Haftorah This Week
Welcome to Haftorah This Week, the place where you will find thoughts and reflections by CLAL faculty and associates on this week's Haftorah.
HAFTARAT BESHALLACH
(Judges 4:4-5:31)
Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, was a prophetess; she led Israel at that time. She used to sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would come to her for decisions.
(Judges 4:4-5)
One of the commentators on the Bible, Rabbi David Kimchi, asked why, if Deborah was a judge, was she referred to as a prophetess? He replied that she was called such because she was inspired to grapple with the great issues of the time.
How interesting that someone who did not function as one who foretold the future, but rather as one who struggled with the present, was called a "prophet"!
When you think about it, though, it makes wonderful sense. One who engages his/her mind and body in correcting the troubles and injustices of the present in effect sets the tone of the future. One who dedicates him/herself to eradicating poverty and oppression in effect declares the direction of life to be moving towards equality and democracy.
The late Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik reflected upon the creative personality of the prophet and deemed it the personality human beings must strive to emulate. He described this mission of ours as follows:
Creation finds its expression in man's fulfilling all of his tasks, causing all of the potentiality implanted in him to emerge into actuality, utilizing all of his manifold possibilities, and fully bringing to fruition his own noble personality. The power stored up within man is exceedingly great, is all-encompassing, but all too often it slumbers within and does not bestir itself from its deep sleep. The command of creation, beating deep within the consciousness of Judaism, proclaims: Awake ye slumberers from your sleep. Realize, actualize yourselves, your own potentialities, and go forth to meet your God.
(Halakhic Man, p.132)
Just as a classical prophet with his or her voice declared the fate of communities, so must we, with our commitments and our actions, declare the perfection of the world.
(Dini Lewittes)
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