In this shiur we analyzed the foundational Gemara that links the sounds of the Shofar to the crying of the mother of Sisera. It is important to note that there are other ways to translate the phrase “vateyabev em sisera” and therefore Hazal were not forced to link the Targum of terua to her crying.
Rashi quotes three different explanations of the terms and Radak cites the Targum Yonatan as well which is a variation on Rashi. The powerful image of a woman anxiously awaiting her son’s return from the army is very evocative. This passage has been interpreted in a number of different ways. In the attached document you can click through to see an artist’s rendering (Albert Moore) as well as a poem by the Israeli poet Chaim Gouri (Many thanks to Dr. Carol Diament for sharing this poem with me). Gouri’s language evokes several different Biblical narratives including: Moshe coming down the mountain, Sara’s midrashic response to the akeida among others.
Below is the audio: