Pesach

Tanakh

וַתִּקַּח֩ מִרְיָ֨ם הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה אֲח֧וֹת אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־הַתֹּ֖ף בְּיָדָ֑הּ וַתֵּצֶ֤אןָ כׇֽל־הַנָּשִׁים֙ אַחֲרֶ֔יהָ בְּתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹלֹֽת׃

וַתַּ֥עַן לָהֶ֖ם מִרְיָ֑ם שִׁ֤ירוּ לַֽיי כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֔ה ס֥וּס וְרֹכְב֖וֹ רָמָ֥ה בַיָּֽם׃ {ס}

"Miryam the prophetess, Aharon's sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her, with timbrels and with dancing.

'Sing to Hashem, for he has triumphed, yes triumphed, the horse and its charioteer he flung into the sea!'" — Beshalach, Shemot (Exodus) 15:20-21; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

מִרְיָם — דִּכְתִיב: ״וַתִּקַּח מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן״, וְלֹא אֲחוֹת מֹשֶׁה, אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן אָמַר רַב: שֶׁהָיְתָה מִתְנַבְּאָה כְּשֶׁהִיא אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן, וְאוֹמֶרֶת: עֲתִידָה אִמִּי שֶׁתֵּלֵד בֵּן שֶׁיּוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁנּוֹלַד נִתְמַלֵּא כָּל הַבַּיִת כּוּלּוֹ אוֹרָה, עָמַד אָבִיהָ וּנְשָׁקָהּ עַל רֹאשָׁהּ, אָמַר לָהּ: בִּתִּי נִתְקַיְּימָה נְבוּאָתִיךְ. 

"Miriam was a prophetess, as it is written explicitly: “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand” (Exodus 15:20). The Gemara asks: Was she the sister only of Aaron, and not the sister of Moses? Why does the verse mention only one of her brothers? Rav Naḥman said that Rav said: For she prophesied when she was the sister of Aaron, i.e., she prophesied since her youth, even before Moses was born, and she would say: My mother is destined to bear a son who will deliver the Jewish people to salvation. And at the time when Moses was born the entire house was filled with light, and her father stood and kissed her on the head, and said to her: My daughter, your prophecy has been fulfilled." — Megillah 14a:14; William Davidson Talmud

ומרים אמרה שירה לנשים. אע"פ שלא נכתב במרים רק פסוק הראשון, מ"מ קצר וסמך על השירה הנזכרת:  

"Miriam sang the song for the women. Although regarding Miriam only the first stanza is written, [she sang the whole song]. Scripture abbreviated, relying on the fact that the song is written above." — Sifrei Chakhamim, Exodus 15:21:1

Date Finished: 

April 18, 2025

Description:

Chag Pesach Sameach! The seventh day of Pesach is when the Israelites actually manage to escape Egypt via the splitting of the Sea of Reeds. I wanted to draw Miryam who has obtained an elevated status especially within Jewish feminist thought. 

I liked the Prince of Egypt design, but I wanted to make my own design from scratch. Because of her constant association with water, I tried to include as many waves as possible in her design. I also based her design and colors on the bitter greens (maror) that would have been present in Egypt like watercress, dandelion, chicory, and wild lettuces. The Samaritans (Israelites from the northern kingdom) consider only the leaves of the common sow thistle to be fit for maror.  I based Miryam's clothing on what Egyptian peasants and enslaved people wore (the white linen underlayer). However, I combined this with some overskirts based on some paintings and late Bronze Age jewelry (necklace and bracelet) received from the Egyptians as reparations right before the tenth plague. I gave Miryam jewelry that represented all the precious metals used in the Mishkan: a gold necklace, a silver bracet, and a bronze timbrel. I always saw Miryam as a petite woman who neverthelss stands tall in the face of oppression with her timbrel.

Name:

Miryam's name means "rebellion." If you vowelize her name differently, you can get "bitter" (marim), "lift up" (meyrim), or "rebels" (morim). Breaking her name into its components without vowels sees the words: mar meaning "to be strong" or "mistress" in its noun version, mir ("a drop, flowing down"), and mor (myrrh) as nouns combined with the word for sea (yam). 

Tanakh

וַיִּגְדַּ֣ל הַיֶּ֗לֶד וַתְּבִאֵ֙הוּ֙ לְבַת־פַּרְעֹ֔ה וַֽיְהִי־לָ֖הּ לְבֵ֑ן וַתִּקְרָ֤א שְׁמוֹ֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַתֹּ֕אמֶר כִּ֥י מִן־הַמַּ֖יִם מְשִׁיתִֽהוּ׃ 

"The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She called his name: Moshe/He-Who-Pulls-Out; she said: 'For out of the water meshitihu/I-pulled-him.'" - Shemot (Exodus) 2:10; 1995 Everett Fox translation

וְאָכְל֥וּ אֶת־הַבָּשָׂ֖ר בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַזֶּ֑ה צְלִי־אֵ֣שׁ וּמַצּ֔וֹת עַל־מְרֹרִ֖ים יֹאכְלֻֽהוּ׃ 

אַל־תֹּאכְל֤וּ מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ נָ֔א וּבָשֵׁ֥ל מְבֻשָּׁ֖ל בַּמָּ֑יִם כִּ֣י אִם־צְלִי־אֵ֔שׁ רֹאשׁ֥וֹ עַל־כְּרָעָ֖יו וְעַל־קִרְבּֽוֹ׃ 

וְלֹא־תוֹתִ֥ירוּ מִמֶּ֖נּוּ עַד־בֹּ֑קֶר וְהַנֹּתָ֥ר מִמֶּ֛נּוּ עַד־בֹּ֖קֶר בָּאֵ֥שׁ תִּשְׂרֹֽפוּ׃ 

וְכָ֘כָה֮ תֹּאכְל֣וּ אֹתוֹ֒ מׇתְנֵיכֶ֣ם חֲגֻרִ֔ים נַֽעֲלֵיכֶם֙ בְּרַגְלֵיכֶ֔ם וּמַקֶּלְכֶ֖ם בְּיֶדְכֶ֑ם וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם אֹתוֹ֙ בְּחִפָּז֔וֹן פֶּ֥סַח ה֖וּא לַהי

"And they are to eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire, and matzot; with bitter-herbs they are to eat it. 

Do not eat any of it raw, or boiled, boiled in water, but rather roasted in fire, its head along with its legs, along with its innards.

You are not to leave any of it until morning; what is left of it until morning, with fire you are to burn. 

And thus you are to eat it: your hips girded, your sandals on your feet, and your sticks in your hand. And you are to eat it in trepidation—it is a Passover-Meal to Hashem." - Bo, Shemot (Exodus) 12:8-11; 1995 Everett Fox translation

וַיִּקְרָא֩ לְמֹשֶׁ֨ה וּֽלְאַהֲרֹ֜ן לַ֗יְלָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ ק֤וּמוּ צְּאוּ֙ מִתּ֣וֹךְ עַמִּ֔י גַּם־אַתֶּ֖ם גַּם־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּלְכ֛וּ עִבְד֥וּ אֶת־הי כְּדַבֶּרְכֶֽם׃ 

"He had Moshe and Aharon called in the night 

 and said: 'Arise, go out from amidst my people, even you, even the Children of Israel! Go, serve Hashem according to your words:'" - Bo, Shemot (Exodus) 12:31; 1995 Everett Fox translation

וַיִּשָּׂ֥א הָעָ֛ם אֶת־בְּצֵק֖וֹ טֶ֣רֶם יֶחְמָ֑ץ מִשְׁאֲרֹתָ֛ם צְרֻרֹ֥ת בְּשִׂמְלֹתָ֖ם עַל־שִׁכְמָֽם׃ 

"So the people loaded their dough before it had fermented, their kneading-troughs bound in their clothing, upon their shoulders." - Bo, Shemot (Exodus) 12:34; 1995 Everett Fox translation

וַיֹּאפ֨וּ אֶת־הַבָּצֵ֜ק אֲשֶׁ֨ר הוֹצִ֧יאוּ מִמִּצְרַ֛יִם עֻגֹ֥ת מַצּ֖וֹת כִּ֣י לֹ֣א חָמֵ֑ץ כִּֽי־גֹרְשׁ֣וּ מִמִּצְרַ֗יִם וְלֹ֤א יָֽכְלוּ֙ לְהִתְמַהְמֵ֔הַּ וְגַם־צֵדָ֖ה לֹא־עָשׂ֥וּ לָהֶֽם׃ 

"Now they baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into matzot cakes, for it had not fermented, for they had been driven out of Egypt, and were not able to linger, and neither had they made provisions for themselves." - Bo, Shemot (Exodus) 12:39; 1995 Everett Fox translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

מִרְיָם — דִּכְתִיב: ״וַתִּקַּח מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן״, וְלֹא אֲחוֹת מֹשֶׁה, אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן אָמַר רַב: שֶׁהָיְתָה מִתְנַבְּאָה כְּשֶׁהִיא אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן, וְאוֹמֶרֶת: עֲתִידָה אִמִּי שֶׁתֵּלֵד בֵּן שֶׁיּוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁנּוֹלַד נִתְמַלֵּא כָּל הַבַּיִת כּוּלּוֹ אוֹרָה, עָמַד אָבִיהָ וּנְשָׁקָהּ עַל רֹאשָׁהּ, אָמַר לָהּ: בִּתִּי נִתְקַיְּימָה נְבוּאָתִיךְ. 

"Miriam was a prophetess, as it is written explicitly: “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand” (Exodus 15:20). The Gemara asks: Was she the sister only of Aaron, and not the sister of Moses? Why does the verse mention only one of her brothers? Rav Naḥman said that Rav said: For she prophesied when she was the sister of Aaron, i.e., she prophesied since her youth, even before Moses was born, and she would say: My mother is destined to bear a son who will deliver the Jewish people to salvation. And at the time when Moses was born the entire house was filled with light, and her father stood and kissed her on the head, and said to her: My daughter, your prophecy has been fulfilled." — Megillah 14a:14; William Davidson Talmud

ומרים אמרה שירה לנשים. אע"פ שלא נכתב במרים רק פסוק הראשון, מ"מ קצר וסמך על השירה הנזכרת:  

"Miriam sang the song for the women. Although regarding Miriam only the first stanza is written, [she sang the whole song]. Scripture abbreviated, relying on the fact that the song is written above." — Sifrei Chakhamim, Exodus 15:21:1

Date Finished: 

March 22, 2026

Description:

Chag Pesach Sameach! The first day of Pesach is when the Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go.

Similar to Miryam, I used the Prince of Egypt's design as a base but also added other details. Moshe spoke about his foreskinned lips, and I got inspired from another Jewish artist (Eitan) to give Moshe a cleft lip. I gave Moshe the matzot since the matzot are broken into two halves similar to how Moshe broke the original tablets after the Golden Calf incident. I sought to use a lot of squares and rectangles to form the basis for the design similar to the tablets and modern day matzot.

Name:

Moshe's name means "drawn" and specifically refers to how Pharaoh's daughter drew Moshe out of the water.