Graven Images Forbidden: Judaism, as a general rule, rejects physical manifestations of spirituality. The story of Judaism begins with Abraham, the original iconoclast, who, according to ancient sources, shattered the idols that were the conventional Far East method of worship at the time. Worship of graven images is harshly condemned throughout the Torah, and perhaps the greatest sin the Israelites collectively committed was the construction of the Golden Calf (in Ex. 32), intended to serve as a physical intermediary between them and God. Today, Israelites do not venerate any holy relics or man-made symbols.

There was one exception to this rule, one man-made object that was considered intrinsically holy. The Ark of the Covenant, constructed during the Israelites’ Exodus in the desert and active until the destruction of the First Temple. The Ark was the most important symbol of Judaism and served as the only physical manifestation of God on earth.

The legends associated with the Ark, and the harsh penalties ascribed for anyone who misuses it, confirm the Ark’s centrality to the Judaism of that period; the fact that Jews and non-Jews alike continue to study and imitate it confirms its centrality even today.

Construction of the Ark: The construction of the Ark is commanded by God to Moses while the Israelites were camped at Sinai (Ex. 25:10-22; 37:1-9). The Ark was a box with the dimensions of two-and-a-half cubits in length, by one-and-a-half cubits in heights, by one-and-a-half cubits in width (a cubit is about 18 inches). It was constructed of acacia wood, and was plated with pure gold, inside and out. On the bottom of the box, four gold rings were attached, through which two poles, also made of acacia and coated in gold, were put. The family of Kehath, of the tribe of Levi, would carry the ark on their shoulders using these poles.

Covering the box was the kapporet, a pure gold covering that was two-and-a-half by one-and-a-half cubits. Attached to the kapporet were two sculpted Cherubs, also made of pure gold. The two Cherubs faced one another, and their wings, which wrapped around their bodies, touched between them.

The contents of the Ark has been debated through the centuries. The general consensus is that the first tablets containing the Ten Commandments, which were broken by Moses, and the second tablets, which remained intact, were contained in the Ark (Bava Batra 14b). According to one opinion in the Talmud, both Tablets were together in the Ark; according to another, there were two Arks, and each contained one set of Tablets (Berakhot 8b).

The Ark was built by Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, who constructed the entire Tabernacle – the portable Temple used in the desert and during the conquest of the land of Israel. The Tabernacle was the resting place for the Ark, and also contained other vessels that were used in the physical worship of God.

The Biblical commentators argue over why God commanded Moses to build a Tabernacle in the first place: According to Rashi (Ex. 31:18), God realized after the sin of the Golden Calf that the Israelites needed an outlet for physical worship, and commanded that they build the Tabernacle as a way of expressing their own need for physical representation of God. According to Nachmanides (Ex. 25:1), however, the Israelites were commanded to build the Tabernacle even before the sin of the Golden Calf; rather than filling a human need, the Tabernacle was God’s method of achieving continuous revelation in the Israelites’ camp. These two opinions as to whether the Tabernacles, and the Temples that followed them, were an a priori necessity or a necessary evil demonstrate the controversial role of physical worship in Judaism as a whole.

The Role of the Ark: The Ark was used in the desert and in Israel proper for a number of spiritual and pragmatic purposes. Practically, God used the Ark as an indicator of when he wanted the nation to travel, and when to stop. In the traveling formation in the desert, the Ark was carried 2000 cubits ahead of the nation (Num. R. 2:9).

According to one midrash, it would clear the path for the nation by burning snakes, scorpions, and thorns with two jets of flame that shot from its underside (T. VaYakhel, 7); another midrash says that rather than being carried by its bearers, the Ark in fact carried its bearers inches above the ground (Sotah 35a). When the Israelites went to war in the desert and during the conquering of Canaan, the Ark accompanied them; whether its presence was symbolic, to provide motivation for the Israelites, or whether it actually aided them in fighting, is debated by commentators.

Spiritually, the Ark was the manifestation of God’s physical presence on earth (the shekhinah). When God spoke with Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the desert, he did so from between the two Cherubs (Num. 7:89). Once the Ark was moved into the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple, it was accessible only once a year, and then, only by one person. On Yom Kippur, the High Priest (Kohen Gadol) could enter the Holy of Holies to ask forgiveness for himself and for all the nation of Israel (Lev. 16:2).

The relationship between the Ark and the shekhinah is reinforced by the recurring motif of clouds. God’s presence is frequently seen in the guise of a cloud in the Bible (Ex. 24:16), and the Ark is constantly accompanied by clouds: When God spoke from between the Cherubs, there was a glowing cloud visible there (Ex. 40:35); when the Israelites traveled, they were led by the Ark and a pillar of clouds (Num. 10:34); at night, the pillar of clouds was replaced by a pillar of fire, another common descriptor of God’s appearance (Ex. 24:17); and when the High Priest entered presence of the Ark on Yom Kippur, he did so only under the cover of a cloud of incense, perhaps intended to mask the sight of the shekhinah in all its glory (Lev. 16:13).

The holiness of the Ark also made it dangerous to those who came in contact with it. When Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron, brought a foreign flame to offer a sacrifice in the Tabernacle, they were devoured by a fire that emanated “from the Lord” (Lev. 10:2). During the saga of the capture of the Ark by the Philistines, numerous people, including some who merely looked at the Ark, were killed by its power. Similarly, the Priests who served in the Tabernacle and Temple were told that viewing the Ark at an improper time would result in immediate death (Num. 4:20).

History of the Ark: The Ark accompanied the Israelites throughout their time in the desert, traveling with them and accompanying them to their wars with Emor and Midian. When the Israelites crossed into the land of Canaan, the waters of the Jordan River miraculously split and the Ark led them through (Josh. 3). Throughout their conquest of the land, the Israelites were accompanied by the Ark. The most dramatic demonstration of its power comes when the Israelites breached the walls of Jericho merely by circling them, blowing horns and carrying the Ark (Josh. 6).

After the conquest was completed, the Ark, and the entire Tabernacle, were set up in Shiloh (Josh. 18) . There they remained until the battles of the Israelites with the Philistines during the Priesthood of Eli. The Jews, after suffering a defeat at the Philistines’ hands, took the Ark from Shiloh to Even-Ezer in hopes of winning the next battle. But the Jews were routed, and the Ark was captured by the Philistines. Back in Shiloh, Eli, the High Priest, immediately died upon hearing the news (I Sam. 4).

The Philistines took the Ark back to Ashdod, their capital city in the south of Canaan, where they placed it in the temple of their god Dagon. The next day, however, they found the idol fallen on its face. After replacing the statue, they found it the next day decapitated, with only its trunk remaining, and soon afterward, the entire city of Ashdod was struck with a plague. The Philistines moved the Ark to the city of Gath, and from there to Ekron, but whatever city the Ark was in, the inhabitants were struck with plague.

After seven months, the Philistines decided to send the Ark back to the Israelites, and accompanied it with expensive gifts. The Ark was taken back to Beit Shemesh, and, according to midrash, the oxen pulling the Ark burst into song as soon as it was once again in Israel’s possession (A.Z. 22b). The actual text of the story, however, tells a much grimmer tale: The men of Beit Shemesh were punished for staring disrespectfully at the Ark, and many were killed with a plague.

From Beit Shemesh, the Ark was transported to Kiryat Yearim, where it remained for twenty years. From there, King David transported it to Jerusalem. En route, however, the oxen pulling it stumbled, and when Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark, he died immediately. As a result of this tragedy, David decided to leave the Ark at the home of Obed-edom the Gittite.

Three months later, he moved it to Jerusalem, the seat of his kingdom, where it remained until the construction of the First Temple by David’s son Solomon (I Sam. 5-6). When the Ark was finally placed in the Temple, the midrash reports that the golden tree decorations that adorned the walls blossomed with fruit that grew continuously until the Temple’s destruction (Yoma 39b).

The Ark’s Location: The Ark remained in the Temple until the Temple’s destruction at the hand of the Babylonian empire, led by Nebuchadnezzar. What happened to Ark afterward is a mystery and has been debated and pondered for centuries. It is unlikely that the Babylonians took it, as they would have been struck dead, however they did take the other vessels of the Temple, because there were detailed lists of what they took.

According to some sources, Josiah, one of the final kings to reign in the First Temple period, learned of the impending invasion of the Babylonians and hid the Ark. Where he hid it is also a mystery. According to one midrash, he dug a hole under the wood storehouse on the Temple Mount and buried it there (Yoma 53b). Another account says that Solomon foresaw the eventual destruction of the Temple, and set aside a cave near the Dead Sea, in which Josiah eventually hid the Ark (Maimonides, Laws of the Temple, 4:1).

Another theory is that the Ark was taken to Modein or Mecca by Mohammed during the invasions if Islam in the East.

A more plausible claim is that of archaeologist Leen Ritmeyer, who has conducted research on the Temple Mount and inside the Dome of the Rock. He claims to have found the spot on the Mount where the Holy of Holies was located during the First Temple period. In the precise center of that spot is a section of bedrock cut out in dimensions that may match those of the Ark as reported in Exodus. This section of the mount, incidentally, is the one from which the creation of the world began, according to midrash (T. Kedoshim, 10). Based on his findings, Ritmeyer has postulated that the Ark may be buried deep inside the Temple Mount.

However, it is not located there either.

V. 21,22. Remember Moses said to his people: “O my people! Call in remembrance the favour of Allah unto you, when He produced prophets among you, made you kings, and gave you what He had not given to any other among the peoples.

“O my people! Enter the Holy land which Allah hath assigned unto you!

VII. 137. And We made a people, considered weak (and of no account), inheritors of lands in both east and west, ­ lands where on We sent down Our blessings. The fair promise of thy Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, because they had patience and constancy, and We leveled to the ground the great works and fine buildings which Pharaoh and his people erected (with such pride).

VII. 71. We delivered him (Abraham) and (his nephew) Lut (and directed them) to the land which We have blessed for the nations.

XVII. 101-104. To Moses We did give Nine Clear Sings: As the Children of Israel: when he came to them, Pharaoh said to him: “O Moses! I consider thee, indeed, to have been worked upon by sorcery!

Moses said, “Thou knowest well that these things have been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth as eye-opening evidence: and I consider thee indeed, O Pharaoh, to be one doomed to destruction!” So he resolved to remove them from the face of the earth: but We did drown him and all who were with him.

And We said thereafter to the Children of Israel, “Dwell securely in the land (of promise)”: but when the second of the warnings came to pass, We gathered you together in a mingled crowd.

II. 248. And their Prophet said to them: “A Sign of his authority is that there shall come to you the Ark of the covenant, with (an assurance) therein of security from your Lord, and the relics left by the family of Moses and the family of Aaron, carried by angels. In this is a symbol for you if ye indeed have faith.”

X. 93. We settled the Children of Israel in a beautiful dwelling­ place, and provided for them sustenance of the best: it was after knowledge had been granted to them, that they fell into schisms. Verily Allah will judge between them as to the schisms amongst them, on the Day of Judgment.

XXXIII. 23. Among the Believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah. of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait: but they have never changed (their determination) in the least:

II. 51,52. And remember We appointed forty nights for Moses, and in his absence ye took the calf (for worship), and ye did grievous wrong.

Even then We did forgive you; …The Bible, as given to the Jews is called “Allah’s revelation” and contains guidance and light!

VII. :45. It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): with therein guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed to Allah’s will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the protection of Allah’s book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men, but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) Unbelievers.

XXXIII. 7. And remember We took from the prophets their covenant… from Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary: We took from them a solemn covenant.

XXXVII114-122. Again (of old) We bestowed Our favour on Moses and Aaron, And We delivered them and their people from (their) Great Calamity; And We helped them, so they overcame (their troubles); And We gave them the Book which helps to make things clear; “Peace and salutation to Moses and Aaron!” Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For they were two of our believing Servants.

III. 3. It is He Who sent down to thee, in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong).

III. 187. And remember Allah took a covenant from the People of the Book, to make it known and clear to mankind, and not to hide it;

VII. 69. Say: “O People of the Book! ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord.” It is the revelation that cometh to thee from thy Lord, that increaseth in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy. But sorrow thou not over (these) people without Faith.

XL. 16,17. We did a foretime grant to the Children of Israel the Book the Power of Command, and Prophethood; We gave them, for Sustenance, things good and pure; and We favoured them above the nations.

XL. 53,54. We did aforetime give Moses the (Book of) Guidance, and We gave the book in inheritance to the Children of Israel,- A Guide and a Message to men of Understanding.

II. 63. And remember We took your covenant and We raised above you (The towering height) of Mount (Sinai) : (Saying): “Hold firmly to what We have given you and bring (ever) to remembrance what is therein: Perchance ye may fear Allah.”

VII. 70. Those who believe, those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians and the Christians,­ any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness,­ on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

XXIX. 46. And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, “We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our Allah and your Allah is one; and it is to Him we bow.”

V. 21,22. Remember Moses said to his people: “O my people! Call in remembrance the favour of Allah unto you, when He produced prophets among you, made you kings, and gave you what He had not given to any other among the peoples.

“O my people! Enter the holy land which Allah hath assigned unto you!

VII. 137. And We made a people, considered weak (and of no account), inheritors of lands in both east and west, ­ lands where on We sent down Our blessings. The fair promise of thy Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, because they had patience and constancy, and We leveled to the ground the great works and fine buildings which Pharaoh and his people erected (with such pride).

VII. 71. We delivered him (Abraham) and (his nephew) Lut (and directed them) to the land which We have blessed for the nations.

XVII. 101-104. To Moses We did give Nine Clear Sings: As the Children of Israel: when he came to them, Pharaoh said to him: “O Moses! I consider thee, indeed, to have been worked upon by sorcery!

Moses said, “Thou knowest well that these things have been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth as eye-opening evidence: and I consider thee indeed, O Pharaoh, to be one doomed to destruction!”

So he resolved to remove them from the face of the earth: but We did drown him and all who were with him.

And We said thereafter to the Children of Israel, “Dwell securely in the land (of promise)”: but when the second of the warnings came to pass, We gathered you together in a mingled crowd.

 V. 6 The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them. [Muslims have permission from Allah to eat the (kosher) food of Jews]

III. 113-115. Not all of them are alike: Of the People of the Book are a portion that stand (For the right)…

They believe in Allah and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten (in emulation) in (all) good works: They are in the ranks of the righteous.

Of the good that they do, nothing will be rejected of them; for Allah knoweth well those that do right.

VII.170. As to those who hold fast by the (Jewish) Book and establish regular prayer, ­ never shall We suffer the reward of the righteous to perish.

In another verse, God commands Muslims to be good to all non-Muslims – including the People of the Book – provided that they do display enmity towards Muslims: God does not forbid you from being good to those who have not fought you in the religion or driven you from your homes,or from being just towards them. God loves those who are just…(The Koran, 60:8)

A Muslim can never assume such a crude outlook and attitude. God relates us the existence of the “People of the Book” as a fact, explained us the issues about which they hold misconceptions yet also commanded us to treat them well. In one verse, God commands us to say the following to the People of the Book: We believe in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you. Our God and your God are one and we submit to Him. (The Koran, 29:46)

Those who attempt to justify their murders by misinterpreting these verses with wicked intentions are actually people who do not fear God and who exploit religion for the sake of the passion they feel for cruelty. Indeed, God informs us in the Koran that such people with wicked intentions often try to misinterpret verses in the Koran. (The Koran, 3:7) 

Allah warns us in the Koran thus: “Do not let hatred for a people incite you into not being just. That is closer to piety. Have fear of God. God is aware of what you do. (The Koran, 5:8) 

O People of the Book! Let us rally to a common formula to be binding on both us and you: That we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than God. (The Koran, 3 :64)

This is also our call to Jews: As the people who believe in God and obey His revelations, let us rally to a common formula, to the word of “faith”..  Let us love our Creator and our Lord, our One God. Let us obey His commands. And, let us pray that our Lord guides us to the right path.

In the Koran, God commands Muslims to ensure the security of even the idolaters who do not comply with the revelations of God: “If any of the idolaters ask you for protection, give them protection until they have heard the words of God. Then convey them to a place where they are safe.” (Surat at-Tawba: 6) Meanwhile, Muslims must show more respect, tolerance and goodness to the People of the Book who, compared with idolaters, harbor a faith very similar to those of Muslims.

This attitude towards the People of the Book developed during the years of the birth of Islam. At that time, Muslims were a minority, struggling to protect their faith and suffering oppression and torture from the pagans of the city of Mecca. Due to this persecution, some Muslims decided to flee Mecca and shelter in a safe country with a just ruler. The Prophet Muhammad told them to take refuge with King Negus, the Christian king of Ethiopia. The Muslims who followed this advice found a very fair administration that embraced them with love and respect when they went to Ethiopia. King Negus refused the demands of the pagan messengers who asked him to surrender the Muslims to them, and announced that Muslims could live freely in his country.

Such attitudes of Christian people that are based on the concepts of compassion, mercy, modesty and justice, constitute a fact that God has pointed out in the Koran. A verse of the Koran states: You will find the people most affectionate to those who believe are those who say, ‘We are Christians.’ That is because some of them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant. (Surat al-Ma’ida, 82).

Besides Moses or Muhammad, G-d sent many prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Joseph throughout history, and they love all these prophets. The beliefs of the People of the Book are in harmony with Muslims, not only in terms of faith-related issues, but also of moral values. Today, in a world where such immoralities as adultery, homosexuality, drug addiction and a model of egoism and self-seeking cruelty have grown widespread, the People of the Book and Muslims share the same virtues: Honor, chastity, humility, self-sacrifice, honesty, compassion, mercy and unconditional love. In the relevant verses of the Koran, there is a significant difference between the People of the Book and the idolaters. This is especially emphasized in the area of social life. For example, it is said concerning the idolaters: “(they) are unclean, so after this year they should not come near the Masjid al-Haram (Kaaba).” (Surat at-Tawba: 28) Idolaters are people who obey no divine law, have no moral precepts and who are capable of committing every kind of degrading and perverse action without hesitation.

And the food of those given the Book is also lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. So are chaste women from among the believers and chaste women of those given the Book before you, once you have given them their dowries in marriage, not in fornication or taking them as lovers. But as for anyone who disbelieve, his actions will come to nothing and in the hereafter he will be among the losers. (Surat al-Mai’da: 5)

Another important fact we learn from the Koran is that Muslims must respect Jewish places of worship. In the Koran, the places of worship of the People of the Book, are mentioned as places of worship protected by God. (Surat al-Hajj: 40 )

The Koran God commands Muslims not to harbor any enmity towards any people. In many verses, friendship is recommended, even with idolaters. God even refers to the idolaters at war with Muslims in this way: “If any of the idolaters ask you for protection, give them protection until they have heard the words of God. Then convey them to a place where they are safe.” (Surat at-Tawba: 6)

Jews, however, are much closer to Muslims than idolaters. Each of these religions has its book, that is, they are subject to a revelation sent down by God. They know what is right and what is wrong, what is lawful and what is unlawful. They know they will give an account to God, and they love and revere His prophets. This shows that Muslims and the people of the book can live easily together and cooperate. Concerning the People of the Book, God gives Muslims a command in the Koran; to rally to a common formula: O People of the Book! Let us rally to a common formula to be binding on both us and you: That we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than God. (Surat Al ‘Imran, 64)

Once Muslims and Jews rally to this formula and once they realise that they are not enemies but actually friends and that their actual enemies are disbelief and atheism, the world will be a different place. The conflicts, enmities, fears and acts of terrorism, that have been going on for centuries will come to end and a “peace of civilisations” based on a “common formula”, love, respect and peace will be established.

One of the foremost righteous leaders of the Jews in Egyptian exile was the prophetess Miriam, sister of Moses, in whose merit the Jewish nation drank from a miraculous well which followed them throughout the Sinai desert and beyond. Miriam was one of the three children of Amram and Jochebed; Aaron and Moses were her brothers.

She was born at the time that the Egyptians began to oppress the Children of Israel and embitter their lives; she was thus named “Miriam”, meaning “embittered” (in Hebrew, “mar” means “bitter”). Several years after she was born, Pharaoh’s astrologers told him that the savior of Israel will meet his end by water. Pharaoh then decreed that all male Jewish babies be thrown into the Nile, and he entrusted the Jewish midwives, Shifra and Pua, with this task. According to many sources, Shifra refers to Jochebed, and Pua refers to 5-yr-old Miriam, who assisted her mother.

Amram then divorced his wife, in despair from this decree. Being that he was the head of Sanhedrin, the rest of the Jews followed his example. His daughter Miriam’s reaction: “Father, your decree is harsher than Pharaoh’s, for Pharaoh’s decree is directed only against the males, whereas yours is directed against both males and females”. Amram thereupon remarried his wife with great ceremony and all the Jews again followed suit. Before Moses was born, 7-year-old Miriam prophesied, “My mother is destined to bear a son who will redeem Israel”.  When Moses was born, the whole house was filled with light. Her father kissed her on her head and said, “My daughter, your prophecy has been fulfilled.”

When Moses was 3 months old, Pharaoh’s scouts discovered the newborn baby and ordered him cast into the Nile. Jochebed then slapped Miriam on the head and said, “My daughter, where is your prophecy?” When Moses was placed into the Nile in a basket, Miriam stood from afar to see what would become of baby Moses and her prophecy. At that time, the astrologers told Pharaoh, “The savior of the Jews has already been cast into the water,” and the decree was rescinded. At the age of 80, Moses received a prophecy that the redemption was near. When he relayed this message to the Jewish men, they were unable to believe it, being too embittered from their slavery and suffering.

“Women have greater faith than men.” Therefore, the wives rejoiced in Moses’ message of salvation and continued to encourage their husbands by decorating themselves with make-up and jewelry when meeting them after their long, grueling day’s work. They even fashioned tambourines in the depths of the Egyptian exile under Miriam’s direction, in anticipation of the coming redemption.

The Red Sea split on the 22^nd of Nisan, enabling the Jewish nation’s safe crossing while escaping the Egyptians in pursuit. After the Children of Israel escaped from Egypt and had crossed the Red Sea, Miriam and the women took up the instruments, and they danced while singing the song of redemption with complete faith and joy, following Moses’ cue. Although not yet in the Land of Israel, still in exile in the desert, they had perfect faith in their full redemption.

The Ari teaches that when a well of water is dug, a corresponding spiritual well of water is opened in the upper worlds, causing the spiritual energies of faith contained in the upper waters to permeate the atmosphere and giving people more faith and belief in G-d (since any action done in the physical world causes a corresponding action in the spiritual world). The Forefathers dug wells in their efforts to spread the belief in G-d to the world. Thus, Miriam’s well is connected to her deep belief and faith in G-d.

There were three good shepherds/providers that were given to the Jewish people: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. And three good gifts were given in their behalf: the Manna in Moses’ merit, Seven Clouds of Glory in Aaron’s merit, and a (miraculous travelling) well in Miriam’s merit. Throughout their 40-year sojourn in the desert, they ate wondrous manna, were surrounded and protected by seven Clouds of Glory, and drank water from a miraculous well. Thus were their basic needs of food, water, and shelter provided for in the desert.

Miriam’s well is described;  ”like a rock full of holes, trickled and rose like the water of this small jug, it ascended mountains with them and descended to the valleys with them….the princes of Israel surrounded it with their staffs and recited over it the song “Rise up well and answer her, rise up well and answer her” (Num. 21:17), and it bubbled and rose upwards like a pillar”.

Miriam had two merits connected specifically with water, and there are differing opinions for which merit the well was bequeathed: watching over Moses’ rush basket in the Nile in his infancy and exuberant praise after the Splitting of the Sea on the banks of the Red-Sea. Indeed, it was entirely to Miriam’s credit that the Jews continued to procreate in Egypt in spite of Pharaoh’s decrees and she even helped to keep the babies alive and supplied them with food (Ex. 1:17).

In addition, the “Well of Miriam” was more to the Israelites than just their source of water. When the leading clouds came to a stop it indicated to the nation that they should make camp. The arrangement of the camp as detailed in the beginning of the Book of Numbers was deliberate and divine, and directed initially by the well, which would move to the very center of the camp, marking the position of the Tabernacle. The well then overflowed and created a canal system that delineated the placement and boundaries of each tribe within the desert encampment.

On the tenth of the month of Nissan, Miriam the prophetess died and the people complained of great thirst. Then Moses came upon a “rock”, actually the well in hiding, and hit it to provoke it to again provide water. Although Moses was punished by this episode by not being allowed into the Land of Israel, the well itself was renewed and continued to accompany the children of Israel, in his merit. “And Miriam died there… And there was no water for the congregation.” (Num. 20:1-2) Oral Torah and Written Torah.

The Ari explains that subsisting on manna and roving-well water had a purpose beyond miraculous survival in the desert. Manna, given in Moses’ merit, aided the Jew’s understanding of the written Torah; the well-water, given in Miriam’s merit, aided their understanding of the oral traditions of Torah and caused these traditions to become engraved on their hearts. In fact, the letters for the Hebrew word for “well”, “be’er”, are the same letters as the word for “interpretation”. The oral traditions of the Torah were given concomitantly with the 24 written books of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. These include laws that are called “laws of Moses, from Sinai”, although not included in the Written Torah (contradicting the belief that the oral traditions were entirely a result of confusion of the law as a result of the passage of time.)

When studying or reading the Written Torah, one recites a blessing over it even when he understands not one word, for the letters themselves are intrinsically holy and comprehension is secondary. On the other hand, if one does not comprehend what he is learning in the Oral Torah, he is not permitted to recite the blessing over Torah, as its study without comprehension does not constitute Torah study at all. Jews also approach the Oral Torah with simple faith that transcends logic. Thus, a Jew will not adjudicate Torah law according to his own logical conclusions if his opinion is contradicted by an earlier Torah sage, one whose legal opinions are accepted by most Jews as binding. The above holds true even when, according to the rules of logic, the person feels himself to be completely in the right. Unlike secular wisdom, Torah logic and faith go hand in hand.

The well did not abandon the nation of Israel even after their entrance to the Land of Israel, as opposed to the Manna and the Clouds of Glory; in fact, it continues to contribute from its wondrous powers until this day. When they entered the Land under Joshua, on 10 Nissan, the anniversary of Miriam’s death, the well also entered the Land, where it became hidden:

Legends abound regarding Miriam’s well and whoever wishes to see Miriam’s Well should go up to the top of the Carmel and look out, and they will see a type of sieve in the Mediterranean sea.” According to another source, the well sank into the Sea of Galilee: “It happened that someone who suffered from boils went down to immerse in the waters in Tiberias; it was an opportune time, and he saw Miriam’s Well and washed in it and was healed”. Even in our day and age, “some have a tradition to draw water from a well Saturday night because Miriam’s Well supplies all the wells each Saturday night, and one who does so and drinks will be cured of illness”. Indeed, Miriam’s Well is said to feed the waters of Israel’s most important water reserve nowadays, the Sea of Galilee, while hidden in its depths.