The Siren That Saved Shlomo

Shlomo, a man in his 40s, often drove between cities for work. Wanting to make the most of his time and fulfill the mitzvah (commandment) of “when you walk on the road” (Devarim/Deuteronomy 6:7), he made it a habit to listen to recorded Torah lectures during his drives.

One day, while enjoying the words of Torah coming through his car speakers, he found himself behind a heavy truck moving unusually slowly. It seemed safe enough to pass it, so he prepared to overtake the truck. But just as he began to pull out, he suddenly heard a loud police siren blaring.

Shlomo quickly returned to his lane and slowed down. Just then, another truck came speeding toward him from the opposite direction. It was terrifyingly clear: had he continued to pass the first truck, he would have been crushed, Heaven forbid, under the oncoming truck's massive wheels. The loud siren had saved his life.

Still shaken, Shlomo kept looking around for the police car that had seemingly warned him. But no matter how carefully he looked, there was no sign of any police vehicle—nothing in front of him, behind him, or on the sides.

Puzzled and curious, Shlomo continued driving. And then it hit him. The siren hadn’t come from the road—it had come from the Torah tape he was listening to.

Twenty years earlier, during that Torah lecture, a police car had driven past the beis midrash (study hall) while the class was being recorded. The powerful siren had been captured on tape. Now, two decades later, those same sirens played at the exact moment Shlomo needed to be warned. Hashem had prepared his salvation twenty years before the danger even existed.

Still in shock from what happened, Shlomo reflected: “That morning, I debated whether to start the drive with a Torah lecture or with a music tape. I decided to begin the day with Hashem and His Torah. If I had chosen music, I wouldn’t have heard the siren—and without question, I would have been crushed between the two trucks.”

This incredible story is a reminder of how deeply Hashem watches over us—especially when we connect ourselves to His Torah. Sometimes His help is so exact, it’s prepared years—or even decades—in advance.