Chagall has given us two women prophetesses -Deborah and Miriam. Deborah is a "mother of Israel. " She is a mother also of prophecy and poetry. Likewise, Miriam and her women followers celebrate God's wondrous deeds with dancing and in song: "Horse and driver he has hurled into the sea." Miriam's song of victory is reminiscent of those of Deborah, Hannah and Mary of Galilee, Jesus' mother. The song of Miriam echoes the victory song of Moses, her brother, and the sons of Israel. In their "Canticle of the Lord" (Exodus 15:1-18) they celebrate the crossing of the Red Sea and the annihilation of Pharaoh's army.
Miriam's dance and song evoke fervor and spontaneity. Commentators relate it to Chagall's Hasidic tradition, which combines piety, love for one's neighbor, and an amazing ability to offset life's darker sides with festive and joyous celebrations, and the simple pleasures of human existence. Joyously shaking her timbrels, her head covered with a veil that could easily be mistaken for a teffilin, Miriam surges beyond her companions. At first glance her body seems to be of awkward proportions. The upper part, elongated and almost rigid, contrasts with the billowing robe and the whirling legs and restless feet. The combined effect is one of ecstatic tension produced or accompanied by movement and music.
Related scripture reading: Exodus 15: 20-21
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