Torah for Christians: Women of the Bible: Deborah the Great!

Transcript

TORAH FOR CHRISTIANS

SEASON SIX                    EPISODE THIRTEEN

DEBORAH THE GREAT!

          Whoever said that women were unfit for combat obviously never read the story of Deborah. Let’s look at it now. I’m Rabbi Jordan Parr and this is Torah for Christians.

MUSIC

          Welcome to Torah for Christians. I’m Rabbi Jordan Parr.

          The Book of Judges is one of the most interesting books in the entire Bible. Moving away from the Five Books of Moses, we encounter a very different Israel. At this point in time, there is no sense of peoplehood nor is there a sense of religious unity. Each tribe, and perhaps each clan within each tribe, did as they wished. There was a vague sense of commonality but the tribes only united when there was a common danger. If there was no enemy, they often fought against each other.

          The first Judge, Ehud, managed to defeat about 10,000 Moabites, leading to 80 years of peace, according to Judges, Chapter 3. But in Chapter Four, long after the death of Ehud, King Jabin of Hazor rose up against these tribes. Hazor was a fortress city in Northern Israel, long a Canaanite stronghold. King Jabin sent his general, Sisera, to conquer Israel. And for 20 years, King Jabin ruled ruthlessly over the northern tribes.

          At that time, the Israelites came to Deborah, a Judge from the Tribe of Ephraim, to remedy this situation. She turned to Barak, of the Tribe of Naphtali, to be her general. Under Barak, the northern tribes united and defeated Sisera and his army at the foothills of Mount Tabor, which towered over the flat plain of the Tribe of Naphtali in northern Israel. Barak’s army defeated the army of Sisera, which numbered 900 iron chariots, and killed every soldier. Only Sisera escaped the carnage.

          Sisera arrived at the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, whom he assumed was allied with King Jabin. Yael suggested that Sisera get some rest and gave him a skin of warm milk to help him fall asleep. Once asleep, Yael drove a tent peg through Sisera’s skull and killed him. With this victory, the Northern Israelites knew 40 years of peace.

          Just as the Israelites sang to God at the shores of the sea when Pharaoh’s army lay floating on the waters, so the Northern Israelites sang in praise of Deborah and Barak. One might even say that Chapter Five of the Book of Judges was the northern tribes’ national anthem – just as the Song at the Sea was the anthem attributed to all Israel.

          Like many of the Judges, Deborah appears almost out of nowhere. First, we’re surprised that the Israelites acknowledged Deborah as a Judge; she is the only woman named as a Judge in the entire book – and one of the few women with any real power in the entire Hebrew Bible, perhaps even more powerful than Esther, since she controlled an army.

          We do not know why the Israelites turned to Deborah. Yet, her words were powerful; she was the one who appointed Barak as her field general. And he clearly answered to her.

           While I certainly have no proof, I believe that the Song of Deborah, one of the oldest pieces of literature found in the entire Hebrew Bible, was written by a woman. And if that were not the case, it’s obvious that it was influenced by women. Again, this is unique in the Hebrew Bible.

          The Song of Deborah focuses on three women: Deborah, Yael and Sisera’s mother. Deborah is, of course, the leader of the people; until she arose, says the song, northern Israel lay in ruins. Caravans ceased traveling the ancient route from Mesopotamia to Egypt; travelers avoided the region and the worship of YHVH ceased. But under her leadership, some of the northern tribes joined together to defeat Sisera. And those that refused to fight are excoriated. Interestingly, no Southern Tribe, such as Judah, is mentioned, nor are the Levites.

          The second person mentioned is Yael. Yael is really the unsung hero of the entire story. She is the one, if you recall, who drove the tent peg into Sisera’s head. Sisera had thought that her husband, a Kenite, was aligned with the King of Hazor. 

          Except for him. I guess that Sisera didn’t get the memo. Sisera asked Yael for some water, but she suggested milk. And with the approval of her husband, she killed him in a most vicious way. While Deborah and Barak led the battle, Yael won the war.

          But here is where it gets interesting. The end of the poem describes Sisera’s mother. After recalling the glories of Deborah, Barak, and Yael, after condemning the northern tribes who did not join in the battle, after ignoring the southern tribes altogether, the poem shifts to describe the mother of a general, awaiting the proud return of her son. The other women consoled her by saying that they were probably dividing the spoils, including the women, and therefore he was late.

          Imagine the pathos in these verses. Sisera’s mother is sitting at home, probably crying her eyes out, wondering why her son did not come home. This is not a military moment; it is the story of a mother mourning a lost child. I don’t believe that this idea was ever replicated anywhere else in the Bible. Only a woman could have written these words.

          Unlike the prose so prevalent in Judges and other books of the Bible, the Song of Deborah is poetry, most likely sung at special occasions. As such, poetry is quite hard to edit; we must assume that the text as we have it is original, with minimal editing. It is one of the most authentic documents in the entire Hebrew Bible.

          What then is Deborah’s significance in Judaism?  As a model for women, she reigns supreme. She seized authority, commanded men and was lionized in ancient literature. Yet, she does not play much of a role in Rabbinic literature. Aside from this poem being recited on the same Sabbath morning as the Song at the Sea, we really don’t hear much about her. It is as if the rabbis, a male homosocial society, like a fraternity perhaps, preferred to focus on the men of the Bible, not the women. And when they did refer to women, it often was to place them at a lower status level. It was as if they wanted to forget about Deborah and Yael altogether. 

          Yet, they were not entirely successful. The Apochryphal Book of Judith mimics the story of Deborah, Sisera and Yael. In this story, set at the time of the Maccabees, the Greek general Holofernes takes refuge in the tent of Judith, which is the feminine form of Judah, as in Judah Maccabee – or even Jew. Judith feeds Holofernes cheese and then, when he was asleep, killed him with a tent peg. 

Of course, the rabbis excluded this book from the canon, perhaps due to the Maccabean connection. Or perhaps, they just didn’t want women to play the starring role.

          Today, we revere Deborah once again. We admire her courage, her strength, and her authority over Israel. It is time to reconsider Deborah, a woman of great valor and strength. Let us tell her story again. But this time, let us tell it with her as the hero.

          I want to thank you for listening to Torah for Christians. Please like us on Apple, Spotify, Google, or your favorite podcasting site. You can also like us on Facebook and access all our episodes at our website, www.torahforchristians.net.  And if you leave us an idea for a future podcast topic, I’ll be sure to give you a shout-out if we produce it.

          Next week, we will conclude our series about women of the Bible with an interview with my friend and colleague, Rabbi Rachel Bearman. Rabbi Bearman and I will discuss Women of the Bible. As well as looking at the entire topic, we will discover just who our female heroes are. I promise this will be a wonderful episode and one which you dare not miss.

          In conclusion, let me say again, Hinei … L’hitra’ot, till we meet again. I’m Rabbi Jordan Parr and this is Torah for Christians.