Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg probably already has plans for Passover, but you can bring a little of your favorite female politician to the table this year with a new piece she wrote for the American Jewish World Service. Hey, that’s more RBG than you were betting on, right?
In collaboration with DC-based rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, Ginsburg wrote about the story of Exodus that inspires the holiday, explaining:
The stories we tell our children shape what they believe to be possible—which is why at Passover, we must tell the stories of the women who played a crucial role in the Exodus narrative.
The story traditionally places a focus on Moses and the Jewish slaves defying the Egyptian pharaoh and escaping slavery, but Ginsburg encouraged those celebrating this year to place equal importance on the women who struggled to break free from the Pharoah’s rule. She pointed to Yocheved, Moses’ mother and his sister Miriam, both of whom took a stand alongside Moses. Also cited were midwives Shifra and Puah, who refused to kill Israelite babies when ordered to by the Pharaoh.
These women had a vision leading out of the darkness shrouding their world. They were women of action, prepared to defy authority to make their vision a reality bathed in the light of the day.
Retelling the heroic stories of Yocheved, Shifra, Puah, Miriam and Batya reminds our daughters that with vision and the courage to act, they can carry forward the tradition those intrepid women launched.
According to Ginsburg, select Egyptian women deserve a shout out every Passover, as well. The Pharaoh’s daughter Batya deliberately defied the rule of her father by taking the baby Moses from the Nile River, daring to transgress in a society that would never allow it. Ginsburg concludes with a concise summation of her point:
These women had a vision leading out of the darkness shrouding their world. They were women of action, prepared to defy authority to make their vision a reality bathed in the light of the day.
Women of action who have a vision? Sounds like a certain Supreme Court Justice we know.
[h/t Vox]
