Many don’t realize that the Shofar was explicitly the biblical equivalent of today’s siren (see Y’chezkel 33) unfortunately heard these days in Israel. Accordingly, when this week’s parsha refers to the codes of the trumpets blown in the desert (similar to the Shofars on Rosh HaShana), the difference between the Tekiah and Teruah sounds are parallel to the “all’s clear” signal as opposed to the “air-raid” indicator.
We are taught that the Teruah, comprised of many short blasts, was blown both during war or when the camp of Israel was called to travel in the desert (Bamidbar 10). It’s name and signal accordingly stem from the Hebrew root: Ra’uah, which means shaking, unstable, and even symbolizes crying (Rosh HaShanna 33b). During travel in the wilderness, like war, life is shaky “like a Fiddler on the Roof”, when the threats of thirst and scorpions, like enemy bullets, shells etc. are very tangible. Accordingly, the job of the Teruah is to WAKE UP, like the up-and-down sounds of an alarm clock, ambulence or car-horn. We are meant to ask ourselves, “where am I and where should I be?” If one is in bed but should wake up, is driving regularly and must move to the side for the ambulance, or is driving in the wrong lane, the Teruah sound is used to this day as a wake-up call to relocate myself. During war, the up-and-down siren is to either move us to a sealed room (and don gas-masks) or a bomb shelter, depending on the immediate threat. If one has children in the park, a mother must similarly ask herself “where am I and where should I be?”- and run to bring them to the shelter. If one is a soldier and he hears that same air-raid siren, he knows he must run to grab his uniform and hurry to his reserve unit.
The current extensive war and sirens in Israel raise a similar but more basic question of “where am I and where should I be?”: Should I be in Israel and help out in whatever I personally can [entertaining troops, visiting and rehabilitating the wounded soldiers and victims (both physically and psychologically), helping the tens of thousands of mothers whose husbands are not home for months: cook, clean, rest, do laundry, baby-sit… – there’s plenty to do, and one doesn’t need to be professional to do so!)?]. If I’m under 35, maybe I too should share the burden and join a combat unit in the understaffed IDF?
The wars of Israel are not just against the citizens in the north or the south, but the threat, as well as the solution, are for all Jews throughout the world. The Land of Israel and the wars against Israel are not just for those who live here today, but for all Jews (including students at Columbia) and for all generations (Ramban, Shabbat 130b and Resp. Rivash 101). Just like on Rosh HaShana, today’s Teruah sirens in Israel should bring us all to ask: “Where am I and where should I be?”
On the other hand, the Tekiah was one long blast (from the root: Taku’ah- steadfast) which was used to gather the camp of Israel or the the leaders, or during festivals and thanking G-d for victories (Bamidbar, ibid). The idea of uniting together is symbolized well today while the entire nation stands during the contemplative Tekiah siren sounded on Yom haShoah and Yom HaZikaron, or when the air-raid threat is over and it’s “all-clear” to leave one’s separate wartime whereabouts to regather. We similarly must often thank Hashem for so many salvations and victories over the last year. “There’s safety (or security) in numbers”, just being together, and that’s why every Teru’ah is surrounded before and after with a Teki’ah. Showing that unity is the secret to success during danger.
Like on Rosh HaShana where both aspects are true (reminding us that Hashem is our forgiving Father but also our King, bringing us to ask: “where am I and where should I be” spiritually), so too for Jews today, there are both sirens of Teru’ot and Teki’ot, where the feeling of unity, stability and camaraderie, also help us weather the challenges and dangers. In the words of John Dickenson and Patrick Henry, “United we stand, divided we fall”, the Tekiah must “sandwich” each Teruah.
BTW, this is the same shofar used during the period of ge’ula (Y’shayahu 27, 13). Some may have thought that during the redemption only the happy festive Tekiah sound will be blasted to unite the exiles, and not the Teruah (war sound), but as we see, we apparently still have to, in the first stage, “finish up” some wars with the attackers of Israel. “Wars are also the beginning of redemption” (Megilla 17b). When we don’t do so out of ideal, the unity necessary for ge’ula is inevitably educed via wars (R. Kook, Igrot iii, ch. 753)- so don’t be left out…🇮🇱 Shabbat Shalom, Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat)