The Teruah of the King is with Him
Parsha Pages | July 14, 2024
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The Teruah of the King is with Him

Parsha Pages | June 27, 2025

The Teruah of the King is with Him

לֹא-הִבִיט אָוֶן בְּיַעֲקֹב, וְּלֹא-רָאָה עָמָל בְּיִשְּרָאֵל;ה' אֱלֹקָ יו עִמּוֹ, וּתְרוּעַת מֶלֶךְ בּו
“He perceived no iniquity in Jacob, and saw no perversity in Yisrael; HaShem his G-d is with him The Teruah of the King is with him” (BeMidbar 23,21)

What is meant by the phrase וּתְרוּעַת מֶלֶךְ בּו

Rashi: Teruah is from the word רעות (friendship); The friendship of the King (HaShem) is with the Jews.

Sforno: Trumpet blast of the King; when the Jews were to travel, they sound the תרועה (trumpet sound signal) as an expression of joy and rejoicing in their G-d, for the sanctuary travels with them.

Rabbenu Bachye: the word “Terous” indicates “power”

Rabbi Shimshon Hirsch: Pay homage to the King.

Divrei Chaim: HaShem does not look at the exterior of a person. Instead He looks inside the person’s heart, which even after sinning desperately wants to be connected to Him. HaShem sees that the sinner now truly regrets the sin and is broken because of it (the broken sound of the Teruah).

Rabbenu Yoel: This verse refers to the Teruos of Rosh haShana.

Rabbenu Meuchas: The Jews accept upon themselves the yoke of Malchus Shamayim and were joyous in from of HaShem. Thus, תרועה is derived from הריעו as found in Tehillim 98,6, “with trumpets and sound of shofar call out before the King, HaShem.”

Rebbenu Avigidor: This refers to the Ingathering of the Exiles in the time of Moshiach.

Ach Pri Tevuah: (Tehillim 89,16) “Praised is the nation who knows the cry of the Shofar.” Praised are the Jews that know how to appease their Creator with the Teruah. HaShem raised a mountain over the heads of the Jews and told them if they do not accept the Torah they will be buried there, and the Jews accepted the Torah. The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 3a) relates that in the future the nations of the world complained that they were not given such an opportunity to accept the Torah. So HaShem gave them the easy mitzvah of Sukkah. He then made it hot in their Sukkah and they were in discomfort and left the Sukkah, kicking the Sukkah on the way out. However, the Jews upon receiving pains while doing Mitzvos would accept it. The Jews know how respond with Teruah, in the face of troubles they respond with Teshuvah for their sins. The Jews always remain connected to HaShem by the power of Teruah.

Targum Yonasan ben Uziel: “The words of their G-d offer assistance and with the cries of Melech Moshiach among them.” The cries are the sound of the Shofar when Melech Moshiach arrives (see Rosh haShana for the discussion whether the sound of Teruah reflects sobbing or moaning).

Beer Moshe: The Jews understand the secret of knowing the Teruah. The purpose of the sound of the Teruah is to break the power of Din (strictness) and allow the power of Rachamim (mercy) to reign. Bilaam intended to curse the Jews with the word כלם (destroy) which represents arrogance (Din). The letters of the word were rearranged to מלך (King) of Teruah, the concept of humility (Mercy).

Kedushas Levi: The explanation of this is as follows: “He perceived no iniquity in Jacob, and saw no perversity in Yisrael...” When the sins of Yisrael appear Above, Heaven forbid, HaShem, May He be Blessed, does not look at them, because he has no desire at all that the sins of Yisrael appear before Him. “HaShem his G-d is with him” meaning that on the contrary, when the merits of Yisrael appear before Him, He attaches Himself to them; that is the meaning of “HaShem his G-d is with him,” that immediately He attaches Himself to Yisrael and to their merits. “U’Seruas Melech Bo – The Teruah of the King is with him” - meaning that the sound that accompanies the people of Yisrael in the presence of HaShem is a broken sound, broken into two parts; not to pay any attention to the sins, but to become attached to the merits of Yisrael. Because the connotation of the word Teruah is of being broken, as in (Yeshayahu 24:19), “The earth is utterly broken down, the earth crumbles away...” (Compare the Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkunim 18, 28b), the explanation of which is that it is separated and broken into two parts; the sins, which are completely set aside, and the merits of Yisrael, which are embraced. This is the meaning of “The Teruah of the King is with him,” in the manner of a fractured sound does the Holy One, Blessed is He, deal with Yisrael, to gaze at their merits and to ignore their sins.

And I will explain to you the subject of the combination of the Tekiah-Teruah-Tekiah. (The combination of sounds that are blown on the Shofar on Rosh HaShanah.) The connotation of the Tekiah is attachment. For the letters that make up the word Tekiah are made up of “Taka Kah”, HaShem, as it were, pitched his tent, in the Camp of Yisrael. The first Tekiah corresponds to the time that the Holy Temple was in existence, when HaShem, May He be Blessed, was permanently attached to Yisrael, for the (twice-daily) Tamid sacrifices atoned continuously for Yisrael (Zohar HaKadosh, Part 1, 259a). And the sound of the Teruah corresponds to the period of the exile, when the Jewish people were mixed together with the nations of the world. Then the sound of the Teruah was heard, when HaShem, May He be Blessed, so to speak fractured reality, not to look at the sins committed in the exile, but to gaze at the merits. And after that another Tekiah will be heard, corresponding to the rebuilding of the Holy Temple in the future, that will occur soon and in our days, amen, when He will remove the spirit of uncleanness from the world (Zechariah 13:2), and He will not have to fracture reality not to gaze at our sins, for there will no longer be any sins at all; only the Tekiah of the attachment of HaShem, May He be Blessed, and the people of Yisrael.

The Ohev Yisrael: It is known in many Chassidic sources that Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk (1717-1787) was able to remove the “birthpains” of the period directly prior to the arrival of Moshiach. “HaShem is with us” He is with us and protects the Jews throughout history. Nevertheless Chaza”l foresaw the terrible pains that awaited the generation prior to Moshiach. “The Teruos of the King is with it” that Rabbi Elimelech was able to “break” (the word Teruah can mean break as found in Tehillim 2) all the strictness and Din and pain that could have happened just prior to Moshiach’s arrival.

This pasuk means that when the sins of Yisrael appear before Him, G-d forbid, He looks away, as it were. But when their merits appear before Him, He embraces them. This truth is part of the secret of the shofar, in the following sense: We recite the scriptural expression, “U’Seruas Melech Bo — The Teruah of the king is with him” – meaning that the sound that accompanies the children of HaShem in the presence of HaShem is a broken sound – split into two parts; the sins should be thrown away, but the merits should be embraced.

The Teruah of the King is with Him

לֹא-הִבִיט אָוֶן בְּיַעֲקֹב, וְּלֹא-רָאָה עָמָל בְּיִשְּרָאֵל;ה' אֱלֹקָ יו עִמּוֹ, וּתְרוּעַת מֶלֶךְ בּו
“He perceived no iniquity in Jacob, and saw no perversity in Yisrael; HaShem his G-d is with him The Teruah of the King is with him” (BeMidbar 23,21)

What is meant by the phrase וּתְרוּעַת מֶלֶךְ בּו

Rashi: Teruah is from the word רעות (friendship); The friendship of the King (HaShem) is with the Jews.

Sforno: Trumpet blast of the King; when the Jews were to travel, they sound the תרועה (trumpet sound signal) as an expression of joy and rejoicing in their G-d, for the sanctuary travels with them.

Rabbenu Bachye: the word “Terous” indicates “power”

Rabbi Shimshon Hirsch: Pay homage to the King.

Divrei Chaim: HaShem does not look at the exterior of a person. Instead He looks inside the person’s heart, which even after sinning desperately wants to be connected to Him. HaShem sees that the sinner now truly regrets the sin and is broken because of it (the broken sound of the Teruah).

Rabbenu Yoel: This verse refers to the Teruos of Rosh haShana.

Rabbenu Meuchas: The Jews accept upon themselves the yoke of Malchus Shamayim and were joyous in from of HaShem. Thus, תרועה is derived from הריעו as found in Tehillim 98,6, “with trumpets and sound of shofar call out before the King, HaShem.”

Rebbenu Avigidor: This refers to the Ingathering of the Exiles in the time of Moshiach.

Ach Pri Tevuah: (Tehillim 89,16) “Praised is the nation who knows the cry of the Shofar.” Praised are the Jews that know how to appease their Creator with the Teruah. HaShem raised a mountain over the heads of the Jews and told them if they do not accept the Torah they will be buried there, and the Jews accepted the Torah. The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 3a) relates that in the future the nations of the world complained that they were not given such an opportunity to accept the Torah. So HaShem gave them the easy mitzvah of Sukkah. He then made it hot in their Sukkah and they were in discomfort and left the Sukkah, kicking the Sukkah on the way out. However, the Jews upon receiving pains while doing Mitzvos would accept it. The Jews know how respond with Teruah, in the face of troubles they respond with Teshuvah for their sins. The Jews always remain connected to HaShem by the power of Teruah.

Targum Yonasan ben Uziel: “The words of their G-d offer assistance and with the cries of Melech Moshiach among them.” The cries are the sound of the Shofar when Melech Moshiach arrives (see Rosh haShana for the discussion whether the sound of Teruah reflects sobbing or moaning).

Beer Moshe: The Jews understand the secret of knowing the Teruah. The purpose of the sound of the Teruah is to break the power of Din (strictness) and allow the power of Rachamim (mercy) to reign. Bilaam intended to curse the Jews with the word כלם (destroy) which represents arrogance (Din). The letters of the word were rearranged to מלך (King) of Teruah, the concept of humility (Mercy).

Kedushas Levi: The explanation of this is as follows: “He perceived no iniquity in Jacob, and saw no perversity in Yisrael...” When the sins of Yisrael appear Above, Heaven forbid, HaShem, May He be Blessed, does not look at them, because he has no desire at all that the sins of Yisrael appear before Him. “HaShem his G-d is with him” meaning that on the contrary, when the merits of Yisrael appear before Him, He attaches Himself to them; that is the meaning of “HaShem his G-d is with him,” that immediately He attaches Himself to Yisrael and to their merits. “U’Seruas Melech Bo – The Teruah of the King is with him” - meaning that the sound that accompanies the people of Yisrael in the presence of HaShem is a broken sound, broken into two parts; not to pay any attention to the sins, but to become attached to the merits of Yisrael. Because the connotation of the word Teruah is of being broken, as in (Yeshayahu 24:19), “The earth is utterly broken down, the earth crumbles away...” (Compare the Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkunim 18, 28b), the explanation of which is that it is separated and broken into two parts; the sins, which are completely set aside, and the merits of Yisrael, which are embraced. This is the meaning of “The Teruah of the King is with him,” in the manner of a fractured sound does the Holy One, Blessed is He, deal with Yisrael, to gaze at their merits and to ignore their sins.

And I will explain to you the subject of the combination of the Tekiah-Teruah-Tekiah. (The combination of sounds that are blown on the Shofar on Rosh HaShanah.) The connotation of the Tekiah is attachment. For the letters that make up the word Tekiah are made up of “Taka Kah”, HaShem, as it were, pitched his tent, in the Camp of Yisrael. The first Tekiah corresponds to the time that the Holy Temple was in existence, when HaShem, May He be Blessed, was permanently attached to Yisrael, for the (twice-daily) Tamid sacrifices atoned continuously for Yisrael (Zohar HaKadosh, Part 1, 259a). And the sound of the Teruah corresponds to the period of the exile, when the Jewish people were mixed together with the nations of the world. Then the sound of the Teruah was heard, when HaShem, May He be Blessed, so to speak fractured reality, not to look at the sins committed in the exile, but to gaze at the merits. And after that another Tekiah will be heard, corresponding to the rebuilding of the Holy Temple in the future, that will occur soon and in our days, amen, when He will remove the spirit of uncleanness from the world (Zechariah 13:2), and He will not have to fracture reality not to gaze at our sins, for there will no longer be any sins at all; only the Tekiah of the attachment of HaShem, May He be Blessed, and the people of Yisrael.

The Ohev Yisrael: It is known in many Chassidic sources that Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk (1717-1787) was able to remove the “birthpains” of the period directly prior to the arrival of Moshiach. “HaShem is with us” He is with us and protects the Jews throughout history. Nevertheless Chaza”l foresaw the terrible pains that awaited the generation prior to Moshiach. “The Teruos of the King is with it” that Rabbi Elimelech was able to “break” (the word Teruah can mean break as found in Tehillim 2) all the strictness and Din and pain that could have happened just prior to Moshiach’s arrival.

This pasuk means that when the sins of Yisrael appear before Him, G-d forbid, He looks away, as it were. But when their merits appear before Him, He embraces them. This truth is part of the secret of the shofar, in the following sense: We recite the scriptural expression, “U’Seruas Melech Bo — The Teruah of the king is with him” – meaning that the sound that accompanies the children of HaShem in the presence of HaShem is a broken sound – split into two parts; the sins should be thrown away, but the merits should be embraced.

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Parsha Pages | July 14, 2024