Collateral Damage

Sisera's mother looked through the window; she [peered] through the lattice, crying out: "Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why don't I hear the hoofbeats of his horses?" Her wisest princesses answer her; she even answers herself: "Are they not finding and dividing the spoil- a girl or two for each warrior, the spoil of colored garments for Sisera, the spoil of an embroidered garment or two for my neck?" Lord, may all your enemies perish as Sisera did. But may those who love Him (Hashem) be like the rising of the sun in its strength. And the land was peaceful 40 years. – Judges 5:28-31 HCSB

A military commander named Sisera invaded Israel on behalf of Jabin, king of Canaan, and oppressed God’s people for twenty long, brutal years. Deborah, an Israeli prophetess and a judge, summoned Barak and told him that he was to fight for Israel on God’s behalf.

Barak, a superstitious fellow, refused to obey God unless Deborah went with him. She prophesied that due to his lack of faith the glory of the battle would not go to the commanding general but to a woman.[1]

Barak gathered 10,000 men and went to battle Sisera’s 900 iron chariots and huge army. The Lord allowed the Jewish army to overthrow the wicked oppressors, completely routing their enemy.

Sisera fled on foot until, completely exhausted, he sought shelter from a woman named Jael. She pretended to help him, but as soon as he fell asleep, she grabbed a tent peg and a hammer and drove the spike through his skull.

Afterward Deborah, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, sang a beautiful paean to victory. Toward the end, we find today’s passage which at first seems to hint of empathy for the collateral damage of war – the fallen commanding general’s mother.

But Deborah quickly points out that the wicked man’s family was in collusion with his wicked acts. They knew of the rape and pillage he was committing and allowed it to go on. In this, they were equally guilty.

God apparently approved of this line of thinking. He exemplified it in the Old Testament by punishing Korah, Dathan and Abiram’s complicit families along with those rebels.[2] The thief Achan’s family’s connivance caused the death of thirty-six men[3] so they died as they intrigued – together. In the New Testament, Ananias and his wife, Saphira, both died for their collusion.[4]

The derash (the application) is that we must never be like Barak, refusing to do what’s right unless someone else does it too.

Further, we must refuse to do what is wrong, even if it is our families that are urging us to it.[5] We must not follow a crowd in wrong doing.[6]

When we know someone is committing a crime or a sin and do nothing, we cannot complain when we become not-so-innocent collateral damage.

[1] Judges 4:9
[2] Numbers 16:1-35
[3] Joshua 7:1-26
[4] Acts 5:1-10
[5] Proverbs 4:14;
[6] Exodus 23:12