In every war, wickedness is destroyed and the world ascends a level. The Sages taught: "If you see kingdoms provoking one another, expect the footsteps of Mashiach" (Bereishit Rabbah 42:7).

We pray in the prayer of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur about the war against the kingdoms of evil in the world: "And wickedness will cease to speak. And all wickedness in smoke will be consumed. For You will remove the rule of wickedness from the earth." From the war against the axis of evil, the Kingship of Hashem will be revealed in the world: "And You will reign - You, He, Hashem our God, speedily over all Your works, on Mount Zion the dwelling of Your glory, etc."

Wars that Reveal the Kingship of Hashem

The Kingship of Hashem is also revealed at the splitting of the Sea, which is called a war - "Hashem will fight for you and you shall be silent." At its conclusion, the Children of Israel sing in a loud voice: "Hashem will reign forever and ever." And the reason is because through this war the whole world sees that Hashem is the King, that Hashem fulfills His promise to Avraham about the Exodus from Egypt and repays His enemies.

Also the war of Amalek, which took place immediately after the Exodus from Egypt, teaches that Hashem swore to fight Amalek forever: "For I will surely blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens." This war will reveal the throne of Hashem which now is split. "And he said, for a hand is on the throne of Yah, war is to Hashem against Amalek from generation to generation" (Shemot 17:16). The throne is an expression of kingship, as it is said: "And Hashem sat, King forever" (Tehillim 29). In our prayers we say that Hashem in the Master of Wars.

Aleinu and the Kingship of Hashem

Also in the conquest of the Land it was revealed to all eyes that Hashem is the One who manages the world. He promised the Land of Israel to the Nation of Israel and He fulfills His word: "Hashem is King forever and ever; nations have perished from His Land" (Tehillim 10). Therefore, in the conquest of Jericho, Yehoshua instituted the blessing "Aleinu Le-Shabe'ach," which reminds us all that Hashem is the King. "And you shall know today and turn it to your heart, that Hashem He is the God in the heavens above and on the earth below, there is none else."

In the second part of "Aleinu Le-Shabe'ach" we mention that the whole world in the future is destined to recognize the Kingship of Hashem: "To repair the world under the Kingship of Shaddai. And all the children of flesh will call in Your Name, to turn to You all the wicked of the earth... and they will all accept upon themselves the yoke of Your Kingship...."

In the Future

At the conclusion of "Aleinu Le-Shabe'ach" we mention the verse: "And Hashem will be King over all the earth; on that day Hashem will be One and His Name One." This Kingship will come after the war that will come at the end of days when Israel will come to their Land and many nations will rise against them. At that time Hashem will fight them. "And Hashem will go out and fight those nations as on the day He fought on the day of battle" (Zechariah 14). The war leads to the recognition of the Almighty.

The revelation of Hashem through war is further enunciated in the Book of Yechezkel, as it says: "And I will be magnified and sanctified and I will be known before the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am Hashem" (Yechezkel 38:23). At the end of the war everyone will recognize the Kingship of Hashem. We pray for this every time we say the Kaddish, in the language of this prophecy: "Yitgadal v'yitkadash shmei rabbah."

The Rambam wrote: "It is a positive commandment from the Torah to cry out and to sound the trumpets for every trouble that will come upon the community, as it is said: 'upon the trouble that oppresses you, and you shall sound the trumpets,' meaning, every matter that causes you distress such as drought and plague and locusts and the like - cry out upon them and sound [the trumpets]" (Hilchot Ta'aniyot 1; see also Sefer Ha-Mitzvot Positive Command 59, and its source in Sifrei Beha'alotecha 18).

Malchuyot, Zichronot, and Shofarot

Today the custom is not to recite special prayers with 24 blessings at a time of withholding of rains or at a time of war, even though the plain words of the Rambam, Tur, and Shulchan Aruch are to recite these prayers and to blow [trumpets].

Since we have been engaged in war for two years and we are in the middle of the campaign in Gaza City, during the prayers of Rosh Hashanah - in Malchuyot, Zichronot, and Shofarot - we are to concentrate on our victory in the war. And it is obligatory to have the intention (kavanah) during the shofar blasts over the obligation to blow at a time of war.

Selichot

Likewise one must intend to fulfill the mitzvah of the Torah in the blowing of the shofar or trumpet during Selichot, in accordance with the Magen Avraham who recorded opinions which say that one fulfills his obligation with the blast of the shofar instead of trumpets.

And supplicants are to intend in all the Selichot prayers for the success of our soldiers and Israel's victory in the war, for the mitzvah of crying out and of blowing is a positive commandment from the Torah at every time of trouble. And what trouble is greater than the trouble of this war which has already continued for two years, and still its end is not on the horizon? And may it be His will that our prayers and blasts of the shofar be accepted with favor and that it be fulfilled in us: "And you shall be remembered before Hashem your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies." Amen.