"ושרי ביששכר עם דבורה ויששכר כן ברק בעמק שלח ברגליו"
"The leaders of Yissachar were with Devorah, and so was the rest of Yissacher with Barak, into the valley he was sent on his feet"
In Shoiftem, there is a small paragraph about Devorah Ha'nevuah!
Klall Yisrael was facing Sisra the powerful Canaanite general who had a large, armored force, and who oppressed the Jewish people for 20 years! To make a short story even shorter, Devorah did what no previous Jewish leader had ever done before, and I'm including Yehoshua; she spearheaded the war and ended Canaanite domination of Israel forever!
But this did not come easy, not because of Sisra.... nope... not at all!
The reason it was difficult (I hope you are sitting) was ..... because Devorah had a hard time putting together an army with all the tribes!
She wanted "achdus" she wanted ALL tribes to participate and she unfortunately didn't get it!
Although Barak, her general issued his call to arms only to Zevulin and Naftali, who were nearest to the battlefield, and other tribes subsequently joined him, Some responded nobly; but others disgracefully!!
In her thanks to the RBS"O for winning the war, called "Shiras Devorah," she found space in her one-page poem to chastise Shevet Reuvein who did not join the army, and were instead waiting to see how the war would progress, they figured that if Barak had the upper hand in the war against the Canaanites, they would then join.
According to Rashi, Devorah thought that this was deceitful and couldn't understand how Jews could behave that way when their brethren were in danger!
And you don't need Rashi for this, Devorah says this herself, outright!
במפלגות ראובן גדולים חקקי-לב, למה ישבת בין המשפתים לשמוע שריקות עדרים לפלגות ראובן גדולים חקרי לב,
"But in the indecisiveness of Reuvein there was great deceit, Why would you remain sitting at the borders to hear the bleatings of the flocks? the indecision of Reuvein demands great investigation!
But I skipped a verse in Shiras Devorah! Where she praises Shevet Yissachar for stepping up to fight!
"ושרי ביששכר עם דבורה ויששכר כן ברק בעמק שלח ברגליו"
"The leaders of Yissachar were with Devorah, and so was the rest of Yissacher with Barak, into the valley he was sent on his feet"
What????? Shevet Yissachar??? Fight??? ...
One minute!!!! Is that in Shiras Devorah or did that sneaky DIN make it up??
One of the most important arguments of the Chareidim not to enlist and fight is that
"Shevet Yissacher did not go to war"
Of course, we go to our rebbe, Rashi, to see what he says.
Rashi learned this verse as follows:
Part of Shevet Yissacher went with Devorah TO WAR, but was there to guide her in Torah and Halakhos and these were the Sanhedrin!
Sanhedrin, meaning the Judges on the courts, not the typical guy from the Shevet who may or may have not learned in Kollel, the guy taking a break with a cigarette in one hand and a "cafe ha'fuch" in the other!
The rest of Shevet Yissachar went with Barak to fight in the war as indicated by Devorah herself in the above quoted verse! ויששכר כן ברק
To bolster my argument that Shevet Yissacher actually did go to battle, I found a Rashi that quotes Onkelos in Sefer Bereishis 49:15
Yaakov Aveenu in Parshas Va'Yechi blesses Yissacher:
"וירא מנוחה כי טוב ואת הארץ כי נעמה ויט שכמו לסבול ויהי למס-עבד"
"And he saw a resting place, that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant, and he bent his shoulder to bear and he became an indentured laborer"
On the words ויט שכמו Rashi quotes Onkelos:
ואנקלות תרגם בפנים אחירם,ויט שכמו לסבול מלחמות ולכבוש מחוזות, שהם יושבים על הספר, ויהי האויב כבוש תחתיו למס עובד
"Targum Onkelos interpreted the verse in a different manner, ויט שכמו לסבול מלחמות to fight in wars and to conquer territories, for they live on the border, and the enemy will be subdued beneath him as an indentured laborer"
The pshat that Rashi brings in Bereishis from Onkelos vis-a-vis Yissasschar fits nicely in Shiras Devorah!
What we see here is that even the Sanhedrin that did not fight, came to accompany and support Devorah in war! They weren't shutting their Gemmaras Bein Hazmanim to picnic and do tiyulim! They went to the battlefield!!
And we learn that in a Milchamas Mitzvah even Shevet Yissacher fought!
Hashem gave her and the nation after this war 40 years of peace!
Just in case you didn't open a sefer today yet, you were just "Yoitzeh" with my Dvar Torah!