What Is A Shofar?
The Shofar is an animal's horn
prepared for use as a musical
instrument and is one of the
earliest musical instruments
known to man which is still in
use.
The Shofar can only be made
from the horn of sheep, goat,
mountain goat, antelope, and
gazelle. The horn of a cow is
strictly prohibited because of
the incident of the Golden Calf.
The Shofar may not be
painted, though it can be gilded
or carved with artistic designs,
so long as the mouthpiece
remains natural.
Certainly one of the strangest
pieces of ritual paraphernalia is
the Shofar. The curved ram's
horn has an aura of the
primitive about it; for people
saturated with sophisticated
technology, the Shofar appears to
be a throwback to antiquity. And
perhaps this is precisely why the
Shofar is so exciting and stirring
-- it brings us back to places
inside ourselves that are very
basic and primitive, very near
the root of our being. Since the
Shofar is sounded during the
time of year when it is most
important to be in touch with
ourselves, finding those places is
crucial.
Information contained in this brochure was
adapted from:
The Encyclopedia Judaica: Keter Inc.
The First Jewish Catalogue, JPS.
The Jewish Home, UAHC.
The Days Of Awe, Schocken Books.
The Shofar Sounders' Reference Manual, by
Arthur L. Finkle.
ABOUT THE
SHOFAR
rpvs
Rabbi Mark
Goldfarb
TEMPLE BETH OHR
Creative, lnnovative & lnspiring Reform Iudaism
15721 E. Rosecrans Ave.
La Mirada, CA 90638
714-521-6765 www.templebethohr.com
[email protected]
Temple Beth Ohr
Creative, lnnovative &
lnspiring Reform Iudaism
‫בָּרוְּך אַתָּ ה יְי ָ אֱֹלהֵינוּ ֶמלְֶך הָעוֹלָם ֲאשֶׁר‬
‫קִדְּ שָׁנוּ ְבּ ִמצְוֹתָ יו ְו ִצוָּנוּ ִלשְׁמוֹ ַע קוֹל שׁוֹפָר‬
Blessed is our Eternal God, Ruler of the
universe, who hallows us with Mitzvot
and commands us to hear the sound of
the Shofar.
Sounding The Shofar
Contrary to popular belief, it is not a strain to
sound the Shofar. To produce a sound on the
Shofar, purse your lips and place them on the
small opening of the Shofar and force air
through your lips. The tauter the lips, the
higher the sound pitch.
Three times the Torah ordains the
sounding of the Shofar with the word
‫תְּ רוּעָה‬, Leviticus 23:24, 25:9 and
Numbers 29:1. The Rabbis have taught
us that each set of sounds, ‫שׁב ִָרים‬
ְ ‫תְּ קִיעָה‬
‫תְּ רוּעָה תְּ קִיעָה‬, should be sounded three
times.
There is a difference of opinion in the
Talmud as to whether ‫שׁב ִָרים‬
ְ or ‫תְּ רוּעָה‬
was sounded in The Temple. The Rabbis
compromised and codified both notes as
valid and pronounce ‫תְּ רוּעָה‬-‫שׁב ִָרים‬
ְ
together.
To make each sound of the Shofar
clear one should "attack" the note to
accent the clarity. A good technique is to
silently say "tu" so that the tongue
touches the top of the mouthpiece and
the upper lip.
‫בָּרוְּך אַתָּ ה יְי ָ אֱֹלהֵינוּ ֶמלְֶך הָעוֹלָם‬
‫שׁ ֶה ֱחי ָנוּ ְו ִקיְּמָנוּ ְו ִהגִּיעָנוּ ַלזְּמַן ַהזֶּה‬
ֶ
Blessed is our Eternal God, Ruler of the
universe, who has given us life,
sustained us and enabled us to reach this
time.
The Sounds Of The Shofar
‫ תְּ קִיעָה‬Blast. This sound is a glissando
which begins on a lower note and
swells into a higher.
‫שׁב ִָרים‬
ְ Broken. This sound is an
alternation of three higher and lower
notes, together being as long as one
‫תְּ קִיעָה‬.
‫ תְּ רוּעָה‬Alarm. This sound is a series of
three sets of three staccato blasts,
together being as long as one ‫תְּ קִיעָה‬.
‫ תְּ קִיעָה גְדוֹלָה‬Great Blast. This sound is a
long drawn out ‫תְּ קִיעָה‬.
"In the seventh month, on the
first day of the month, you
shall observe a holy day: you
shall not work at your
occupations. You shall observe
it as a day when the Shofar is
sounded.” [Num. 29:1]
"Rabbi Abbahu said, Why do
we sound the horn of a ram?
Because the Holy One, blessed
be God, said: Sound for me a
ram's horn that I may
remember the Binding of Isaac
the son of Abraham, and I
shall account it to you for a
binding of yourselves before
me." [R.H. 16a]
"Awake, O you sleepers, awake
from your sleep! O you
slumberers, awake from your
slumber! Search your deeds
and turn in Teshuvah.
Remember your creator, O you
who forget the truth in the
vanities of time and go astray
all the year after vanity and
folly that neither profit nor
save. Look to your souls, and
better your ways and
actions." [RAMBAM, Teshuvah 3:4]
"Rabbi Judah taught: the
Shofar must be curved in shape
to symbolize the bent and
humbled spirit appropriate for
Rosh Hashanah." [R.H. 26b]