַתִּקַּח֩ מִרְיָ֨ם הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה אֲח֧וֹת אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־הַתֹּ֖ף בְּיָדָ֑הּ וַתֵּצֶ֤אןָ כָֽל־הַנָּשִׁים֙ אַחֲרֶ֔יהָ בְּתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹלֹֽת׃ (כא) וַתַּ֥עַן לָהֶ֖ם מִרְיָ֑ם שִׁ֤ירוּ לַֽיהוָה֙ כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֔ה ס֥וּס וְרֹכְב֖וֹ רָמָ֥ה בַיָּֽם׃ (ס)
(20) Now Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dances. (21) And Miriam led them in song:
Sing to the Lord,
for He has triumphed gloriously;
Both horse and its rider
He has hurled into the sea.
Study Questions, Part 1
1. After reading Exodus, chapter 15, verses 1-21, look closely at verses 20-21 (also given above). List all the kushiyot you can think of about those two verses?
2. Read Rashi's commentary below. Name the two questions/problems (not answers) about verse 15:20 that he is responding to?
3. What is Rashi's answer to the first question?
4. Rashi gives two answers to the second question. What are they? (Don't forget to read Numbers 12:1-12.)
ותקח מרים הנביאה. הֵיכָן נִתְנַבְּאָה? כְּשֶׁהָיְתָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן, קֹדֶם שֶׁנּוֹלַד מֹשֶׁה, אָמְרָה עֲתִידָה אִמִּי שֶׁתֵּלֵד בֵּן וְכוּ' כִּדְאִיתָא בְּסוֹטָה. (דף י"ב).
דָּ"אַ — אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן, לְפִי שֶׁמָּסַר נַפְשׁוֹ עָלֶיהָ כְּשֶׁנִּצְטָרְעָה נִקְרֵאת עַל שְׁמוֹ:
"Then Miriam the prophet took":
Where did she experience prophecy? When she was the sister of Aaron, before Moses was born. She said, "My mother will give birth to a son [who will deliver Israel, etc.]," as is found in tractate Sotah [in the Talmud].
Another explanation: "Aaron's sister," since he risked his life for her when she got leprosy, her name was connected with his. (See Numbers 12:1-12).
אחות אהרן הנכון בעיני כי מפני שהוזכרו בשירה משה ומרים ולא הוזכר אהרן רצה הכתוב להזכירו, ואמר אחות אהרן דרך כבוד לו, שהוא אחיה הגדול ואחותו הנביאה מתיחסת אליו, שגם הוא נביא וקדוש ה' ויתכן שדרך הכתובים ליחס אל גדול האחים, וכן ובני כלב אחי ירחמאל (דהי״א ב מב), שהיה גדול מאחיו, שנאמר (דהי״א ב ט) את ירחמאל ואת רם ואת כלובי:
"Aaron's sister":
The correct interpretation in my opinion is that since both Moses and Miriam are mentioned in the song, but Aaron is not mentioned, the Torah wanted to mention him [too].
And it said, "Aaron's sister" in order to honor him--for he is her older brother--by stating his relationship to his sister the prophet, since he is also a prophet and a holy man of the Lord.
And it is [also] possible that the Tanakh normally names the oldest brother, as in, "The children of Kalev, the brother of Yerachm'el" (I Chronicles 2:42), who was the oldest brother, as it is stated, "Yerachm'el, Ram, and Keluvai" (ibid., 2:9).
אחות אהרן. ללמדנו שהיתה נבואתה מעין נבואת אהרן. אבל אינו בערך נבואת משה. שהיה למעלה מסגולת המשפחה המסוגלת לנבואה כמש״כ לעיל ו׳ י״ד:
"Aaron's sister":
[This is] to teach us that her prophecy was of a type similar to Aaron's prophecy, but not in the category of Moses' prophecy, which was above the special ability of the family that was singled out for prophecy.
Study Questions, Part 2
1. What question/kushiya is Ramban dealing with?
2. How many answers does Ramban give to this question?
3. What are those answers? Describe them carefully.
4. Explain how Ramban uses the verses from I Chronicles to support his second answer.
5. What question/kushiya is Haamek Davar dealing with?
6. What answer does he give to the question? Explain carefully.
7. Of the answers you have seen so far in Rashi, Ramban, and Haamek Davar to the question, "Why is Miriam called Aaron's sister?", which one makes the most sense to you and why? Explain what you find convincing about the answer you chose, and what's wrong or insufficient about the other ones. I will be grading this response, so make it thorough.
ותקח מרים הנביאה וגו'. עכשיו נעשית נביאה כי במעמד זה זכו גם הנשים לראות פני השכינה עד שאמרו כולם זה אלי, כארז"ל (מכילתא בשלח פר' ג) ראתה שפחה על הים כו', לכך נאמר ותצאן כל הנשים אחריה, כי הנבואה התחילה במרים וכל הנשים יצאו בעקבותיה במעמד זה כי כולם זכו לנבואה
"Now Miriam the prophet took, etc.":
Right now she became a prophet, for during this event the women too were worthy to see the face of the Divine Presence to the point where they all said, "This is my God" (Exod 15:2), as our Rabbis taught, "A female servant at the Sea saw [more of God than even the greatest prophets saw]." For this reason, it is stated, "and all the women went out after her" (15:20), since the experience of prophecy began with Miriam and all the women followed in her footsteps during this event, for all of them were worthy of prophecy.
בתפים ובמחלת. מֻבְטָחוֹת הָיוּ צַדְקָנִיּוֹת שֶׁבַּדּוֹר שֶׁהַקָּבָּ"ה עוֹשֶׂה לָהֶם נִסִּים וְהוֹצִיאוּ תֻפִּים מִמִּצְרַיִם (מכילתא):
"With timbrels and dances":
The righteous women in that generation were certain that the Holy One, who is blessed, would do miracles for them so they brought timbrels from Egypt.
Study Questions, Part 3
1. What question/kushiya is Kli Yakar dealing with?
2. Who among the commentators is K.Y. disagreeing with? In what way do they disagree?
3. For Kli Yakar, what does Exodus 15:2 prove?
4. According to him, what was the content of the prophecy? Look and think carefully.
5. What question/kushiya is this Rashi (#9) comment dealing with?
6. How does this Rashi (in #9) add something on a related theme to what Kli Yakar said about the women?
7. Create a chart with all the names of the commentators running down the left column, and all the kushiyot that are discussed running along the top row. Then fill in the chart with how they answer the questions. (There will obviously be some open spaces since not all the commentators deal with all the questions.)
B’chor Shor on Exodus 15:21
“Sing to the Lord”: And they recited the whole song. But since the whole song was written above this [in the Torah], only one verse is mentioned right here.