Shiras Devorah: The Song That Echoes Forward

In this week’s Haftorah, Shirat Devorah, we read the song born from the depths of adversity and the heights of Divine deliverance. Devorah and Barak sing,בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר, on that day, saying. The word "לֵאמֹר" (saying) seems superfluous. Yet, it hints at a profound truth: the power of song is not confined to the past. It echoes forward, inspiring future miracles.

This eternal resonance of song and emunah finds a living reflection in the extraordinary story of Agam Berger. Her narrative is not just a story; it is a modern-day shira, sung not with melodies but with the unwavering notes of faith and courage.

Agam, taken captive by murderers, chose the path of emunah. Through the most horrific conditions, she kept Shabbos, refused to eat non-kosher food and fasted on Yom Kippur with her fellow captives. Upon her miraculous release, she wrote the words, דֶּרֶךְ אֱמוּנָה בָּחָרְתִּי, I have chosen the path of faith (Tehillim 119:30). Agam’s unwavering faith amidst darkness is an eternal zechus for our generation.

Devorah sings,’בִּפְרֹעַ פְּרָעוֹת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהִתְנַדֵּב עָם בָּרְכוּ ה, When breaches broke out in Israel, when the people dedicated themselves willingly, bless Hashem. Rav Yonason Eibshitz explains this with timeless poignancy, noting that the breaches are the external adversities, the trials and oppressions. The willingness is the internal awakening, the surge of faith and dedication amidst those trials. When the forces of external adversity and internal awakening unite, their combined strength unlocks the gates of salvation.

Agam Berger’s story embodies this convergence. The land of Israel was breached on October 7th, and Agam’s next 482 days were marked by captivity, terror, and separation. Yet, within that breach, her internal flame of emunah blazed. Her song of faith is our shira today, inspiring us to recognize that even in the most unimaginable darkness, the light of emunah can shine forth, teaching, uplifting, and we pray, even altering the decrees in Shamayim for the good.

Our journey has always been accompanied by song, woven through moments of triumph and tribulation. Devorah sang in the past, we sing in the present, and we pray for the future song our people will sing, as Yeshayahu calls upon us, שִׁירוּ לַה' שִׁיר חָדָש, Sing to the LORD a new song (Yeshayahu 42:10). May we soon merit to sing the song of Moshiach, the song of eternal redemption and peace.