Emmanuel Aquino
Research Mentor(s): Rebecca Wollenberg
Mentor Department: Frankel Center for Judaic Studies
Authors: Emmanuel Aquino, Rebecca Wollenberg
Session: Session 6 (3:00pm – 3:50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 12
Abstract
The stories and roles of women in the Bible have often been diminished and marginalized in Biblical storytelling by centuries of patriarchal religious interpretations. One example of such marginalization is Miriam, the sister of Aaron and Moses and a central figure of the Israelite Exodus out of Egypt, yet of whom surprisingly little is revealed in the Biblical text. Through looking at the Talmud and Midrash, however, we can gain greater insight into how these women were interpreted and often demarginalized through the centuries. In the case of Miriam, the Talmudic and Midrashic interpretations reveal that she was a powerful prophetess who predicted the birth of Moses and protected him at birth, resisted the Pharaoh when he ordered her to kill all the Hebrew newborn, was cursed temporarily with leprosy after criticizing Moses, and was the wife of the Old Testament hero Caleb. These stories allow us to see the complex rabbinical interpretations of these famous female figures and how they were often viewed both positively and negatively. Through gleaning the Talmud and Midrash, stories of marginalized women like Miriam can come to light and help us understand the complex legends and backstories that Biblical women gained throughout their history.
