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WHAT’S IN A WORD

David Curwin

TERUAH AND TEKIAH

ה ָעי ִק ְתוּ ה ָעוּר ְתּ

he Biblical name for Rosh the verb heria, it must specify example, as witnesses are required
Hashanah is Yom Teruah that the sound was produced by to do in capital cases). Or as the
Tה ָ עּור ְּ ת םֹוי (Bamidbar 29:1) or a trumpet (v. 9). website Safa Ivrit has it, ה ָ א ָ ר ְ ת ַ ה
Zichron Teruah ה ָ עּור ְּ ת ןֹור ְ כִז (Vayikra means “warning someone not to
23:24). Let us look at the word ה ָ עּור ְּ ת. 2. Teruah can refer to a battle cry do something” and ה ָ ע ָ ר ְ ת ַ ה means
(cf. Amos 1:14, Jeremiah 14:19);
In the section of the Torah detailing and hence, its use in breaking “warning about something that is
the laws of the trumpets (Bamidbar camp implies signaling the about to happen.”
10:1-10), a distinction is made Israelites to move from an As we noted, the verb taka ע ַ ק ָּ ת
between the tekiah ה ָ עי ִ ק ְּ ת – “the encamped peaceful position simply means “blowing on an
long blast” and the teruah, “the to a mobile battle formation. instrument” (regardless of the
short blast.” Tekiah is used for Thus the trumpets taken into length of the blasts). Klein writes
gathering the camp together and the Midianite war are actually that the verb fully means “to thrust,
happy occasions, whereas teruah called “the trumpets of teruah” clap, give a blow, blast.” Ben Yehuda
indicates the camp should move and (31:6, cf 2 Chronicles 13:12).
is used at times of war. However, the writes that perhaps the origin of the
verse (10:5) uses a combination of Therefore, teruah (or the verb heria root comes from the sound of the
the roots to describe the blowing of ַ עי ִ ר ֵ ה) can be used to refer both to tekiah.
the teruah: ה ָ עּור ְּ ת ם ֶּ ת ְ ע ַ ק ְ תּו (ut’katem the noise of a trumpet/shofar, or the Kaddari writes that the Biblical
teruah). Milgrom, in his JPS noise of people. Dr. Nissan Netzer meanings of the root include: a) to
commentary, explains as follows: writes that the original meaning
of the verb heria (from the root strike – with hands to clap, or to
short blasts: Hebrew teruah, verbal ע"ור) meant to blow on a shofar shake hands (to guarantee), b) to
form heria, in contrast to “blow or trumpet, and later that was drive in – with a sword (e.g. Judges
long blasts,” taka. It should be noted expanded to mean the shouts of a 3:21), with a peg (Judges 16:14,
that the term “blow long blasts” is crowd of people. Netzer then goes Isaiah 22:23), or a tent (Genesis
expressed simply by the verb taka on to point out than in Rabbinic 31:25), c) to thrust – in regards
(vv. 3-4), but “blow short blasts” Hebrew, the verb hitria ַ עי ִ ר ְ ת ִ ה was to wind (Exodus 10:19), and of
requires the compound expression created by adding the letter tav course d) to blow on an instrument.
taka’ teruah (vv. 5-6). The reason from the word teruah. Whereas He quotes the linguist Eliezer
for these distinct forms is twofold. originally both forms of the verb Rubinstein as saying that the basic
had the same meaning, in modern meaning of the Biblical root ע ַ ק ֵּ ת
1. The term teruah and its Hebrew they diverge: heria has a
corresponding verb heria refer positive connotation – “to applaud,” is “to cause an object to change
elsewhere to a vocal shout by whereas hitria has a negative one its location.” This is interesting,
warriors (e.g. Joshua 6:5,10, – “to protest, to warn” (and neither because in modern Hebrew it
16, 20) and worshippers (e.g. meaning today refers to blowing refers to something much more
Psalms. 47:2; 95:2), whereas a shofar; for that we only have the permanent, as seen by the related
the sole verb signifying the verb taka). words takua ַ עּוק ָּ ת – “stuck” and
blowing of a horn is taka (e.g. teka ע ַ ק ֵּ ת – “an electrical plug.”
Joshua 6:13). Hence when the It is easy to mix up hatra’a ה ָ ע ָ ר ְ ת ַ ה
text wishes to express the idea – a warning, with the similar- Interestingly, many scholars say that
of blowing the teruah signal sounding ה ָ א ָ ר ְ ת ַ ה – which also means the biblical town of Tekoa (not far
on the trumpet it must either warning. But the former also means from my home in Efrat) originally
use the verb taka, signifying “alert, alarm” (think of the shofar meant “place of setting up a tent.”
blowing on an instrument, and and the original distinction of David Curwin is a writer living in Efrat,
the object teruah to indicate the teruah), while the latter also has the and the author of the Balashon blog
appropriate signal, or, if it uses sense of “give advance notice” (for balashon.com • balashon1@gmail.com

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