As the world again faces a destructive plague, we are all seeking leaders who can take us out and forward into a better day and perhaps a promised land.
What better time, then, to enjoy this beautiful book by acclaimed author Jane Yolen?
Combining her fluid poetry with the equally flowing artwork of Vietnamese artist Khoa Le, Yolen retells the Biblical story of Miriam, the sister and savior of the Jewish people’s greatest leader and savior, Moses.
“I am afraid and not afraid,” Miriam admits, revealing her legendary bravery was not absolute and yet was enough to give her the necessary strength to go against pharaoh’s orders and hide her infant brother instead of allowing him to be killed.
“He is so small, so much at risk,” Miriam observes of her infant brother in the basket. Protected by her mother’s tight weaving and the watchful eye of God, Moses not only survives but becomes a great leader; one whose word goes against and eventually overcomes that of the great Pharaoh- a man who was though to be a god yet who was no match for the one true God.
Pharaoh’s words
and Pharaoh’s laws must be obeyed,
even the wicked ones.
But God’s law is what I follow.
And God’s voice in the one I hear,
even when others do not listen
to what God has to say
To help her readers understand her words and God’s, Yolen includes an explanatory midrash from the Torah about the story of Moses. She and Le also depict and discuss the many animals who make the Nile their home, reminding readers that their stories matter too. All of these characters- holy and earthly- come together in the introduction of the greatest emancipator in history; the man who returned slaves to freedom and shepherded them to their eternal homeland.
At this challenging time (and at all times), we must listen for the true voice within and follow it, no matter what others may say is right and wrong. That is the only way we can ever go forward together as a people.
“Sometimes courage comes from what you do,” Miriam suggests. “Sometimes from what you do not do.”
May we all find the courage at this season of miracles to keep hope alive!
Chag Pesach!
– Matt Robinson
