Verses: 31
Is It Read At Synagogue?: Yes — this chapter is the second part of the Haftarah for the Torah portion of Beshallach.
Famous Quotes/Phrases: The phrase “the mountains quaked” in Verse 5 is repeated in numerous Psalms. It’s one of the Hebrew Bible’s more evocative ways of describing how God’s actions cause nature to work in exceptional ways.
Basic Plot: This chapter is a celebratory poem, one of 10 biblical passages termed by our Sages as “songs”. It’s commonly known as the Song of Deborah, and it celebrates the events that take place in the previous chapter. Deborah and Barak sing the song together, just as they team up to succeed on the battlefield. A couple of highlights from the song include a recounting of tribes that contribute to the victory (more on that in a moment) and an examination of Yael’s defeat of Sisera. A postscript informs us that “the land” would be tranquil for the next 40 years.
What’s Strange: The list of tribes mentioned in the song is curious because (a) some of the tribes it mentions aren’t tribes at all — at least, not the names of the tribes we know: one is named “Machir” and another is called “Gilead”; and (b) it doesn’t mention all 12 tribes. On this latter point, in a commentary on the Book of Judges, A.D.H. Mayes marvels at how the tribes of Judah and Simeon are ignored. “[I]t is reasonable to assume that the common Israelite consciousness of this period did not extend to these southern tribes,” Mayes writes. “[I]t is clear that ‘Israel’ as far as the traditions of Judge are concerned was located mainly in central west Jordan, extending also to Galilee and into east Jordan. The Judean area, which even later shows its distinctiveness from the others, does not come within its view.”
What’s Spectacular: The inclusion and exclusion of particular tribes chips away at the commonly-held illusion that every Israelite struggle means the same to every Israelite. We tend to picture the ups and downs of biblical episodes as something that reverberates on a national level, yet much of what is described takes place among only a portion of people, and sometimes not even in the public sphere. In other words, ancient Israel is not as homogenous as we often think. Rather, it is a relatively loose confederations of families with common ancestors but diverging experiences and perspectives.
Kind of like the Jewish world now, eh?
I’m not saying that Jewish unity is an unreachable goal. But when there are chances to share common experiences, it behooves us to take them. Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah — the former of which begins this evening — is one such opportunity. No matter what your Jewish background, we are all taught that being Jewish is a privilege not without vulnerability. When we sit in a Sukkah, we acknowledge our tenuous place in the world while at the same time celebrating the chance we have to share that moment with Jews around the world. I hope you’ll take advantage of that opportunity.
Chag Sameach, and soon afterward, Shabbat Shalom!