Eulogy for Miriam: Sister, Prophetess, Wellspring of a Generation
Eulogy for Miriam: Sister, Prophetess, Wellspring of a Generation “And Miriam died there and was buried there. And there was no water for the congregation.” — Numbers 20:1–2 The verse is brief, almost abrupt. No long description, no mourning speech, no poetic lament. Just a name, a death, and then… no water. But for those who have followed the story from the beginning, the absence of water is not merely a logistical problem. It is a symbolic void —the drying up of a life-source, of memory, of a voice that once sang and stood watch when no one else dared. Miriam has died. And with her, something essential disappears. 1. Miriam: The First Watcher Miriam’s story begins before Moses speaks, before Pharaoh’s daughter rescues a baby from the Nile. She is there— the girl who stands at a distance , watching over her infant brother hidden among the reeds (Exodus 2:4). “His sister stood afar off, to see what would happen to him…” This act is more than sisterly love . It is th...