This week we will be reading the Haftorah for Parshat Beshalach from the book of Judges - to be precise - Ashkenazim read from Judges 4:4-5:31 - whereas Sephardim read the shorter version starting from Chapter 5.

There are major comparisons to the weekly portion of Beshalach and the Haftorah - most notably both the Parshah and Haftorah feature one of the ten prophetic sons featured in the Torah. The song in Parshat Beshalach being 'Az Yashir' - the song which the Hebrew nation sang after the kriyat Yam Suf (Splitting of the sea) and in the Haftorah (Judges 5:1-31) the song that Deborah sings after miraculously defeating Sisera and his army.

Deborah sings in great gratitude to Hashem for the miracle he gave for the Jewish nation in war - just as Deborah - who was one of many of the righteous amazing woman the Jewish nation have had in history - guiding the Jews during this era before the Temple was given - so too in the Parshah - after the children of Israel sang a bountiful song to G-d, the woman sang a short but very significant praise to G-d. Deborah, just as she with her righteous judgments judged the nation brilliantly during that time and in many ways helped keep the nation together, so to it were great woman like Batya, Miriam and Yocheved who helped continue the Hebrew nation while the Jews were tormented into Egyptian slavery. Most notably Batya, rescuing Moshe from the waters, in turn bringing him up to a position of leadership. Miriam and Yocheved were the midwives for the nation, rescuing the Jewish babies born while Pharaoh had decreed that all Jewish baby boys born would have to be killed during that period - they rescued the baby boys (Sota 11).

Deborah, starts of her beautiful song with praise to G-d (Judges 5:3), exclaiming to all the nations the awesome power of G-d, this is what G-d really wants, especially when the nations are cruelly attacking the Jewish nation, he wants everyone to recognize that everything in the world is ran and guided by G-d, just as we saw in these Parshiyot with the 10 plagues and the splitting of the sea. So too in modern day, whether we are in the work place, college at home or anywhere else, we should remember that all the tasks we are doing and are able to do is all down to G-d, we should bear that in mind the whole time.

Deborah sings, 'the mountains flowed before Hashem this was Sinai (Judges 5:5),' this statement by Deborah just clarifies the momentous event of the receiving of the Torah, which we will see in next weeks Parshah, Yitro.
The Prophetess, Deborah, gives special praise and gratitude to the people of the Tribe of Zevulan, 'Zevulan is a people that risked its life to the death (Judges 5:18),' So too in the Parshah, it was Nachshon Ben Aminadav who jumped in the sea first, risking his life in order for the start of the miracle of the splitting of the sea to occur, in turn he was rewarded as being appointed the leader of the tribe of Yehudah.

Just as in this weeks parshah, the Egyptians came in throngs galloping with their horses in order to attack the Hebrew nation, Deborah praises the heroic Jewish men, how they were able to combat the horses of the enemy (Judges 5:22). It is important when another Jew or human being is being attacked or oppressed, we should step in and try and save or calm the situation down, we should not just sit aside when we may be in positions where we are able to help in anyway.

Deborah ends her beautiful song with a beautiful message, 'Hashem, may those who love you be like the rising of the sun in its power, (Judges 5:31).' Just as I mentioned at the start of the Dvar Torah, we must always recognize G-d and strive to keep all the mitzvot in the Torah that is possible!
This Dvar Torah is dedicated to Yechazkel Ben Esther to make a full healthy recovery and be very healthy.