On a recent Friday evening, as Shira and I glanced at the items available for purchase, we saw a cup for Miriam positioned right next to a cup for Elijah. Many years ago my mother bought us an Elijah's cup, a goblet that we fill on seder night each year, a drinking vessel that symbolizes the hope for a better tomorrow. Tradition says Elijah will herald in the coming of the Messiah. We are delighted to invite Elijah into our homes on seder night each year, first by opening the door for him, and second by setting out a cup for him from which to drink.

But at the Schadick house, we do not yet have a cup for Miriam at our table. Perhaps we should. Miriam is one of the most famous women in the Torah. She is most often associated with water. It was Miriam who guided her infant brother Moses to safety along the banks of the Nile River. It was Miriam who led the Israelite women in dance and celebration on the far shores of the sea of Reeds, as they marked their freedom from slavery. With her piece, "Miriam's Song", the late Debbie Friedman taught us all about this fascinating prophetess.

But there is more to Miriam than many of us might know. The Midrash tells us the story that ten things were created on the eve of the first Shabbat, one of them a well, in the shape of a beehive, that would follow our ancestors in the desert during their forty years of wandering. The discovery of this well is attributed to Miriam. Because of her merit, her bravery and her commitment to her people, God saw to it that this well would gush forth water for the Israelites. This miraculous source of water, that traveled with the former Hebrew slaves, came to be known as Miriam's well. About 25 years ago, as a way to celebrate Miriam's role in the story of the exodus, and to remember the life giving water that sustained the Israelites during those difficult years, the idea for placing a special cup for Miriam on the seder table was born.

What is the ritual? Besides having an additional cup on the table, seated right next to Elijah, this cup is not filled with wine. This cup is for water. The cup can either be filled at the beginning of the seder, or it can be filled just after the ten plagues are recited, and just before the singing of dayenu. And who drinks the water from Miriam's cup? The idea is that we all should. At the end of the seder, each participant should take a sip, as a reminder that the waters from Miriam's well sustained everyone. But perhaps more importantly, the use of this cup aims to teach everyone that women played a significant role in the story of the exodus, a reality that is not always spoken about around our seder tables.

I am delighted that Susan, along with many other women in our community, including Lynn Hoenke, Marissa Krishef, Sandy Simms, and Sarah Weingarten, are planning a Woman's Passover Experience, in which the story of Miriam will be told anew, as well as the stories of other significant Jewish women. This special event, sponsored by Hadassah and the Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids will be held at Temple on Tuesday, April 12. I hope that many women from our congregation will make every effort to attend.

I know it is time for the Schadick family to place a cup for Miriam at our seder table, and it is time for us to do the same thing at our second night seder at Temple. The story of Miriam is far too important not to recall each year at Passover, as is the remembrance of the women who were part of the exodus story. I hope others will consider doing this too, one more cup on the table, right next to Elijah's.

Susan and Shira join me in wishing everyone a joyous Passover. May we all celebrate in health and in peace.

Rabbi