(ד) וּדְבוֹרָה֙ אִשָּׁ֣ה נְבִיאָ֔ה אֵ֖שֶׁת לַפִּיד֑וֹת הִ֛יא שֹׁפְטָ֥ה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בָּעֵ֥ת הַהִֽיא׃ (ה) וְ֠הִ֠יא יוֹשֶׁ֨בֶת תַּחַת־תֹּ֜מֶר דְּבוֹרָ֗ה בֵּ֧ין הָרָמָ֛ה וּבֵ֥ין בֵּֽית־אֵ֖ל בְּהַ֣ר אֶפְרָ֑יִם וַיַּעֲל֥וּ אֵלֶ֛יהָ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לַמִּשְׁפָּֽט׃ (ו) וַתִּשְׁלַ֗ח וַתִּקְרָא֙ לְבָרָ֣ק בֶּן־אֲבִינֹ֔עַם מִקֶּ֖דֶשׁ נַפְתָּלִ֑י וַתֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלָ֜יו הֲלֹ֥א צִוָּ֣ה ׀ ה' אֱלֹהֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֵ֤ךְ וּמָֽשַׁכְתָּ֙ בְּהַ֣ר תָּב֔וֹר וְלָקַחְתָּ֣ עִמְּךָ֗ עֲשֶׂ֤רֶת אֲלָפִים֙ אִ֔ישׁ מִבְּנֵ֥י נַפְתָּלִ֖י וּמִבְּנֵ֥י זְבֻלֽוּן׃ (ז) וּמָשַׁכְתִּ֨י אֵלֶ֜יךָ אֶל־נַ֣חַל קִישׁ֗וֹן אֶת־סִֽיסְרָא֙ שַׂר־צְבָ֣א יָבִ֔ין וְאֶת־רִכְבּ֖וֹ וְאֶת־הֲמוֹנ֑וֹ וּנְתַתִּ֖יהוּ בְּיָדֶֽךָ׃ (ח) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ בָּרָ֔ק אִם־תֵּלְכִ֥י עִמִּ֖י וְהָלָ֑כְתִּי וְאִם־לֹ֥א תֵֽלְכִ֛י עִמִּ֖י לֹ֥א אֵלֵֽךְ׃ (ט) וַתֹּ֜אמֶר הָלֹ֧ךְ אֵלֵ֣ךְ עִמָּ֗ךְ אֶ֚פֶס כִּי֩ לֹ֨א תִֽהְיֶ֜ה תִּֽפְאַרְתְּךָ֗ עַל־הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אַתָּ֣ה הוֹלֵ֔ךְ כִּ֣י בְֽיַד־אִשָּׁ֔ה יִמְכֹּ֥ר ה' אֶת־סִֽיסְרָ֑א וַתָּ֧קׇם דְּבוֹרָ֛ה וַתֵּ֥לֶךְ עִם־בָּרָ֖ק קֶֽדְשָׁה׃
~ What can we glean about Deborah's introduction?
~ What is the image of Barak in this?
~ Is the going of Deborah with Barak the cause of v. 9, in your opinion?
~ How is power and powerlessness depicted in the dynamic between Deborah and Barak?
(ו) בִּימֵ֞י שַׁמְגַּ֤ר בֶּן־עֲנָת֙ בִּימֵ֣י יָעֵ֔ל חָֽדְל֖וּ אֳרָח֑וֹת וְהֹלְכֵ֣י נְתִיב֔וֹת יֵלְכ֕וּ אֳרָח֖וֹת עֲקַלְקַלּֽוֹת׃ (ז) חָדְל֧וּ פְרָז֛וֹן בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל חָדֵ֑לּוּ עַ֤ד שַׁקַּ֙מְתִּי֙ דְּבוֹרָ֔ה שַׁקַּ֥מְתִּי אֵ֖ם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ח) יִבְחַר֙ אֱלֹקִ֣ים חֲדָשִׁ֔ים אָ֖ז לָחֶ֣ם שְׁעָרִ֑ים מָגֵ֤ן אִם־יֵֽרָאֶה֙ וָרֹ֔מַח בְּאַרְבָּעִ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
(6) In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,-d
In the days of Yael, caravans ceased,
And wayfarers went
By roundabout paths. (7) Deliverance ceased, ceased in Israel,
Till I arose, Deborah,
I arose, a mother in Israel! (8) When they chose new gods,
Was there a fighter then in the gates?-g
No shield or spear was seen
Among forty thousand in Israel!
~ What does the song add to the character of Deborah?
(יא) מִקּ֣וֹל מְחַֽצְצִ֗ים בֵּ֚ין מַשְׁאַבִּ֔ים שָׁ֤ם יְתַנּוּ֙ צִדְק֣וֹת ה' צִדְקֹ֥ת פִּרְזוֹנ֖וֹ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אָ֛ז יָֽרְד֥וּ לַשְּׁעָרִ֖ים עַם־ה'׃ (יב) עוּרִ֤י עוּרִי֙ דְּבוֹרָ֔ה ע֥וּרִי ע֖וּרִי דַּבְּרִי־שִׁ֑יר ק֥וּם בָּרָ֛ק וּֽשְׁבֵ֥ה שֶׁבְיְךָ֖ בֶּן־אֲבִינֹֽעַם׃ (יג) אָ֚ז יְרַ֣ד שָׂרִ֔יד לְאַדִּירִ֖ים עָ֑ם ה' יְרַד־לִ֖י בַּגִּבּוֹרִֽים׃
(11) Louder than the sound of archers,-h
among the watering places, there, let them chant the gracious acts of the LORD, His gracious deliverance of Israel.
Then did the people of the LORD
March down to the gates! (12) Awake, awake, O Deborah!
Awake, awake, strike up the chant!
Arise, O Barak;
Take your captives, O son of Abinoam!
(13) Then was the remnant made victor over the mighty,
The LORD’s people won my victory over the warriors.
As headlong galloped the steeds.-m (23) “Curse Meroz!” said the angel of the LORD.
“Bitterly curse its inhabitants,
Because they came not to the aid of the LORD,
To the aid of the LORD among the warriors.”
~ How does cursing by a prophet/ess works? What other prophet do we have cursing enemies?
Deborah was a prophetess, as it is written explicitly: “And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidot” (Judges 4:4). The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of “the wife of Lappidot”? The Gemara answers: For she used to make wicks for the Sanctuary, and due to the flames [lappidot] on these wicks she was called the wife of Lappidoth, literally, a woman of flames. With regard to Deborah, it says: “And she sat under a palm tree” (Judges 4:5). The Gemara asks: What is different and unique with regard to her sitting “under a palm tree” that there is a need for it to be written? Rabbi Shimon ben Avshalom said: It is due to the prohibition against being alone together with a man. Since men would come before her for judgment, she established for herself a place out in the open and visible to all, in order to avoid a situation in which she would be secluded with a man behind closed doors. Alternatively, the verse means: Just as a palm tree has only one heart, as a palm tree does not send out separate branches, but rather has only one main trunk, so too, the Jewish people in that generation had only one heart, directed to their Father in Heaven.
~ What are the details that the rabbis glean from the text?
~ How do they help to expand the character of Deborah?
~ How does the Talmud understand this piece of the song of Deborah? Was that how you heard it, initially?
(7) And Devorah, was a prophetess. What was she like, that she prophesied about Israel and judged them? Wasn't Pinchas ben Eleazar alive then? I bring Heaven and Earth to bear witness that the Divine Spirit may rest upon a gentile and a Jew, a man and a woman, a slave and a maid—all depends on the deeds of that particular person. The House of Elyahu teaching was that they said that Devorah's husband was not a scholar. She said to him , let's make wicks and go to the Mikdash in Shilo, and so you will have a place among the greats and you will have a place in the world to come. So she would make wicks and he would bring them to the Mikdash. He had three names: Barak, Michael and Lapidot. Barak: because his face looked like lightning. Michael: because he diminished himself. Another opinion: he was named after the angel. Lapidot - his wife would make wicks, and his wife thought for long, and decided to make very thick wicks so that their light would be plentiful. And God said, "Devorah you intended to sustain My light, and so I will make your light great in Judah and Jerusalem in front of the 12 tribes. And to what merit did Lapidot arrive to the World to Come? They say because of his wife Devorah, about whom it is written "The wisest of women built her house" (Prov. 14:1). And regarding Jezebel bat Itba'al "and the fool one destroys it with her hands.
~ The Yalkut Shimoni (“Gathering of Simon”) is a midrash on the books of Tanakh, compiled in Greece sometime between the 11th and 14th centuries.
~ How does it explains Deborah's appellation?
~ Does it show an inclusive approach regarding the Presence of God? Is that surprising to you?
(י) אשרת לפידות א"ר יצחק דבי רבי אמי שהיתה עושה פתילות למשכן. והיא יושבת תחת תומר. אר"ש בן אבשלום משום ייחוד, ד"א מה תומר זה צלו מועט אף ת"ח שבאותו הדור היו מועטין. ד"א מה תומר זה אין לו אלא לב אחד אף ישראל אין להם אלא לב אחד לאביהם שבשמים. ...:
(10) Lapidot - Rabbi Itzchak from the House of Rabi Ami: because she made the wicks for the Tabernacle. And she sat under the date palm - Rabbi Shimon be Avshalom: because of yichud. Another explanation: just as the shade of the palm tree is small, so the number of Torah scholars of her time was small. Another opinion: just as a plam tree has only one heart, so in her time Israel was of one heart with their Father in Heaven.
(יא) והיא יושבת תחת תומר לפי שאין דרכה של אשה להתיחד בתוך הבית וישבה בצלו של דקל מלמדת תורה לרבים:
(11) And she sat under a palm tree - as it is not the way of women to seclude themselves at home [with men] and so she sat in the shade of the date palm and taught Torah to the public.
~ What detail is being added here?
Wife of Heber the Kenite,
Most blessed of women in tents. (25) He asked for water, she offered milk;
In a princely bowl she brought him curds. (26) Her [left] hand reached for the tent pin,
Her right for the workmen’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, crushed his head,
Smashed and pierced his temple. (27) At her feet he sank, lay outstretched,
At her feet he sank, lay still;
Where he sank, there he lay—destroyed.
~ How is the encounter of Sisera with Yael portrayed, in terms of power and powerlessness?
~ Is there mothering by Yael?
~ Do you see any sexual innuendo in the story as is? Why or why not?
~ How is the encounter depicted in the Talmud?
~ What theology do we find here, that is similar to Christian theology?
~ How does Torah change the filth of the Primordial Snake?
~ Why is what Yael did complicated, according to the rabbis?
~ Why do you think they see a clear sexual innuendo in the story?
(28) Through the window peered Sisera’s mother,
Behind the lattice she whined:
“Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why so late the clatter of his wheels?” (29) The wisest of her ladies give answer;
She, too, replies to herself: (30) “They must be dividing the spoil they have found:
A womb or two for each man,
Spoil of dyed cloths for Sisera,
Spoil of embroidered cloths,
A couple of embroidered cloths
Round every neck as spoil.”
(31) So may all Your enemies perish, O LORD!
But may His friends be as the sun rising in might!
And the land was tranquil forty years.
~ How does the depiction of conquered women by conquering women imply subjugation?
~ Why does the story end with the whimpers of Sisera's mother?
LAB 31:8 Now Sisera’s mother was called Themech. She sent to her friends, saying, “Come and we will go out together to meet my son, and we will see the daughters of the Hebrews whom my son will bring with him as concubines.”
LAB 31:9 And Barak, having entered, found Sisera dead and said, “Blessed be the Lord, who sent your spirit and said, ‘Sisera will be handed over into the hand of a woman.’” And having said this he took away Sisera’s head and sent the thing to his mother, and delivered it to her, saying, “Take your son who you hoped would come with spoil.”
[Biblical Antiquities (Liber antiquitatum biblicarum [LAB] was initially attributed to the first century B.C.E. Jewish historian and philosopher Philo of Alexandria, but once scholars recognized that the style and themes were distinct from Philo’s, the author became known as Pseudo-Philo. Composed in the first or second century C.E., Biblical Antiquities survives only in Latin, but most scholars believe it was composed in Hebrew and translated to Greek and then into Latin. It rewrites Israelite history from creation to the death of King Saul, but is selective in what it includes.
See more at: https://www.thetorah.com/article/deborah-yael-and-siseras-mother-themech]
~ Why is giving a name to the mother of Sisera important?
~ How does the "gift" from Barak offers a different ending to the story? How does this ending refocus the role of the mother?
(יד) יִזָּכֵ֤ר ׀ עֲוֺ֣ן אֲ֭בֹתָיו אֶל־ה' וְחַטַּ֥את אִ֝מּ֗וֹ אַל־תִּמָּֽח׃
and may the sin of his mother not be blotted out.
Both characters are transgressive, Yael because she kills a general by penetrating him with a phallic weapon, Deborah because she leads her people, and both because they are apparently childless in a textual world preoccupied with birthing sons. [Dr.Caryn Tamber-Rosenau, https://www.thetorah.com/article/deborah-yael-and-siseras-mother-themech]
שם יתנו צדקות ה'. תמן הוא אתר מהימנותא, לאתדבקא. שם יתנו צדקות ה', תמן ינקין צדקות ה' ושאבין. צדקות פרזונו, דא צדיק דעלמא, דאיהו קיים וקדיש, ואיהו שאיב ונטיל כלא, ומפזר לגבי ימא רבא, אינון מיין עלאין. בישראל, דישראל ירתו קיים דא. ויהביה לון קודשא בריך הוא ירותת עלמין.
"There they chanted the righteousness of Ad-nai" (Judges 5:11) - There is the place of faith, to cling [on to it]. "There they chanted the righteousness of Ad-nai" - from there righteousness derives, and are drawn [like water]. "Righteousness overtook Israel" this is the Tzadik of the world [a symbol for circumcision and for Yesod], which is alive and holy, and draws and carries all, and spreads over the great sea [a symbol for Malchut], which are the upper waters. "In Israel" - Israel has the legacy of continuing this, and the Holy Blessed One gave to Israel this legacy [of the circumcision] forever.
כיון דישראל שבקו ליה, דהוו גזרין ולא פרעין, מה כתיב אז ירדו לשערים עם ה', ירדו לשערים, אינון שערי צדק, הוו יתבין לתרעי, ולא עאלין לגו, ובההוא זמנא כתיב ויעזבו את ה' וגו', עד דאתת דבורה, ונדיבת לון בהאי כמה דכתיב בפרוע פרעות בישראל וגו'.
Because Israel had abandoned [the brit], since they were circumcised but not uncovered, what is written? "Then they came down to the gates" - those are the "gates to righteousness" (Psalms 118:19) meaning, they were sitting at the gate, and did go up into them, and regarding that moment it is written "they abandoned Ad-nai etc" (Judges 10:6) until Devorah came, and gave them [awareness] regarding this, as it is written "Uncovered, uncovered in Israel" (Judges 5:2).
וע"ד כתיב, חדלו פרזון בישראל, חדלו פרזון, דא הוא פרזונו דקא אמרן, חדלו פרזון קיים קדישא, דלא אתפרעון עד שקמתי דבורה שקמתי אם בישראל, מאי אם, אלא אנא נחתית מיין עלאין מעילא, לקיימא עלמין, בישראל סתם, לעילא ותתא, לאחזאה, דעלמא לא אתקיים, אלא על קיימא דא, ורזא דכלא, וצדיק יסוד עולם כתיב.
And regarding this it is written "deliverance ceased in Israel" (Judges 5:11). Deliverance ceased - overtook is what we say, deliverance ceased [until] holiness was upheld: "[deliverance] did not overtook until I arose, Deborah, a mother in Israel" (Judges 5:12) What is "mother"? Rather [she said] 'I brought the upper waters from above, to sustain the worlds'. "In Israel" - completely, Israel Above and Below, to hold on to it, since the world would not exist unless this is upheld, and this is the secret of all, as it is written "tzadik is the basis of the world" (Proverbs 10:25)
תלת נפקי מחד, חד בתלת קיימא, עאל בין תרין, תרין ינקין לחד, חד יניק לכמה סטרין, כדין כלא חד. הדא הוא דכתיב ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום אחד, יום דערב ובקר כליל כחדא. היינו רזא דברית יומם ולילה, וביה כלא חד.
Three came out from one, one was established in three, came up in two, two give sustenance to one, one feeds many sides, and therefore they seem not one. And [yet] this is what is written "and it was evening and it was morning, one day" (Genesis 1:5), a day includes evening and morning and they are one: this is the secret of the brit of day and night, and in it it looks like it is not one [but all is one, as the brit makes us see the One is all reality].
~ There are two steps in the circumcision, and the Zohar points out that both are fundamental - the circumcision and the separation of the foreskin. It is through circumcision and the elevation of sexuality to holiness that the world is maintained - because the brit is the first step into the awareness that ALL is ONE. The excision of the foreskin is the excision of the illusion of multiplicity in reality, as hinted at by the Tree of Life. And the Zohar reads this story as Devorah bringing this awareness to Israel.