While March is often synonymous with Passover preparations, it’s also Women’s History Month. This year, before you hunt for chametz and bake your matzah, spend some time learning about the women of the Exodus story.
The Jewish people would not have survived and made their way to freedom without the actions of several brave women: Miriam, Moses’ sister; Yocheved, his mother; Shifra and Puah, the midwives who saved him and other babies; Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopts Moses; and Zipporah, Moses’ wife.
Miriam
The story of Passover is filled with brave people, including Moses’ sister, Miriam, who sets her baby brother adrift on the Nile to save him from Pharoah’s evil decree. In doing so, Miriam sets in motion the story of freedom that follows. Later, Miriam becomes a prophet who keeps the Israelites alive in the desert with water from her miraculous well. The beloved heroine’s story has inspired a new Passover ritual: a cup filled with water that is placed on the seder table.
Read:
For some stories featuring characters named Miriam who embody the heroic traits of their namesake, check out:
PJ Our Way:
Do:
Decorate a Miriam’s cup to go along with Elijah’s cup at your seder table.
Pharaoh’s Daughter
Moses survives because he is adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter. She even hires an Israelite woman (Yocheved, Moses’ birth mother) to act as the nurse for baby Moses. In midrash, stories that interpret or expand upon parts of the Torah, we see her referred to as Batya, “daughter of God,” as opposed to “daughter of Pharaoh.”
Watch:
The Birth of Moses from PJ Library’s Official YouTube channel
Read:
The beautiful stories in this list are about the many ways that people build a family together:
Shifra and Puah
Shifra and Puah were midwives who saved Jewish babies by creating a clever ruse to fool Pharaoh and his soldiers. The two women were supposed to report the births of any baby boys so that the soldiers would be alerted to kill them. Instead, Shifra and Puah claimed that, because “Hebrew babies were born so fast,” they never attended the births and so had nothing to report. Although they are only mentioned once in the Torah, there are beautiful midrasshim about the two women that have shaped how some modern families talk about the Exodus story.
Discuss:
Shifra and Puah understood the difference between Pharaoh’s laws and what was actually right and just. Pharaoh’s laws destroyed lives, while the courageous women valued human life and dignity. Can you think of a time or situation where it makes sense to break a rule? Ask your children if they can think of a scenario where doing the right thing (as Shifra and Puah did) might mean breaking a law.
Yocheved
The decree against Jewish boys forced Yocheved, Moses’ birth mother, to hide him after his birth. He was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, but Yocheved and Moses were reunited because, according to the Torah, Pharaoh’s daughter chose Yocheved to be her son’s nurse.
Watch:
Zipporah
When he fled Egypt after striking an Egyptian who was beating an enslaved Hebrew man, Moses was saved by a woman named Zipporah. She would eventually marry Moses and have children with him. Her father, Jethro, was a wise priest whose counsel Moses often sought. Some families have a tradition of placing a ring on their seder plate to honor Zipporah.
Do:
Using the ring for Zipporah as a prompt, talk about what other ideas, symbols, and values are important to your family and come up with ways to customize your seder plate.
Learn:
We don’t know what Moses and Zipporah’s wedding was like, but typically, a Jewish marriage ceremony has many special elements. Curious about what happens at a modern Jewish wedding? Learn more about Jewish wedding customs.
More
7 Books About Incredible Jewish Women
7 More Stories About Amazing Jewish Women
Everything You Need for Passover
Honor the Women of the Passover Story via kveller.com
The Story Behind Yuvi’s Candy Tree
March 18, 2026