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As we have seen, the teru’a indicates brokenness, apprehension, and restructure. On Rosh Ha-shana, the whole world stands in judgment before the Creator. We are full of fear; no one knows who will live and who will die, who will be healthy and who will suffer. The better a Jew understands the tremendous responsibility with which God has tasked us – maintaining and repairing the world – the more apprehensive the Jew is.
God in His kindness commanded us to blow the shofar and thus sweeten the judgment. By accepting God’s kingship and accepting His judgment while listening to the shofar, we find ourselves inspired to repent and improve.
Even though the teru’a is the primary blast, we blow a teki’a before and after each teru’a. As mentioned above, the cut-off blast of the teru’a symbolizes brokenness, whereas the unbroken blast of the teki’a, (before and after each teru'a) symbolizes happiness and togetherness. Thus, even though Rosh Ha-shana is primarily about judgment, the goals of judgment are positive: to distance us from evil, to lead us to self-improvement, and to grant us ultimate reward.
Additionally, in each set of blasts, the first teki’a expresses the natural integrity of the soul, found in young children, still innocent of sin. The different types of teru’a express the complications, failures, and sins that are part of life. The final teki’a expresses the repentance and improvement that follow.
