During Operation Protective Edge in Sivan 5781, R’ Zilberstein originally paskened that children don’t need to be woken up when a siren sounds (due to rockets being sent in from Aza), as it is difficult for them to fall back asleep, and the next day they will be very tired in school. He gave two reasons: 1) The obligation of hishtadlus to enter a protected space, is for adults, not children, as children are not obligated in mitzvos. Therefore, due to the obligation of hishtadlus they are exempt, therefore, the parents aren’t obligated to wake them either, especially if it will ruin their next day and effect their learning. 2) They are young children who have never sinned, and it is very possible that due to this, they are not obligated in hishtadlus the same way adults are.
However, at the time many talmiday chachomim questioned this pesak: 1) Certainly one must have bitachan in Hashem, however, only in what Hashem guarantees. There is no guarantee that a person won’t be harmed from a rocket, therefore, surely hishtadlus should be made? 2) A child is exempt from mitzvos, however, the parents still have an obligation of: ונשמרתם מאוד לנפשותיכם – “Guard yourselves very carefully” (Devorim 4:15) and: לא תעמוד על ד ם רעך – “Don’t stand by and watch the blood of your friend be spilt”. Therefore, surely they are obligated to wake up their children.
After it was published at the time that R’ Zilberstein said there was no obligation to wake up children, a special letter was subsequently published in the Yated from R’ Zilberstein regarding the obligation to be careful and stay protected from rockets.
He wrote that parents should move their children when a siren sounds into a safe room, making sure to do it calmly, and explain to them, that this is what Hashem demands of us, to make appropriate hishtadlus to protect our lives.
