In 2006, when my editors at Kar-Ben Publishing asked me to write Sarah Laughs, my picture book about the biblical Sarah, I was skeptical. It’s a story about a woman whose main goal in life is to have a baby. How do you make kids relate to that, I asked? My editors reminded me that most preschoolers have firsthand experience with pregnant mommies and would understand that a woman wanted a baby. I sheepishly admitted this was true, and began researching to see if I could come up with a narrative to intrigue young readers.

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I used many sources, including Adin Steinsaltz’s Biblical Images. Steinsaltz and others depicted Sarah as a pioneer who spread the belief in one God, teaching alongside her husband as an equal partner. Telling the story through Sarah’s eyes gave me the opportunity to explain this to young readers. As I studied and imagined her, I was touched by Sarah’s courage to follow God’s voice through the desert, to accept the delay of what she wanted most—a child—year and after year. Isaac comes to Sarah after a lifetime of longing. Her life embodies the hope that our dreams will come true, no matter how long they are delayed. This was a powerful message for me, as a writer who waited years to see her publishing dreams realized.

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In Miriam in the Desert (released September 2010), I follow another strong Biblical woman—Miriam, the sister of Moses. Miriam was a leader in her own right, just like Sarah. I loved imagining this Biblical matriarch in the desert, bolstering the spirits of her people through the long trek in the wilderness. At the same time, it made me question myself. How would I have behaved in the desert? Would I have had Miriam’s faith or would I have grumbled like all the other Israelites?

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Exodus 15:20 calls Miriam a prophetess at the Red Sea, when she takes the timbrel in her hand. In Miriam in the Desert, I imagine Miriam singing not only at the Red Sea, but each time she witnessed a miracle in the wilderness. Miriam’s Well, the sieve-like rock which provided water to the wandering Israelites, was bestowed as a reward for Miriam’s devotion. A woman like this would certainly have led her people in songs of praise over and over again.

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The midrash of the manna also inspired me. It was said to have a unique taste in each Israelite’s mouth. This parallels the midrash about the voice at Sinai, which was said to be a personal experience for each Israelite. In my picture book, I had the distinct pleasure of giving Miriam the opportunity of explaining this phenomenon, when she says, “God spoke to each one of us in the way we understood best.”

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Writing often leads us to research topics we previously understood in only a shallow manner. To write about Miriam and Sarah, I had to immerse myself in midrash and rabbinic commentary. I had to imagine their feelings and thoughts. The journey enriched my life.

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Thanks for reading JWorld Café, the Poetica Magazine Blog

Jacqueline Jules, Guest Blogger

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Jacqueline Jules is an award-winning children’s author and poet. Her books include The Hardest Word, The Princess and the Ziz, Abraham’s Search for God, Sarah Laughs, Benjamin and the Silver Goblet, and the recently released, Miriam in the Desert. For more information, please visit www.jacquelinejules.com - Linda Pressman, Blog Editor.