Tafsiran Hakim-hakim 4:4: Tze'enah Ure'enah, Rashi, Metzudat David & Ralbag

“Deborah, the wife of Lapidoth was a prophetess, and she judged Israel at that time” [4:4]. A woman whose name was Deborah was a prophetess. Her husband’s name was Lapidoth. He was the same as Barak, son of Avinoam.¹Judges 4:6. The meaning of Lapidoth is fire and torch. Barak means lightning and fire. Our sages say that Deborah made wicks for the lights in the Temple and that is why she was called Lapidoth.²Yalkut Shimoni, Judges, Remez 42. According to this midrash, her wicks were distinguished by being extra thick, which made them burn longer and brighter. This means, fire and torch. That is to say, she caused the light to burn in the Temple. From this we learn that it is a mitzvah to contribute to the lighting of the synagogue or to make wicks for the synagogue. Every synagogue is compared to the Temple and Deborah was a Judge and sat over all of Israel to judge, like a Judge of Israel.

The haftorah tells us that we should not hold women in low esteem and women themselves should not be despondent. King Solomon, of blessed memory, held women in low esteem and wrote many bad things about them, because he had many wives. Though King Solomon wrote many bad things about women, yet he never threw away any of them. He had a thousand wives. However, this haftorah shows many good things about women.

Rabbenu Bahya, in parshat Beshallah³Bahya, Exodus, 15:20. writes that one should not be surprised that a woman should be a prophetess, as Miriam was, and prophesied to her mother that she would have a son who would deliver Israel from the Egyptian exile. This is Moses who will be born. We find the same concerning Sarah. She was much more elevated and important in prophecy than Abraham, as the verse says, “whatever Sarah tells you, do as she says” [Genesis, 21:12].⁴Exodus Rabbah, 1.2. Miriam recited the Song [at the Sea] separately from Moses and all the righteous women sang with Miriam. So too, Abigail was a prophetess and also Hannah. The Talmud in tractate Megillah says that seven women were prophetesses – Sarah, Miriam, Hannah, Deborah, Huldah, Abigail, Esther.⁵B. Megillah, 14a.

The wife of Lapidos. She fashioned wicks for the sanctuary.³Megilah, 14:a. לַפּׅיד is translated as “torch”.