Three years ago, during the first Pesach since the war began,
I wrote this midrash for the Maggid—
hoping it might offer some comfort,
and open a space for hope in the midst of pain and war.
Sadly, that need is still with us.
And yet, the women of Exodus remind us
that another way is possible,
a reality grounded in the sanctity of life,
in compassion, and in human connection.
Miriam and Pharaoh’s daughter met
to save Moses and the future.
Like Shifra and Puah before them,
they chose conscience over obedience,
life over fear.
Together, these women challenge us, then and now,
to choose differently:
to resist despair,
to act with courage and compassion,
and to nurture hope
for our children, on all sides.
Because another way is possible!
You are warmly invited to read this midrash
as part of your Seder,
and to open a moment for reflection
on freedom and hope.
Maggid: Recounting the Passover Story, by Rabbi Sivan Navon-Shoval
“All who recount the story of the Exodus from Egypt in great depth is worthy of praise.” (Passover Haggadah)
And thou recount to tell your son and daughter on that day, saying: It is because of that which God did for me when I came forth out of Egypt, because of the leadership of Miriam and the daughter of Pharaoh. (According to Exodus 13:8)
“And his sister stood, from a distance, to know what would be done to him.” (Exodus 2:4)
And she ‘stood’: Miriam stood, upright and firm, in her faith and in her strength to act for the future of her people; and in her steadfast stance, she proclaimed: “Here I am.” With this, she upheld the covenant of Israel. For it is said: “You shall stand this day, all of you.” (Deuteronomy 29:9)
His ‘sister’: Miriam dedicated herself for the sake of all her brothers and sisters. She knew that if she did not stand there for them, it would be as though she herself had shed their blood. As it is written: “Where is Abel, your brother?… The sound of your brother’s blood cries to me from the earth.” (Genesis 4:9–10).
From a distance, to know what would be done to him: Miriam the prophetess stood and beheld, from a distance, all that would be done to her people in their deliverance from Egypt. She directed her heart to that place and saw the cries of their souls and the affliction of their bodies. Thus, she embraced the virtue of compassion into heart; the same virtue with which the Holy One would later redeem Israel from the land of Egypt. As it is written: “I have seen and beheld the plight of my people in Egypt, and I have heeded their cry from their affliction; for I knew their pain. ” (Exodus 3:7).
Miriam stood for the sanctity of life, and the daughter of Pharaoh stood beside her, defying the words of her father the Pharaoh, and proclaiming to all of humankind that the time had come for tikkun olam (repairing the world) and darchei shalom (followingthe path of peace). As it is written: “And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the young boy wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrew children.’” (Exodus 2:6)
Rabbi Sivan Navon-Shoval lives in Jerusalem and was ordained at HUC, Jerusalem in 2022. She is the author of the Hebrew collection of liturgical poetry, Elohima (Carmel, 2026). Her work brings together teaching, writing, and research, alongside officiating life-cycle ceremonies. She previously served as the rabbi of Kehillat Shir Chadash in Tzur Hadassah.
