Serah bat Asher, Lessons for Today: Parshat Beshallach

When reading this week’s Torah portion, Beshallach, what often comes to mind is the picture of Moses miraculously splitting the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22) as depicted in Hollywood movies. For me, this verse also evokes the image of someone who does not appear in this verse: Serah bat Asher, the Patriarch Jacob’s only granddaughter who is included in the list of family members who went down to Egypt from Canaan (Genesis 46:17).

According to rabbinic tradition, Serah bat Asher is also an immortal witness to Jewish history. In Pesikta d’Rav Kahana (11:13), the third-century rabbinic sage, Rabbi Yohanan, was explaining the crossing of the Red Sea and how the water became a wall. Serah bat Asher appeared, and with chutzpah corrected this respected rabbinical scholar, “I was there, and it wasn’t like that – it was like a glass window.”

Indeed, Serah bat Asher became the historical memory of the Israelites. According to rabbinic tradition, Serah predicted that Moses would redeem the Israelites from Egypt, told Jacob, “Od Yosef Hai,” i.e. Joseph was still alive (Sefer HaYashar: Genesis, Vayigash) and showed Joseph’s burial place in the Nile River to Moses so he could fulfill Joseph’s dying wish to carry his bones from Egypt (Sotah 13a:14). Because of her many good deeds, rabbinical tradition assigns her eternal life as one of the seven who entered the Garden of Eden (Kallah Rabbati, 3:23).

As I think about the courage and deeds of Serah bat Asher, I reflect on the extraordinary men and women in Israel and America who have stood up fearlessly to extremely challenging circumstances, exhibited enormous integrity, and continue to speak truth to power. They include: the tatzpitaniyot (female spotters) in Israel whose warnings pre-October 7 about suspicious activity on the Gaza border went unheeded, were ultimately taken hostage, demonstrating tremendous fortitude and resilience during their captivity; Israeli citizens who hold weekly protests for the release of the hostages in Gaza; the American citizens and legislators who continue to fight to preserve democracy, the Constitution, the rule of law, and the environment; as well as the many other fearless souls across the globe who struggle for justice, freedom, human rights, and a myriad of other important issues

In any case, as always, I find  this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Beshallach, including the beautiful verses of Shirat HaYam (Song of the Sea, Exodus 15:1 – 21) an inspiring reminder of the Exodus from Egypt and our ancestors’ journey from slavery to freedom. At the same time, I fervently hope that Serah bat Asher will continue to inspire us to do the right thing and live our lives with moral integrity. May future generations remember with pride today’s men and women who worked tirelessly to overcame the many unprecedented challenges in the 21^st century.