When Moshe was told to head back to Egypt, he had a newborn son who had not yet received his Brit Milah. Moshe had to either wait until after the eighth day, plus three more days due to danger, or depart right away and postpone the Brit Milah. He set out right away, until the hotel, at which point an angel came and swallowed Moshe Rabbeinu up. It took Tziporah performing the circumcision for Moshe to be released. They then resumed their journey to Egypt, where Aharon was waiting for him. Upon seeing Moshe arrive with his wife and children, Aharon asked, “Who are these? What are they doing here?” Aharon instructed Moshe to send them back to Yitro in Midian, where they remained until showing back up on scene just prior to Ma’amad Har Sinai. There is a debate as to whether Yitro himself stuck around for Matan Torah or left again, but one thing is for certain – he, his daughter, and his grandsons were not at Kriyat Yam Suf.
The sefer Mesilot Haneviim writes, in the name of the Rama MiPano, upon reuniting with Bnei Yisrael in the desert, Tziporah turned to Hakadosh Baruch Hu and said, “I returned home at Aharon HaKohen’s direction. I didn’t see Kriyat Yam Suf, and I missed Shirat HaYam, but I want to sing! I, too, want to sing after Yetziat Mitzrayim!” Hakadosh Baruch Hu replied, “No problem. I will let you sing.” When was she given a chance to sing? “You’ll return as Devorah, and you’ll sing.” Devorah is Tziporah according to the Rama MiPano, the Chida, and others. And who is Barak ben Avinoam? The Megaleh Amukot says, Moshe begged for the opportunity to cross the Jordan River and enter Eretz Yisrael, in order to see the fall of Sisera.
נָּא אֶ עְ בְּ רָ ה – Let me, is in the form of עֲ רֵ ב וּ ת, a guarantee or security for a pledge. Moshe Rabbeinu said to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, “I was there when Bnei Yisrael were scared of the Egyptians re-emerging, and you ordered the Minister of the Sea to spit the Egyptian bodies out. You then gave a guarantee that the debt would be repaid to the sea. I was part of that deal and I want to see it fulfilled!” Hakadosh Baruch Hu replied, “To see it, you don’t need to cross over and enter. I will take a נִצוֹץ – a spark from you, and it will witness the moment.” Who was that spark? Barak ben Avinoam. Tanna debei Eliyahu asks about the meaning of the name Barak ben Avinoam. He had three names, according to Chazal, and at his Bris, Barak was not what they called him – Michael was his given name. He is called Barak because he received a barak (lightning bolt) from Moshe. Barak ben Avinoam is Moshe Rabbeinu, who is referred to as אֲבִ ינֹעַם because נֹעַם וִ יהִ י was his first composition in Tehillim. Devorah is Tziporah and Barak is Moshe Rabbeinu, and one more thing – the Megaleh Amukot says Pharoah’s gilgul (reincarnation) is Sisera – אֶ חָ ד לֹא נִשְׁאַר עַד.
We can now go back and understand the song of Devorah and Barak, and its place as the primary Haftarah for the Parsha in which Moshe and Bnei Yisrael sing the first shira. The participants in Sefer Shoftim – Devorah, Barak, and Sisera – were continuations of the participants in Sefer Shemot: Tziporah, Moshe Rabbeinu, and Pharoah. Tziporah was unable to participate in the first shira at Yam Suf and was therefore given the opportunity to make up for it at the shira sung next to the Kishon, where the debt of Hakadosh Baruch Hu from Yam Suf was fulfilled, and the story completed.
That is the connection between our Parsha and its Haftarah, and I would now like to shift to Inyanei Deyoma – timely subjects impacting us today, based on one key pasuk in the song of Devorah. I would like to share something that has been weighing on me and is a heartfelt concern.
וֹן נִשְׁקְ פָה וַתְּיַבֵּב אֵם סִיסְרָא בְּעַד הָאֶשְׁנָב מַדּוּעַ בֹּשׁ ֵשׁ רִ כְבּוֹ
ּ
בְּעַד הַחַל
לָבוֹא מַדּוּעַ אֶחֱרוּ פַּעֲמֵי מַרְ כְּבוֹתָיו׃
Through the window, Sisera's mother watched, moaning, through the lattice. "Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why are the wheels of his chariot delayed?"
Chazal amplify the pure strength of Sisera in Sefer Shoftim. He was huge – although we don’t know exactly how big, or if he was in Og Melech Habashan territory. He was powerful and heroic beyond all measurement – there was no battle that took him more than six hours to complete, victoriously. Within six hours, he always returned with his opponent’s white flag in hand. He would let out one giant scream and the enemy’s fortifications would crumble to the ground, and when the soldiers would then face him, another scream would leave them on the ground, hearts stopped. When he wanted to hunt down an animal in the field, rather than chase after it and aim arrows, he'd let out one loud note, and like his enemies, the animal would also wave their white flag. The Midrash says, his beard was the size of a fishing boat’s net, and when he’d bathe in the Kishon, he’d come out with fresh catch for the week. There was nobody to cook the fish for him though, as he was single and not handy in the kitchen, so his mother prepared his food. When he left in the morning to battle, his mother would ask, “Siseraleh, when will you be back?” The answer was never greater than six hours. Except this time, he answered, “G-d willing, six hours. But I might be a few minutes late because this time I’m up against the Jews and they have some connections, you know.”
Sisera left the house at eight o’clock for this particular battle, and two o’clock came around without any sight of him, and his mother began to worry because lunch was ready, and he was later than he’d ever been. Another hour passed and the worries intensified. Another hour, and she now reached peak worry levels.
וֹן נִשְׁקְ פָה וַתְּיַבֵּב אֵם סִיסְרָא ּ בְּעַד הַחַל – she began to cry and wail at the window, while looking out for him: “Where is my son? Why is he delayed?” He had defeated heavily armed enemies in the blink of an eye, and now, against a group of weaklings, in her eyes, he was nowhere to be found. Her other children tried to calm her down, suggesting he was caught up in collecting the huge bounty, or busy desecrating the bodies – yimach shemo. But then came a knock on the door, and Sisera’s head was shown to her.
Chazal say, Sisera’s mother cried out one hundred cries, and that is the number of Shofar blasts we blow on Rosh Hashanah as a result. Corresponding to the mother of Sisera! Would it bother anyone if she was still crying to this very day? Who cares that she was crying and who cares how many sounds she made! We establish our Shofar practices around her, the mother of the evil Sisera?!?
Rav Elyashiv writes something frightening. Do you know why Sisera, and his mother, occupy such a key role? It is because there was nobody more secure in the world than Sisera! He was the most assured and confident man in the world. One loud scream and everyone, everything, fell at his feet. He said he'd be home for lunch and not once in his life was he ever late. But suddenly, it all came to an end. Yael lured him into her tent, stuck a peg in his forehead, and it was game over. The most secure and assured thing in the world can vanish in the blink of an eye.
Rav Elyashiv says, when you stand up to blow the Shofar, don’t think for a second that just because you ate pomegranates the previous night, everything is fine. Just because you ate carrots and recited, “May You issue good decrees for us,” doesn’t mean you’re set for the year. We all sat there this past Rosh Hashanah and dipped our apple in honey while reciting, “May we have a happy and sweet new year.” Yet, how much happiness and sweetness have we experienced so far?! Who is so sure of what will be? Who knows what is in store for them? The strongest man was drawn into a tent and mere seconds later met his maker! Rav Elyashiv says, we blow one-hundred blasts with the Shofar to remind ourselves not to be sure of anything! The son, the soldier, is away and we haven’t heard from them in a week. They’re in the battlefield and then a sudden call comes in. What happened to them? That is Sisera. That is the lesson.
Rabbotai, how many yebavot (cries) did our mothers sound this past week? How many tears were shed this past week? Twenty-one soldiers perished in one day, just after three officers the day before. How much blood did we shed in one week! How many yebavot did Sarah and Devorah and Chana and Ilana and all the other names sound this past week! How many cries came from the widows and orphans! And how many came from the siblings! One hundred? No. Thousands!
Chazal count how many tears Eisav shed, saying two fell to the ground and a third didn’t make its way out. Even the third one, stuck at his eyelids, was counted by Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
How many tears did we shed this week?! Is it possible to continue with our daily routine?! Can we say we’re moving on?! Someone asked me this week, “What can I do? It’s been four months already and we’ve gotten used to it. What can you do, it’s a war.” Excuse me. Is war something you can get used to? In response to such questions of, “what we can do?”, I ask: When you have someone at home who is ill, whether a child, a spouse, or even yourself, can you get used to it? Can you develop a new routine around it? Can you move on from it? Tell me, are you normal? Someone in that situation doesn’t move on. In every single Tefillah they shout out to Hakadosh Baruch Hu asking, pleading, begging for mercy. They don’t pause for even one moment!
But when it comes to Tefillah, it becomes routine for us. We daven, then say Avinu Malkeinu, then a couple extra chapters of Tehillim, and that just becomes the new norm. That is one of the dangers with prayer. The Gemara says (Brachot 6b):
וּת לִבְנֵי אָדָם״? ּ מַאי ״כְּרֻ ם זֻל וּ דְּ בָרִ ים שׁ ֶעוֹמְדִ ים בְּרוּמוֹ ּ אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אֵל שׁ ֶל עוֹלָם, וּבְנֵי אָדָם מְזַלְזְלִין בָּהֶן.
What is the meaning of: “When vileness is exalted among the sons of men”? These are matters of utmost importance, exalted, i.e., mitzvot or prayer, which people nonetheless treat with contempt, vileness among the sons of men.
וּת לִבְנֵי אָדָ ם ּ כְּרֻ ם זֻל – Rashi says this pasuk (Tehillim 12:9) refers to Tefillah. Why? Because when we learn, there is something new each day. A new Gemara, a new Tosafot, a new Maharsha, Nimukei Yosef, and Pnei Yehoshua every day. But when we daven it is the same each day. On Mondays and Thursdays, great, there’s a small change – we say Vehu Rachum at the start of Tachanun. How much joy do we feel when there is a Brit Milah in shul on those two days? We saved ten minutes, amazing! Rabbotai, is Tefillah so difficult? It is a direct connection to Hakadosh Baruch Hu! If only we could be in that state every minute of the day!
When Bnei Yisrael left Egypt and were up against the water of Yam Suf, with the Egyptian army approaching from behind, what did they do? They cried out to Hakadosh Baruch Hu! Take the parable of a dove trying to escape the vicious hawk:
הַשְׁמִיעִינִי ְ יוֹנָתִי בְּחַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע בְּסֵתֶר הַמַּדְ רֵ גָה הַרְ אִינִי אֶתּ־מַרְ אַיִך נָאוֶה׃ ְ עָרֵ ב וּמַרְ אֵיך ְ כִּי־קוֹלֵך ְ אֶת־קוֹלֵך
My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the concealment of the cliff, show me your countenance, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your countenance is comely.
The dove reaches the rocks of a cliff, looking to enter one of its crevices to gain protection. Except, waiting for it there is a snake, graciously inviting it in. What does the dove do? With the hawk behind it and the snake in front, it is helpless, in standby mode, so it flaps its wings. The analogy is to Bnei Yisrael, the dove, who had Egyptians behind them and water in front. Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to them, “Show me your face and let me hear your voice – Show me how you are improving and strengthening yourself and show me who you call out to at times of despair.” So, they flapped their wings. They cried out to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. That is what Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants from us.
We are now in the same predicament as Yetziat Mitzrayim. Hamas is behind us and Hezbollah in front. Not that Hamas is easy, but Hezbollah is no child’s play. Each of their precision missiles hits its target. Twice they shot at Meron and twice they hit its army base. Just this week I was thinking – Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis surround us, and each of them begins with the letter chet. Why is that? Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants something from us related to chataim (sins). What is it that He wants? I don’t know. I don’t know what He wants.
I once asked Rav Shteinman ztz’l what I should speak about in a drasha being given to a community that had just suffered through several terrible losses. He responded, “Tell them everyone should improve in their areas that need improvement.” Why so vague? Because if you tell someone to improve in the realm of speaking lashon hara, they’ll tell you, “No, lashon hara hasn’t applied to me for a thousand years now.” And when you tell the other person to be careful what they look at, they’ll respond, “I only look at my feet when I move about, and I also watch my ears.” Suggest someone improve their observance of Shabbat and they’ll explain how they bring in Shabbat two hours early and stretch it three hours extra in order to get out of the clean-up work. It would be a never-ending chase to pinpoint how each person needs to improve themselves. Rav Shteinman said it is like a situation where a terrorist penetrates an army base, and the soldiers ask their commander how the infiltrator should be killed. The one with a gun asks if a gun should be used. The one with a knife asks if a knife should be used. The one with a grenade asks if a grenade should be used. The commander responds, “I don’t care how – just kill him!” When there is trouble around, each person needs to just look in the mirror and they’ll know what improvements need to be made. There is no need to tell them. Everyone knows.
But when the Egyptians were behind and the water in front, and when Hamas is behind and Hezbollah in front and Houthis on the side, what does Hakadosh Baruch Hu say? He says, “Show me your face, let me hear your voice. Show me how you are improving and show me who are you calling out to.” Everyone will pick for themselves what to work on and how to improve. There’s no need to share all those details.
But when it comes to hearing our voices, in the form of Tefillah, there is what to point out and suggest. Tefillah cannot become routine. There is no such thing as routine during such times! Recite Tehillim in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Recite Tehillim when you go up the escalator and again when you come back down. Recite Tehillim when you enter the shul and again before you leave. There should not be a single moment where you are disconnected from Hakadosh Baruch Hu! That is what He wants from us.
I want to share a story demonstrating the power of Tefillah which I saw in the introduction of sefer Sas Be'imratecha. Rav Nosson Meir Wachtfogel told a story about Chacham Ephraim Cohen, who went to sleep one night, only to be awaken by the Ben Ish Chai, who pleaded with him to beseech Hakadosh Baruch Hu and tear open the gates of Heaven for the sake of a tzaddik and gadol who was in danger at the time. Eav Cohen obliged, got up, washed his hands, went to the shul, and started reciting Tehillim. After davening, he went to look for the tzaddik who was ill, and was directed to the local hospital, where he was informed that the individual was admitted and already upstairs. The family greeted him there and asked how he knew, to which he said the Ben Ish Chai woke him up to inform him and to get him to daven, which he did all night long until morning. The family informed him that the danger had now passed, Baruch Hashem.
That is the story that appears. Rav Wachtfogel read the story – actually, he learns stories more than just reading them as we do in a cursory manner. He asked, the Ben Ish Chai is up in the Heavens where he heard there was a decree on this tzaddik and gadol and it was set to be enacted. He could have easily approached the Kiseh HaKavod to request the same mercy from Hakadosh Baruch Hu directly, from up close. Why did he instead turn to Chacham Ephraim Cohen? Why did he opt to unleash Tefillah down here in this world? Why? It is because Tefillah from here, with a broken heart, is accepted ahead of Tefillah from a righteous individual standing next to the Kiseh HaKavod! That is the meaning of the story Rav Wachtfogel learned.
It's hard for us to daven after four months of this. It’s hard! Another Shir Hama’alot, another Avinu Malkeinu, another Mishebeirach, the repetition is hard! It all becomes routine! But לְ פ וּ ם צַ עֲ רָ א אַ גְ רָ א – According to the labor [and pain] is the reward. The harder it is, the more it will be accepted when performed properly. Think not of the cries from Sisera’s mother, but the cries from the mother of David and Yair and Moshe and Shlomo and whatever name you want! There is no shortage of names. Think of their tears and their cries!
Rabbotai, that is the power of our Tefillah. Don’t put it down for even a moment! Don’t ever leave that siddur behind! The war is at its height of intensity, replete with soldiers lost and injuries that will be burdensome for a lifetime. How many people lost arms and legs, eyes – and Hashem Yerachem, who knows how they will stand back up and carry on. They are our brethren, our flesh and blood, and we cannot remain silent or attempt to resume any semblance of routine, whether old or new. With the hawk behind us and snake in front, we need to show our face and sound our voice every day. We need to tear open the Heavens! That is our job.
On the Shabbat where we read and sing Shirat HaYam, may we merit that Hakadosh Baruch Hu – who has no issue or difficulty destroying every single enemy surrounding us with the flash of a star – sees our faces, hears our voices and cries, and grants us salvation through Mashiach Tzidkeinu.
