Summary of the Haftarah

The date of the reign of Devorah was ca. 1130 B.C.E. The People of Israel had been oppressed by Yavin, King of Canaan, and his fearsome general, Sisera, for twenty years.  In a prophetic message from Hashem to Devorah, Hashem informs her that the time has come to cast off the yolk of the King of Canaan, and that the task should be performed by Barak ben Avinoam along with a small army of 10,000 men taken mainly from the Tribes of Naftali and Zevulun.  Other Tribes were also expected to help, but no specific numbers were required.

Sisera, hearing of this suprising and presumptuous challenge from the People of Israel, determines to destroy their army completely.  He assembles a force of nine hundred iron chariots (each the probable equivalent of a modern battle tank) plus, according to (Targum Yonatan 5:8), 40,000 Officers, 50,000 swardsmen, 60,000 spearthrowers, 70,000 shield carriers, and  80,000 regular soldier—(which reminds one, incidentally, of some of the pre-war calculations of the relative armed strength of the Arabs versus Israel in modern times), the total of which by the ordinary rules of war would be expected to totally annihilate the miniscule army of Israel, G-d forbid.

But the battle in a rout, in favor of Israel, thorough Sisera has received aid from all Kings of Canaan, who likewise wish to destroy Israel.  Israel receives miraculous aid from the forces of Nature, caused of course by their Director.  The stars  approach the battlefield, scalding the army of Sisera, and causing them to seek refuge in the waters of the Brook of Kishon.  But those waters, usually shallow, miraculously rise and drown all the forces of Sisera—that is, all but him.

The Fate of Sisera

Sisera, shocked and stunned by the outcome of the battle, staggers in the directions of the Temt of Chever the Kenite, who has a peace treaty with Yavin, the overall King of Canaan Chever’s wife, Yael, emerges from the tent and gestures to him to come into her tent for protection.  She plies him with milk and butter, and she falls asleep.  She seizes a tent peg and a hammer, and drives the peg between his eyebrows, through his head and into the ground, definitely and thoroughly killing him.  When Barak, in hot pursuit of Sisera, arrives, Yael says, “the one you are looking for is in my tent, and he is quite dead” 

The people of Israel follow up their victory by applying intensifying pressure on Yavin until they completely break his hold on them and in fact reverse their roles.  Peace is obtained for a long period of time, forty years, in the context of those tumultuous times.