One of the themes of Sefer Shoftim is that of chet and onesh, sin and punishment. The book relates to us the pattern of sinfulness repeated by Bnai Yisrael generation after generation and the resulting punishments. Having failed to fulfill Hashem’s demand to remove the idolatrous natives and, with them, their depraved behavior, the Israelites suffer under the yoke of various nations whose oppressive rule caused the people to cry out to God for salvation. In response, Hashem sends them a “savior,” a shofet (generally a military leader), who brings them temporary relief from their suffering, but upon the leader’s death the people lapse once more into sinful behavior. And this pattern repeats throughout the 350-year period of the shoftim.

In this week’s haftarah, the fourth and fifth prakim of Shoftim tell the story of Israel’s defeat of the powerful Canaanite king, Yavin of Chatzor, and his general Sisera. Israel is led by the prophetess Devorah who receives word from God to gather an army and to march northward to fight against the oppressive rule of Yavin. Hashem, having heard the cries of His people, guarantees the prophetess and her general Barak victory in battle, but gathering an army from all the tribes—especially those who felt no immediate threat from the Canaanites—proves difficult for her.

This episode, one of the earliest in Sefer Shoftim, marks a change from the previous threats to the nation. The first stories in Sefer Shoftim tell of Aram and Moav, foreign powers who invaded and cruelly dominated the Israelite tribes. In the haftarah, however, we read for the first time of the rule of a local nation, a nation that Israel was commanded to drive off the land. In this case, Hashem’s punishment of Israel reveals their sin openly, as the very nation they were commanded to evict was now oppressing them. As the Malbim points out, God carried out His promise that those nations who were not removed from the land would become a “thorn in the side” of Israel.

Devorah’s song of victory, like the story of the Canaanite chariots that were washed into the waters of the Kishon River, connects us to the events of our parsha, Moshe’s song of praise that followed the destruction of the Egyptian chariots in the waters of the Reed Sea. Ultimately, however, the story of Devorah also teaches us why the Israelites did not merit a king to lead them. A national leader of Israel would have to unite the nation and be seen as an agent of Hashem, crediting God for what the people might regard as the king’s accomplishments. Devorah sang her song praising Hashem and acknowledging that the victory was His. But even she could not unite all of the tribes and create a united army that would defend all of Israel. As Sefer Shoftim itself proves, miracles alone will not awaken the people to the fact that they are one.

That would have to wait for an inspired man of God who would lead, judge and teach all of the people of Hashem’s ways.

It would have to wait for the next book in Tanach.

And it would have to wait for its author, Shmuel HaNavi.

By Rabbi Neil N. Winkler

Rabbi Neil Winkler is the rabbi emeritus of the Young Israel of Fort Lee and now lives in Israel.