Miriam Stands at a Distance and Prophesies Israel's Savior

"And his sister stood at a distance" (Exodus 2:4). We hold that this entire verse is said with respect to prophecy. "And she stood (va-tittatzav)" — as it is said, "And the LORD came and stood" (Exodus 3:10). "His sister (achoto)" — as it is said, "Say to wisdom, you are my sister" (Proverbs 7:4). "At a distance (me-rachok)" — as it is said, "From afar the LORD appeared to me" (Jeremiah 31:2). "To know (le-de'ah)" — as it is said, "For a God of knowledge (de'ot) is the LORD" (1 Samuel 2:3). "What (mah)" — as it is said, "What does the LORD your God ask of you" (Deuteronomy 10:12). "Will be done (ye'aseh)" — as it is said, "The LORD will make (ya'aseh) for my lord a sure house" (1 Samuel 25:28). "To him (lo)" — as it is said, "And he called it (lo) 'The LORD is peace'" (Judges 6:24). Another interpretation: "And she stood" — according to its plain sense, for the verse does not depart from its plain meaning. And in the merit that she waited one hour for Moses, to know what would be the end of the offspring, she merited that six hundred thousand foot soldiers waited for her, as it is written, "And the people did not journey on until Miriam was gathered in" (Numbers 12:15) — to teach you that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not withhold the reward of any creature. "What would be done to him" — what would be the end of her prophecy, for she was prophesying and saying: my mother is destined to bear a son who will save Israel. We learn in Sotah: Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa said: that day on which they cast him into the Nile was the twenty-first of Nisan. The angels said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, shall the one who is destined to recite a song on this day be cast into the sea? Rabbi Acha bar Chanina said: that day was the sixth of Sivan. The angels said: Master of the universe, shall the one who is destined to receive the Torah on this day, and to make the upper and lower worlds tremble, be stricken on this day? It is well according to the one who says it was the sixth of Sivan — thus you find three months, for on the seventh of Adar Moses was born, and you find that the sixth of Sivan was that day. But according to the one who says it was the twenty-first of Nisan, how do you find it? It was taught: that year was a leap year, the greater part of the first and the greater part of the last, and the middle one complete. And once they cast him into the Nile, they arose and annulled their decrees. And this is what Moses said to Israel, "six hundred thousand foot soldiers" (Numbers 11:21) — for on my account you were saved.