Dance of Miriam

A big chance.
In the morning, I have received a proposal from my theater — to play a part in the “Red Sea. Crossing” performance. The role of Miriam. The great prophetess.
My heart began to beat faster because of joy.
And to tremble — because of the responsibility that fell to me.
Her image has always meant a lot to me. And it was hard to believe that I would perform that very dance of Miriam. The dance with timbrels. She started dancing alone, and then all the women have joined in to awaken the men. Tired, drained of all strength after the incredible crossing.
She was dancing for them to stay connected and grateful to Him. The guiding. The supporting.
But how can a woman awaken a man? To us, all the women in the troupe, it seemed to be impossible. And, as I see now, we have plunged into the search for an answer not even for the sake of the performance — for our own sake. We forgot our usual squabbles. We wanted to rise about them, to become purer. To be equal to that high level and that high degree of purity which, as we felt, the prophetess had.
This event hooked on each of us. We realized that there was ‘something’ important. The answer every woman seeks.
Crossing of the Red Sea
Moshe goes at the head.
The people of Israel — after him.
Behind them, the pharaoh’s army.
They came to the sea. All the eyes are on Moshe.
With great faith, humbleness, urging everyone to follow him, Moshe entered the water.
The people went after him.
. . . the water is already knee-deep.
. . . waist-deep.
. . . flowing into the nostrils.
Fear. Screams. The eyes are turned on Moshe. . .
Against the very essence of them….
One more step.
The sea parted.
For all this time, the women were going behind them. Keeping pace. With children. With everything necessary during the passage. They cured, fed, cooked, comforted, gave hope, strength, and confidence.
They suffered from hardships much worse. Had a more subtle perception of all the difficulties and dangers. They felt already the connection of the people of Israel to the Higher power of nature which directs them, protects, and imposes responsibility.
As soon as the crossing finished, the utterly exhausted men collapsed on the ground.
The women felt that they couldn’t just like this . . . let this connection with Him go.
The One. Kind, doing good. It is important to express gratitude and joy. For bringing closer. Guiding. And it is crucial to show the desire and the readiness to stay connected.
Dance of the heart
The bright beam of light is directed at me. In the hall, it is dark.
On my right, I feel the presence of male actors. On the left, there are the female members of the troupe.
Absolute silence.
The arms are bent. The right palm faces upward. The left one holds a timbrel. The ringing of the timbrel…and a step. With gratitude. The timbrel sounds again, the eyes are fixed on the beam. The whole body starts moving. The soft fabric of the dress accentuates the female force, twines around me. This is a dance of the heart. In which all the men of Israel become involved. The dance for them. . . before the Creator.
All the women join in. In our mind’s eye, we see our men as confident, strong, heading towards the goal they were born for.
The timbrels ring. The movements are quicker now. In them, there is a lot of joy and love for the men which we express before Him. There is an enigma in it. The enigma attracts the men.
The women dance before the Higher power for the men. They perceive them as perfect and beg Him to continue directing them.
In return, those for whom they pray gain strength and confidence.
The great importance of the action awakens.
Main scene
Now, the light fills the whole stage.
We move as one feeling harmony among us. Properly directed women’s influence.
The men got up. They realize how great their mission is. Because the woman feels this way and prays for them.
And all together. As one man. With joy.
The music stopped. We stood in silence and felt the heart beating. We didn’t want this moment to ever end.
Unexpectedly, the director came up. His eyes sparkled.
“Girls . . .” he said looking over all of us. “If you played your leading female role in our everyday life like this, the world would be different . . .”
Happy and good.
Thank you very much, Miriam.