Tapestry of Faith: Toolbox of Faith: A Program That Helps Children Discover the Uses of Faith

Activity 2: Story - Miriam: Sister, Prophet, Dancer

Activity time: 10 minutes

Materials for Activity

Preparation for Activity

  • Read the story. If you want to tell it dramatically, gather props you may like to use.

Description of Activity

Participants will hear a story about Miriam, a prophetic woman who faced difficult times with resiliency.

Gather participants to hear a story. To introduce the story, you might say:

As you can see from searching for the original mention of Miriam in the Bible, there isn't much to go on. Women's deeds aren't mentioned much in the Bible, probably because of the culture at that time. However, women's roles are often expanded in Jewish "midrash," a body of stories about the stories in the Bible. Some midrash stories date from ancient days. Jewish writers and scholars continue to provide midrash in modern times. From midrash, Bible scholarship, archaeology, and anthropology, we can create a story of what it might have been like to be with Miriam and her people.

Read or tell the story. Afterward, invite participants to share their reflections and initial thoughts about the story.