Sisera's mother is an unnamed biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Judges. Her son, Sisera, was defeated in battle by Deborah and Barak, and then killed by Yael, who drove a tent peg through his skull.
Sisera's mother is an unnamed biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Judges. Her son, Sisera, was defeated in battle by Deborah and Barak, and then killed by Yael, who drove a tent peg through his skull.
Sisera's mother is mentioned only in Judges 5:28–30, in the Song of Deborah. Thus, all that is said about her is possibly from Deborah's imagination.[ citation needed ] Deborah pictures Sisera's mother looking out of a window, waiting for her son, and wondering why he has not yet returned. Her attendants suggest, and she agrees, that Sisera is dividing and enjoying the plunder, including "a womb or two for every man" (Judges 5:30, ESV). Arthur Waskow notes that "the tone of contempt she uses might lead to a much rougher translation in colloquial English", [1] while Nehama Aschkenasy says that it is "blatantly graphic and sexual". [2] Judy Sterman suggests that Sisera's mother "allows herself to be mollified by untrue and crass words". [3]
James B. Jordan notes the crude and vicious nature of the words of Sisera's mother, and suggests that "the reason why Sisera was such a vicious enemy of God's people, and such a cruel man, was that he had such a mother". Jordan goes on to say that Deborah "delights in the misery of the enemy mother, whose savage expectations will not be realised". [4]
Sisera's mother has been described as "foolish [and] ineffectual", [3] as well as "evil and sexually depraved". [2] Aschkenasy notes, however, that "we have no way of knowing whether the historical woman, Sisera's mother, was really that cruel. Deborah may have based her portrait on rumors, or on her general knowledge of Canaanite women". [5]
Sisera's mother has been depicted in art and in poetry. Most of these portrayals concentrate on her anxiety while awaiting Sisera's return. [6]
According to Jewish tradition, because Sisera's mother cried 100 cries when her son did not return home, Jews blow 100 blasts on the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. [7] Further in this vein, the Talmud defines the teruah sound of the shofar as being like the yevava (sobbing) of Sisera's mother. [8]
Eliyahu Kitov notes that there are 101 letters in the account of Sisera's mother in the Book of Judges. By blowing only 100 times, Ashkenazi Jews counteract all but one cry, leaving that to the natural emotion of a mother weeping over her son. However, the Sephardic tradition is to blow an additional blast before the end of the Rosh Hashana morning service. [9]
One rabbinic tradition suggests that, in looking out of the window, Sisera's mother gets a glimpse of the future and sees that her offspring, one of whom is Rabbi Akiva, will change their ways and become teachers of Torah. [10]
Yom Kippur is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in September or early October.
Sisera was commander of the Canaanite army of King Jabin of Hazor, who is mentioned in Judges 4–5 of the Hebrew Bible. After being defeated by the forces of the Israelite tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali under the command of Barak and Deborah, Sisera was killed by Jael, who hammered a tent peg into his temple while he slept.
A shofar is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying the player's embouchure. The shofar is blown in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur; it is also blown every weekday morning in the month of Elul running up to Rosh Hashanah. Shofars come in a variety of sizes and shapes, depending on the choice of animal and level of finish.
Rosh Hashanah is the name of a text of Jewish law originating in the Mishnah which formed the basis of tractates in both the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud of the same name. It is the eighth tractate of the order Moed. The text contains the most important rules concerning the calendar year, together with a description of the inauguration of the months, laws on the form and use of the shofar and laws related to the religious services during the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.
Barak was a ruler of Ancient Israel. As military commander in the biblical Book of Judges, Barak, with Deborah, from the Tribe of Ephraim, the prophet and fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, defeated the Canaanite armies led by Sisera.
In Judaism, the High Holy Days, also known as High Holidays or Days of Awe consist of:
Hoshana Rabbah is the seventh day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the 21st day of the month of Tishrei. This day is marked by a special synagogue service, the Hoshana Rabbah, in which seven circuits are made by the worshippers with their lulav and etrog, while the congregation recites Hoshanot. It is customary for the scrolls of the Torah to be removed from the ark during this procession. In a few communities a shofar is sounded after each circuit.
Psalm 119 is the 119th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English of the King James Version: "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord". The Book of Psalms is in the third section of the Hebrew Bible, the Khetuvim, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. The psalm, which is anonymous, is referred to in Hebrew by its opening words, "Ashrei temimei derech". In Latin, it is known as "Beati inmaculati in via qui ambulant in lege Domini".
Jael or Yael is a heroine in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Judges who delivers Israel from the army of King Jabin of Canaan. After Barak demurs at the behest of the prophetess Deborah, God turns Sisera over to Jael who kills him by driving a tent peg through his skull after he enters her tent near the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.
Mussaf is an additional service that is recited on Shabbat, Yom Tov, Chol Hamoed, and Rosh Chodesh. The service, which is traditionally combined with the Shacharit in synagogues, is considered to be additional to the regular services of Shacharit, Mincha, and Maariv. In contemporary Hebrew, the word may also signify a newspaper supplement.
Emor is the 31st weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the eighth in the Book of Leviticus. The parashah describes purity rules for priests, recounts the holy days, describes the preparations for the lights and bread in the sanctuary, and tells the story of a blasphemer and his punishment. The parashah constitutes Leviticus 21:1–24:23. It has the most verses of any of the weekly Torah portions in the Book of Leviticus, and is made up of 6,106 Hebrew letters, 1,614 Hebrew words, 124 verses and 215 lines in a Torah Scroll.
Behar, BeHar, Be-har, or B'har is the 32nd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the ninth in the Book of Leviticus. The parashah tells the laws of the Sabbatical year and limits on debt servitude. The parashah constitutes Leviticus 25:1–26:2. It is the shortest of the weekly Torah portions in the Book of Leviticus. It is made up of 2,817 Hebrew letters, 737 Hebrew words, 57 verses, and 99 lines in a Torah Scroll.
Feldheim Publishers is an American Orthodox Jewish publisher of Torah books and literature. Its extensive catalog of titles includes books on Jewish law, Torah, Talmud, Jewish lifestyle, Shabbat and Jewish holidays, Jewish history, biography, and kosher cookbooks. It also publishes children's books. The company's headquarters is located in New York, with publishing and sales divisions in Jerusalem. Its president is Yitzchak Feldheim.
Pinechas, Pinchas, Pinhas, or Pin'has is the 41st weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the eighth in the Book of Numbers. It tells of Phinehas's killing of a couple, ending a plague, and of the daughters of Zelophehad's successful plea for land rights. It constitutes Numbers 25:10–30:1. The parashah is made up of 7,853 Hebrew letters, 1,887 Hebrew words, 168 verses, and 280 lines in a Torah scroll.
Rosh HaShanah is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah. It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days, as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summer/early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. Rosh Hashanah begins a ten-day period of penitence culminating in Yom Kippur, as well as beginning the cycle of autumnal religious festivals running through Sukkot and ending in Shemini Atzeret in Israel and in Simchat Torah everywhere else.
Psalm 47 is the 47th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O clap your hands". The Book of Psalms is the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 46. In Latin, it is known as "Omnes gentes plaudite manibus". The psalm is a hymn psalm. It is one of twelve psalms attributed to the sons of Korah, and one of fifty-five psalms addressed to the "Chief Musician" or "Conductor".
Rosh Hashanah L'Ma'sar Behemah or Rosh Hashanah LaBehemah is one of the four New Year's day festivals in the Jewish calendar as indicated in the Mishnah. During the time of the Temple, this was a day on which shepherds determined which of their mature animals were to be tithed. The day coincides with Rosh Chodesh Elul, the New Moon for the month of Elul, exactly one month before Rosh Hashanah.
The Seder for the night of Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish tradition of eating a festive meal composed of symbolic foods, reciting psalms, and singing zmirot.
The blowing of the shofar is a ritual performed by Jews on Rosh Hashanah. The shofar is a musical horn, typically made of a ram's horn. Jewish law requires that the shofar be blown 30 times on each day of Rosh Hashanah, and by custom it is blown 100 or 101 times on each day.
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial proclaimed with the blast of horns, a holy convocation.
Judges 4 is the fourth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, but modern scholars view it as part of the Deuteronomistic History, which spans the books of Deuteronomy to 2 Kings, attributed to nationalistic and devotedly Yahwistic writers during the time of the reformer Judean king Josiah in 7th century BCE. This chapter records the activities of judge Deborah, belonging to a section comprising Judges 3:1 to 5:31.
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