The Halachos of Siren Observance (Repost)
And other assorted goodies
Originally posted May 14, 2024 here.
The Halachos of Siren Observance
Chapter One
Observing the siren is a toldah of the mitzvah to serve the government of Israel, obey all its commands, and observe all its rituals, no matter what. This mitzvah is the foundation of Judaism, and supersedes all other mitzvos whenever there is a conflict. Thus it follows that observing the siren is a fundamental commandment.
As such, one who does not observe the siren has excluded himself from the Jewish people, and it is a mitzvah to hate him.
It is permitted to take pictures and videos of people who are ignoring the siren for the sake of publicizing these sinners and provoking hatred of them and their communities. There are no limitations here. Even though this requires doing actions while the siren is being blown, it is not considered violating the siren. It is almost on the level of pikuach nefesh to take these pictures and videos, and thus it is both permitted and even a mitzvah.
However, it is preferable to hire a gentile to take these pictures and videos if possible.
It is permitted to join with the gentiles in hating these sinful Jews together, especially since this will bring protection from the gentiles to the good Jews who observe sirens. This too can be considered pikuach nefesh.
Chapter Two
The moment the siren begins to sound, one must immediately stop what he is doing and stand upright in complete silence. Ideally one should retain this pose until the sound of the siren has completely ended, but b'dieved one is yotzei if he retained this pose until the sound began to dissipate.
Some say that one is allowed to whisper prayers with his eyes closed. They have what to rely on, and one should not make machlokes over this.
One who feels a sudden intense need to use the bathroom while the siren is sounding must make every effort to hold it in. Even if he is unable to hold it in, he must stay in place. Although normally this is a health consideration and kavod habriyos, observing the siren takes precedence, and we do not say that any stench or visible soiling would obviate the maris ayin problem.
As such, this applies even if one is in the privacy of his home.
Although this halacha is very difficult, one should keep in mind that soldiers and victims of the Holocaust went through much worse. So hold it in and deal with it.
If a person was already sitting on the toilet before the siren started, he must get up. We learn this from that which it says “ולא קמו איש מתחתיו” (Shemos 10:23). During the plague of darkness the Egyptians did not get up. From here it is implied that enlightened people should get up, and those who stay seated remain in darkness.
Chacham einav b'rosho. A wise person will take appropriate precautions in advance of the siren to prevent this from being an issue.
Chapter Three
If one is in the middle of davening, he must immediately cease when the siren begins. Although one would not conduct himself this way before a human king, and certainly not before the King of all kings, the State of Israel has the halachic status of a king, and we serve Hashem by serving the State.
If one is in the middle of learning Torah, he must immediately cease when the siren begins. Although normally we say that one who interrupts his learning to admire a tree is as if he is guilty for his own death (Avos 3:7), even though he is admiring God's own nature, one is obligated to interrupt his learning for the siren.
If one is engaged in work in the employ of others, he must immediately cease when the siren begins. Although normally this would be considered stealing time from his employer unless he is explicitly given permission, here he does not need to ask for or receive permission, and may bill his employer for this time as well.
If one has just said a blessing on food and was surprised by the siren, he must not take a bite, and also need not say another blessing after the siren, despite the long delay. This is because brachos are d'rabbanan. הם אמרו והם אמרו . Besides, the rabbis of today know better than Chazal when it comes to modern matters.
If there is an actual case of pikuach nefesh during the siren, such as a sudden heart attack by a 30-year-old in peak physical condition with no history of medical issues that has nothing to do with the injections he took, it is permitted to try to save his life during the siren. However, when running to the scene one should call out why he is doing so, lest he be suspected of treason by his comrades.
What if one doesn't know what the siren is for? For example, he had fallen asleep, or just came out of the desert, or just woke up from a coma, and he does not know if the siren is for the Holocaust, or the soldiers, or Independence Day. Since the main part of the mitzvah is the act of standing silently in obedience of state rituals, and not the thoughts one has, in this case we say מצוות אין צריכות כוונה, the mitzvah does not require concentration.
Therefore, one should observe the siren and think in his mind that it should apply to whatever the siren is for, and that is enough. Alternatively, he does not need to think at all. In fact, not thinking at all is the preferred approach both in this case and in general, since it avoids problems...
A reader reacted to my previous article that it was difficult for her to accept that the Buddhist statue had anything to do with the reason those people were murdered. I presume others share that sentiment, so here is my response:
Why? Did you ever open a Tanach in your life? Do you really think dancing around an idol, in Eretz Yisrael, on Shabbos Simchas Torah, when normal people were dancing around a Sefer Torah, that such an incredible slap in the face to Hashem and the Torah, such gross disrespect they would never show another religion, would have absolutely no consequences? How much more direct could the message be?
Are you aware of the consequences of believing that punishments from Hashem are mere coincidence? See Vayikra 26.
Serving the state is expensive. It can cost an arm and a leg.
It's remarkable that people are up in arms over the Young Israel of Woodmere cancelling a speech from an Israeli politician, but they couldn't care less that one of their rabbis, Aaron Glatt, is a central figure in the alleged medical murder of Deborah Bucko. See the following link for the offical court filing, with lots of details.
If it were front-page news, a PR nightmare, then people would suddenly care. But only then.
I went to the holocaust temple one time "yad vashem" on the birthright trip. I was not sure what their intended call to action was. I think it was "let the world know that we need more money for more Holocaust museums." There is no business like shoah business.