This week’s Torah portion comes from the book of Exodus, and includes the Song of the Sea. The haftarah portion comes from the book of Judges, and includes the Song of Deborah. Rabbi Wendy Pein led our group in a study of the parallels between these poetic, biblical texts.
If we open our Bibles, we see that The Song of the Sea (Exodus 15) and the Song of Deborah (Judges 5) are not written in the typical columns we are accustomed to seeing. Instead, the format is closer to a brick-work pattern, or is sometimes said to resemble the movement of the ocean.
The story in Exodus is that the Israelites are ruled by the Egyptian Pharaoh, who oppresses them with taskmasters who makes their lives bitter (Exodus 1:11). The Israelites cry out to God for salvation, who answers their cry by sending a deliverer, the prophet Moses, to free them. After a series of miracles wrought by God (Exodus 7–12), the Israelites are allowed to leave and march toward the sea. God works another miracle, parting the sea so that the Israelites can walk through it to safety. When Pharaoh’s army tries to follow the Israelites, “The waters turned back and covered the chariots and the horsemen—Pharaoh’s entire army that followed them into the sea; not one of them remained” (Exodus 14:28). Then the victory hymn, the Song of the Sea, is sung.
The story in Judges is that the Israelites are ruled by King Jabin of Canaan, who sets his army commander, Sisera, over them. Sisera “oppressed Israel ruthlessly for twenty years” and the Israelites cry out to God (Judges 4:3). The text tell us that the Israelites go to the prophetess Deborah for decisions, but is not specific that they go to her regarding this particular situation. But the text tells us that Deborah summons Barak, an Israelite warrior from the tribe of Naphtali, to lead a force of 10,000 men to do battle with Sisera and his men. Barak insists that Deborah join him and his men, which she does. At the appropriate time, Deborah announces to Barak: “Up! This is the day on which God will deliver Sisera into your hands: God is marching before you (Judges 4:14). By the end of the battle, “All of Sisera’s soldiers fell by the sword; not one was left” (Judges 4:16). The victory hymn, the Song of Deborah, will also be sung, but not before we learn what happens to Sisera . . .
Sisera does not die with his troops. In an episode that Rabbi Pein finds farcical, the great warrior Sisera leaves his troops behind to perish, while he leaps out of his chariot and flees the fighting on foot! (Judges 4:15). Sisera runs to the tent of Heber, a man with whom Sisera believes he will be safe because Heber has a treaty with the Canaanite king. Heber is not there but Heber’s wife, Jael, is. The Bible does not tell us why, but when Sisera is comfortable and falls asleep, Jael takes a tent pin and mallet and drives the pin through Sisera’s head. “Thus he died” (Judges 4:21). And the Song of Deborah is sung.
We reviewed earlier in the Deborah story that Barak insisted Deborah join him at the battle site. When Deborah agrees to join Barak, she tells him that he will not get credit for the defeat of Sisera; a woman will. It makes sense that we jump to the conclusion that Deborah would get the credit—but the credit belongs to Jael. Deborah and Jael are instrumental and powerful women in this story, which is not always the case in the Bible.
What do we know about Deborah? The Song of Deborah is thought by scholars to be the oldest text in the Hebrew Bible, estimating its authorship to 1200 BCE. It’s inclusion in the book of Judges reflects that it is from a time before there was a unified Israel. Instead, there were “judges,” who were closer to tribal leaders, and who showed their worth through success in battle.
The Bible tells us that Deborah was a prophetess, and the wife of Lappidoth; and that “she led Israel at that time” (Judges 4:4). She may have been the wife of an elevated man named Lappidoth, or perhaps his widow, whose own intelligence enabled her to rise even further in stature after his death. Or, because the Hebrew word “lappid” means flame, maybe Deborah was known to be a fiery woman; or a prophetess who read signs in flame or smoke.
We are also told that Deborah “used to sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel” (Judges 4:5). Maybe this was simply the location where her house/tent was situated. The medieval sage Rashi tells us that we are meant understand that Deborah was affluent and journeyed among these places. The Talmudic sages were concerned that it would be unseemly for a man to go into a private place with Deborah, because the neighbors would talk. Therefore, in their interpretation of the text, Deborah sat outside, under a palm tree, to avoid gossip.
The Song of Deborah is a retelling of the Israelite victory over the Canaanites, and it calls out the tribes that did not take part in the battle. It is possible that redactor of the Bible made the choice to include both the prose and poetic versions of the events because the story was so compelling and important in Israelite history. The glory of Deborah is highlighted when we are told:
Deliverance ceased
Ceased in Israel
Till you arose, O Deborah
Arose, O mother, in Israel! (Deborah 5:7)
This blog is Tara Keiter’s interpretation of the Temple Israel of Northern Westchester Torah Study session. Misquotes or misunderstandings in what Rabbi Pein taught are the responsibility of Tara Keiter.