Vaera - January 17, 2026 Sisterhood Shabbat
I’ll be quite honest, last week would have provided great content for a d’var Torah in honor of Sisterhood Shabbat. We read of Shiprah and Puah, the Hebrew midwives; of Yocheved (Moshe’s mother) and Miriam saving baby Moshe, and then Pharaoh’s daughter who raised Moshe to be a leader.
This week, however, women’s voices are almost nonexistent. They appear solely in the lineage of Moshe and Aaron, during the second aliyah when their family trees are described in depth. 50 men are mentioned, and only 4 women: Simeon’s unnamed Canaanite wife, two priestly wives: Elisheva and Putiel’s daughter (she doesn’t even get a name), and Moshe and Aaron’s mother, Yocheved. Notice, I did not mention that Yocheved is also Miriam’s mother. There is NO mention of Miriam at all in this week’s parsha, even when listing the children of Amram and Yocheved. Miriam played such a vital role in ensuring the future of the Jewish people, and yet, only Moshe, and by extension, Aaron are seen as important. It would be like reading all 7 Harry Potter books and explaining how Harry Potter is the hero, like Moshe, Ron Weasley is the sidekick, like Aaron, but not mentioning Hermione Granger once. Because, let’s be clear, without her, Harry would never have survived his first year at Hogwarts. And let’s be clear, without Miriam, Moshe would most likely not have survived being cast into the Nile.
In the Five Books of Miriam, a Woman’s Commentary on the Torah, it says that the three children, Moshe, Aaron and Miriam rarely appear all together. In last week’s parsha, Miriam only appears as “an unnamed sister” while Aaron is completely absent. Miriam first appears by name only after crossing the Red Sea, and there she is only identified as Aaron’s sister. There is no mention at that point of Moshe when discussing her lineage. The commentator’s argument is that there is tension within the family, that Miriam appears besides Moshe as his protector, and Aaron appears along with Moshe as his mouthpiece and coleader.
While, yes, familial tensions are evident throughout the Torah, the names are often listed together. I would argue that by not mentioning Miriam once in this week’s parsha the Torah did a disservice to the future of Judaism. Not mentioning Miriam only reinforces a narrative which solely focuses on men. In a d’var Torah for MyJewishLearning, Dr. Elana Sztokman wrote, “We have no way of knowing why” Yocheved, the Canaanite woman, Elisheva and Putiel’s daughter are “included in the chapter, or what the significance of these women were. But these are clear indications that women existed, that sometimes women were valued, and that when it suited the interests of the biblical editor, women were remembered.” We are supposed to just accept that mentioning four women shows that women were sometimes valued? Mmm, I don’t think so. Rather, it feels like women were seen as an afterthought. It’s one thing to not include women because that wasn’t what was customary to do when the Torah was written, but to list four without any explanation, I’m not sure. Miriam was vital to the future of the Jewish people, just as much as Moshe, and at this point in the narrative, more than Aaron. Why wasn’t she mentioned at all?
We cannot have a future without both men AND women. Both are vital to the future of humankind. What we can do is learn from Miriam's absence and make changes in how women are viewed. Women’s history in the Conservative movement has changed drastically over time, from supportive roles to leadership. This was done in part due to organizations such as Women’s League for Conservative Judaism which was founded in 1918 advocating for education and rights for women and the Conservative movement. In 1955, conservative synagogues began to introduce mixed seating, and began to permit women to be called up for aliyot. In 1973 an enactment was passed to allow women to count in a minyan, and one year later, proposals were adopted that equalized men and women in all areas of ritual, including serving as prayer leaders. This all led to the final change for women which included the first woman to be ordained in 1985. Through these changes, the Conservative movement ensured that women of the future were given voices that could be heard and seen.
When we look within these walls, it is not solely the men who run the synagogue. We have women in roles of leadership and women who help behind the scenes. We have women who teach, and we have women who cook. We have women who read Torah and do hagbah and those who sing in the choir. ALL are essential to the foundation of our synagogue. As a part of the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, our CBI Sisterhood’s mission states that, “We are a group of energetic, vibrant and devoted women who are committed to Sisterhood’s mission of compassion, connection, community, Conservative Judaism and Congregation B’nai Israel. We all have a role to play, just as Miriam played a vital role in our escape from slavery in Egypt. As we look around the room honoring the women who play a vital role in Sisterhood at CBI, we recognize you. Thank you, women of CBI for using your voice to make our community stronger.
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