The Power to Excite
The next time the Torah explicitly mentions Miriam is in our parashah, after the Song at the Sea when she leads the women in song. In this respect, Miriam resembles her brother Aaron who as High Priest will later be tasked with the daily lighting of the Menorah, whose 7 candles represent the 7 roots of the Jewish people’s souls. In this task, Aaron is described as the “man of loving-kindness,” and in exciting the souls of the women, Miriam too is likened to a woman of loving-kindness. Loving-kindness (chesed) is what makes the world revolve, it is what brings people together transforming a collection of individuals into a harmonious group that can sing and play music together. Thus, we correspond this episode of Miriam’s life with the sefirah of loving-kindness.
