Rabbi Heller's Blog

If you are a frequent airline traveler, you know that at many times during a commercial airline flight you will hear one or more “dings.” Certain sequences may indicate that the cabin door has been closed or is ready to open, that the seatbelt sign has been turned on or off, that the plane is at a particular stage of its  takeoff or approach, that one member of the crew is paging another, or that someone in seat 25f keeps on hitting the call button because they really want a beverage. Airlines don’t all have the same system. For a while several airlines had three chimes as a warning of a serious emergency, while on others that was a signal that the pilots were requesting snacks, which led to all manner of anxiety. Despite airplanes having intercom systems, an airplane can be a very noisy environment, and having a clear, immediately heard signal is sometimes essential.

The Israelites, travelling through the desert, had a similar experience. To be sure, their snack choices were manna and quail, rather than peanuts and biscoff cookies, and a 39-year stopover in the Sinai desert is excessive by today’s standards, but they had the same experience of having a simple sound system, heard by everyone, convey many different meanings. In Numbers chapter 10, we read that Moses made two Hazzotzrot, metal  trumpets. Different types of long or short calls, from one or both, would have different meanings. Different numbers of short blasts would indicate that specific tribes were  to set off on the day’s march. Long blasts from one or two trumpets would determine whether all of the fighters would assemble, or only key leaders. Short blasts would be sounded at wartime, and long blasts would mark festivals, new months, and joyous sacrificial offerings. The same sound could reach out to a small group or a large group, and convey many different shades of meaning.

On Friday night, we will hear from special guests speaker Rachael Stern, of The Press Service of Israel. TPS IL gathers unambiguous unbiased information about what is going on in Israel, and makes sure that is accessible immediately to News agencies around the world. The world media is a very noisy environment. Even when a story includes some facts, its telling can be full of distortions.  Often Israeli government sources must wait until they have done conclusive analysis, and as it is said, a lie is halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on. Therefore, having an outlet for, readily heard signals is essential.

For most of us, the meaningful sounds of are still months away. We begin sounding the shofar for the month of Elul in early September, and Rosh Hashanah will happen in October. In the meanwhile, we will spend a lot of time doing summer things (maybe even hearing the dings of the airplane chimes) before we are called to repentance. Perhaps from the Hazzozrot that we read about this week, we can remind ourselves that even everyday sounds can evoke emotional and spiritual responses, depending on their context. A cry, a sigh, a laugh can, depending on the situation, lead us to hope or despair, anger or kindness. The challenge for us always is not just to hear the sound, but to be aware enough of our situation to interpret what the sounds are signaling.