Barak and Devorah - Levites?! Pt. 2

Well, it has definitely been too long. I started the draft of this post a month ago but haven't gotten around to finishing it and posting it. My bad. My head hasn't been in the game. If you were checking back every now and then, waiting - I apologize.

So, the moment you have all been waiting for: Why is Devorah a Levite?

This is part two of the two-part series presenting my theory on the true tribal identity of the judges Barak and Devorah. Part one may be viewed here. I'll note that I've added another point on Barak about the etymology of his name. That was one of the points I'd thought of over a year ago, but forgot to put it in the post. It's there now.

Though many of the proofs used for Barak cover also Devorah, she also has some unique points in her own right:

Point A: The midrash (Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 42:7; Tanna Devei Eliyahu Rabbah 9:1) says that Barak was also known as Lapidot, and that his real name was Michael. He was the husband of Devorah and an Am Ha'aretz (part of the masses). His wife pushed him to be involved in the duties of the Tabernacle, and so she made wicks for the candles and he would go and deliver these, and for this reason he was called "Lapidot" (torches).

Now stop and think: Yes, Devorah was an important woman. And as such, she had much to do. Did she not have anything better to do other than push her husband to find some way to assist in the Tabernacle? Moreover, she herself worked hard to prepare the wicks - that takes up time! Could she not leave that task up to the Levites? Unless...she (and her husband) were Levites themselves!

Point B: Devorah is said to have sat beneath a palm tree between the Ramah and Beit El in Har Efraim. Har Efraim has long been understood to be a bit of a misnomer, because it is made up of territory from several tribes that border one another, such as Binyamin, Efraim and Menashe (one source on this subject is Ben Tzion Luria's "Shaul and Binyamin" (review post here)). However, what's more important is that we know that a number of Levites lived around Har Efraim: According to Shmuel 1:1:1 Elkanah and his family were from Ramatayim Tzofim in Har Efraim. Chronicles 1:6:7-13 and 6:18-23 attest to Elkanah and his descendants being Levites. Another example is Yehonatan, the grandson of Moshe, who was originally a Levite from Beit Lechem, but later moved to Har Efraim, per Shoftim 17:7-8. In short, we find that it would not be crazy at all to consider the possibility that a woman dwelling around Har Efraim would not actually be from Efraim.

Point C: One midrash, Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 42:5, talks about how the various judges came from different tribes. However, while for some judges it is stated:

"Otniel from the Tribe of Yehudah...Gidon from the Tribe of Menashe..."

For Devorah (and Barak; see previous post) it says:

"Devorah from Har Efraim"

- Why not merely state outright that she's from Efraim? Why mention her home-area?

Caveat: Devorah and her home-area, from what I could find so far, appear in only two midrashim. The other midrash is Braita D'Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair 1:12, which, though mentioning Barak as being from "Kedesh Naftali", has Devorah merely being from "Efraim".

Second caveat: An unidentified midrash from the Cairo Genizah states Devorah was not even from Efraim but from Naftali (!):

"למנצח על איילת השחר זה הוא שאמר הכתוב אלוקים ה' חילי וישם רגלי כאילות כדבורה הנביאה וכאסתר המלכה הצדקת. דבורה משבט נפתלי דכתיב ביה נפתלי אילה שלוחה..."

"For the leader; on ayyeleth ha-shaḥar. That is what the text says that "My Lord GOD is my strength: He makes my feet like the deer’s" like Devorah the prophetess and Queen Esther the righteous. Devorah of the tribe of Naftali as it is written on her: "Naphtali is a deer let loose"..." 

(Oxford: MS heb. 46/76-83; and similarly also in Cambridge CUL: T-S C2.94 and St. Petersburg: Yevr. III B 275; my translation)

This is actually a very nice midrash. The midrash appears to suggest that Naftali in the Torah is called a deer as reference to a particular Naftalite woman who did great things - Devorah. However, in my opinion, at best, Devorah might have emulated some Naftalite qualities, like her husband. For example, it seems as though she was very quick to organize the Israelite army, without hemming and hawing (unlike Barak). I believe there's more evidence pointing to her being from Levi. 

Point D: Devorah is the only judge that is clearly stated to have actually judged Yisrael, not merely led them. This makes particular sense if we consider that in the Torah, the tribe that's commanded to judge is Levi (Devarim 17:9).

Point E: In later stories we find more songs by various people, but the earliest song in Tanach, the Song of the Sea, was seemingly composed by Moshe and Miriam - Levites. The next song is Shirat Ha'azinu, which was commanded by Hashem and told over by Moshe. The next real song is Shirat Devorah. Celebrating via song seems particularly Levitical.

Point F: This is a bit of a stretch, but Devorah's name's etymology may connect her specifically to the house of Elkanah. One of Elkanah's ancestors was Tzuf (see above lineage references) which is Hebrew for "nectar", whilst "Devorah" means "bee". Bees, nectar...you get it, right? By the way, Rabbi Prof. Yoel Elitzur in his book "Makom Ba'Parashah" wrote that he believes that the "land of Tzuf" (Shmuel 1:9:5) referred to the ancestral land of the house of Elkanah, consequently being also where Ramatayim Tzofim was, which, as we know, was Levite land. Ramatayim Tzofim was very likely adjacent or even the same place as the Ramah, as it is stated that Elkanah and Shmuel went home to the Ramah (Shmuel 1:2:11 and 1:16:13). And Devorah sat beneath a tree near the Ramah.

And that's pretty much it. What's interesting is that we've found that Devorah may be tied to three different tribes - Levi, Efraim and Naftali - but unlike Barak, who's presented as though he was an actual Naftali, Devorah's tribal identity is actually less defined than his in any of the sources (save for the midrash in Braita D'Rabbi Pinchas). The result is that there is no need for any complicated theory on why she was presented in a certain manner, because that's the thing: She wasn't presented in a certain manner. At best, it's a matter of understanding the tribal borders and geography of Eretz Yisrael.

And that's the theory about Barak and Devorah's tribal identity. Hope you enjoyed. Now to move on to some other posts. Have a happy Sukkot!