Megillah, Daf Yod Daled, Part 2
Introduction
In a baraita in yesterday’s section we learned that there were seven prophetesses. The Talmud now begins to list them and explain how we know they were prophetesses.
שבע נביאות מאן נינהו? שרה, מרים, דבורה, חנה, אביגיל, חולדה, ואסתר. שרה – דכתיב +בראשית י"א+ אבי מלכה ואבי יסכה, ואמר רבי יצחק: יסכה זו שרה. ולמה נקרא שמה יסכה – שסכתה ברוח הקדש, שנאמר +בראשית כ"א+ כל אשר תאמר אליך שרה שמע בקולה. דבר אחר: יסכה – שהכל סוכין ביופיה.
"Seven prophetesses". Who were these? Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Hulda and Esther.
"Sarah", as it is written, "The father of Milkah and the father of Yiscah" (Genesis 11:29) and R. Isaac said [on this]. Yiscah is Sarah; and why was she called Yiscah? Because she saw visions [sakhtah] by means of the holy spirit, as it is said, "In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice" (Genesis 21:12).
Another explanation is: because all gazed [sakhin] at her beauty.
That Sarah was a prophet is derived from what R. Isaac considers her alternative name Yiskah. He says that this name is connected to the verb, sakhtah, which means to "see" but has the connotation of seeing prophetic visions. This is supported by the fact that God tells Abraham to heed everything Sarah has to say.
Alternatively, "sakhin" refers to the fact that people looked at her for her beauty.
Interestingly, we have here two different versions of Sarah’s worth, and perhaps by extension, women in general. According to the first version, Sarah’s value is in that God speaks through her. According to the second, more mundane version, she is just an object of beauty.
מרים – דכתיב +שמות ט"ו+ ותקח מרים הנביאה אחות אהרן ולא אחות משה? – אמר רב נחמן אמר רב: שהיתה מתנבאה כשהיא אחות אהרן, ואומרת: עתידה אמי שתלד בן שיושיע את ישראל. ובשעה שנולד נתמלא כל הבית כולו אורה, עמד אביה ונשקה על ראשה, אמר לה: בתי נתקיימה נבואתיך. וכיון שהשליכוהו ליאור – עמד אביה וטפחה על ראשה, ואמר לה: בתי, היכן נבואתיך? היינו דכתיב +שמות ב"+ ותתצב אחתו מרחק לדעה – לדעת מה יהא בסוף נבואתה.
"Miriam", as it is written, "And Miriam the prophetess the sister of Aaron" (Exodus 15:20). Was she only the sister of Aaron and not the sister of Moses? R. Nahman said in the name of Rav: For she prophesied when she was the sister of Aaron [only] and said, My mother is destined to bear a son who will save Israel. When he was born the whole house was filled with light, and her father arose and kissed her on the head, saying, My daughter, your prophecy has been fulfilled. But when they threw him into the river her father arose and tapped her on the head, saying, Daughter, where is your prophecy? That is why it is written, "And his sister stood afar off to know"; to know, [that is,] what would be with the latter part of her prophecy.
Miriam is called a prophet directly by the verse. The midrash here explains what her prophesy was. She predicted that her younger brother, not yet born, would save Israel. But when he was thrown into the river, her prophecy seemed to be in doubt. This explains why she went down to the river to see what would become of him.