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A shofar ( ; from , ) is an ancient musical horn, typically a ram's horn, used for Judaism ritual purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying the player's embouchure. The shofar is blown in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur; it is also blown every weekday morning in the month of Elul running up to Rosh Hashanah. Shofars come in a variety of sizes and shapes, depending on the choice of animal and level of finish.
The shofar was used to announce the new moon and the Jubilee year.Leviticus 25:9 The first day of Tishrei (now known as Rosh Hashana) is termed a "memorial of blowing",, Leviticus 23:24 or "day of blowing",, Numbers 29:1 the shofar. Shofars were used for signifying the start of a war.Joshua 6:4; Judges 3:27; 7:16, 20 They were also employed in processions2 Samuel 6:15; 1 Chronicles 15:28 as musical accompaniment,Psalm 98:6; compare Psalm 47:5 and were inserted into the temple orchestra by David.Psalm 150:3 Note that the "trumpets" described in Numbers 10 are a different instrument, described by the Hebrew word for 'trumpet' (), not ().Sidney B. Hoenig, " Origins of the Rosh Hashanah Liturgy", The Jewish Quarterly Review, New Series, Vol. 57, The Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Volume of the Jewish Quarterly Review (1967), pp. 312–331. • Published by University of Pennsylvania Press. Accessed 31 December 2009
In the Temple in Jerusalem, the shofar was sometimes used together with the trumpet. On Rosh Hashana, the principal ceremony was conducted with the shofar, with the instrument placed in the center with a trumpet on either side; it was the horn of a Nubian ibex (a type of wild goat) and straight in shape, being ornamented with gold at the mouthpiece. On fast days, the principal ceremony was conducted with the trumpets in the center and with a shofar on either side. On those occasions, the shofarot were Domestic Sheep horns curved in shape and ornamented with silver at the mouthpieces.Mishnah Rosh Hashana 3:3
On Yom Kippur of the jubilee year, the ceremony was performed with the shofar as on New Year's Day.Mishnah Rosh Hashana 3:4 Shofar first indicated in Yovel (Jubilee Year—Lev. 25:8–13). Indeed, in Rosh Hashanah 33b, the sages ask why the Shofar sounded in Jubilee year. Rosh Hashanah 29a indicates that in ordinary years both Shofars and trumpets are sounded but in the Jubilee Year only the Shofar blasts. The Rabbis created the practice of the Shofar's sounding every Yom Kippur rather than just on the Jubilee Year (once in 50 years) blowing of the shofar at the end of yom kippur.
Otherwise, for all other special days, the Shofar is sounded shorter and two special silver Trumpets announced the sacrifice. When the trumpets sound the signal, all the people who were within the Temple complex prostrate themselves, stretching out flat, face down, and on the ground.
The shofar was blown in the times of Joshua to help him capture Jericho. As they surrounded the walls, the shofar was blown and the Jews were able to capture the city. The shofar was commonly taken out to war so the troops would know when a battle would begin. The person who would blow the shofar would call out to the troops from atop a hill. All of the troops were able to hear the call of the shofar from their position because of its distinct sound.
In Talmudic times the shofar was also blown to introduce Shabbat. Shabbat 35b It was also used both to initiate and dissolve a Herem.
At the inception of the Jewish diaspora, during the short-lived ban on playing musical instruments, the shofar was enhanced in its use, as a sign of mourning for the destruction of the temple. The declaration of the ban's source was in fact set to the music itself as the lamentation "Al Naharoth Bavel" within a few centuries of the ban. (A full orchestra played in the temple. The ban was so that this would not be taken for granted, hence the wording of the ban, "if I forget thee, O Jerusalem, over my chiefest joy...".) The shofar is generally no longer used for secular purposes (see a notable exception in a section further down).Judith Kaplan Eisenstein, Heritage of Music, New York: UAHC, 1972, pp. 44–45.
Halakha (Jewish law) rules that the Rosh Hashana shofar blasts may not be sounded on Shabbat, due to the potential that the (shofar sounder) may inadvertently carry it, which is in a class of forbidden Shabbat work.Rosh Hashanah 29b Some explain this prohibition as stemming from the spiritual effects of the shofar which are matched by the spiritual energy of Shabbat, making Shofar blowing unnecessary. Originally, the shofar was sounded on Shabbat in the Temple in Jerusalem. After the temple's destruction, the sounding of the shofar on Shabbat was restricted to the place where the great Sanhedrin was located. However, when the Sanhedrin ceased to exist, the sounding of the shofar on Shabbat was discontinued.Kieval, The High Holy Days, p. 114
There are many reasons cited for this Mitzvah. the most famous list was compiled by the medieval sage Saadia Gaon, cited in David AbudarhamAbudraham, Rosh Hashanah, Tekiat Shofar, sec. 15.
If a shofar was blown into a pit or cave, one fulfilled the mitzvah if they heard the original sound, but not if they heard the echo.Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 3:5; Mishnah Berurah 587:1–3 Thus, most modern halakhic authorities hold that hearing a shofar on the radio or the Internet would not be valid to satisfy the mitzvah because "electronically reproduced sounds do not suffice for mitzvot that require hearing a specific natural sound.... However, one should consult a competent rabbi if an unusually pressing situation arises, as some authorities believe that performing mitzvot through electronically reproduced sound is preferable to not performing them at all." "Fulfilling Mitzvot Through Electronic Hearing Devices", Chaim Jachter and Ezra Frazer, Gray Matter volume 2 pp. 237–244.
According to halakha women and minors are exempt from the commandment of hearing the shofar blown (as is the case with any positive, time-bound commandment), but they are encouraged to attend the ceremony.
If the (shofar sounder) blows with the intention that all who hear will perform the mitzvah, then anyone listening—even someone passing by—who intends to hear the Shofar can perform the mitzvah because the community blower blows for everybody. If the listener stands still, it is presumed he intends to hear.Mishnah Berurah 590:9 If one hears the blast but with no intention of fulfilling the mitzvah, then the mitzvah has not been fulfilled.
The Shulchan Aruch discusses who is fit to blow the shofar on behalf of a congregation:
There is no requirement for ritual slaughter (shechita). Theoretically, the horn can come from a non-kosher animal, because under most (but not all) interpretations of Jewish law, the shofar is not required to be ('permissible in your mouth'); the mitzvah is hearing the shofar, not eating the animal it came from. see pages 147-148 ff. The shofar falls into the category of – objects used to perform a mitzvah that do not themselves have inherent holiness.Megillah 26b Moreover, because horn is always inedible, it is considered ('mere dust') and not a non-kosher substance.Avot 67b
The Elef Hamagen (586:5) delineates the order of preference: 1) curved ram; 2) curved other sheep; 3) curved other animal; 4) straight—ram or otherwise; 5) non-kosher animal; 6) cow. The first four categories are used with a bracha (blessing), the fifth without a bracha, and the last, not at all. Elef Hamagen, Rabbi Shemarya Hakreti, edited by Aharon Erand, Jerusalem: Mekitzei Nirdamim, 2003
The horn is flattened and shaped by the application of heat, which softens it. A hole is made from the tip of the horn to the natural hollow inside. It is played much like a European brass instrument, with the player blowing through the hole while buzzing the lips, causing the air column inside to vibrate. Sephardi shofars do usually have a carved mouthpiece resembling that of a European trumpet or French horn, but smaller. Ashkenazi shofars do not.
Because the hollow of the shofar is irregular in shape, the obtained when playing the instrument can vary: rather than a pure perfect fifth, intervals as narrow as a fourth, or as wide as a sixth may be produced.
The shofar is also blown in synagogue at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. Some only blow a tekiah gedolah; others blow tekiah- shevarim- teruah- tekiah.
Because of its inherent ties to the Days of Repentance and the inspiration that comes along with hearing its piercing blasts, the shofar is also blown after weekday morning services (in some communities, also at weekday afternoon services) for the entire month of Elul, the last month of the Jewish civil year, preceding Rosh Hashana. It is not blown on the last day of Elul (in some communities, the last 3 days of Elul), however, to mark the difference between the voluntary blasts of the month and the mandatory blasts of Rosh Hashana. Shofar blasts are also used in some communities during penitential rituals such as Yom Kippur Katan and optional prayer services called during times of communal distress. The exact modes of sounding can vary from location to location.
In an effort to improve the skills of shofar blowers, an International Day of Shofar Study is observed on Rosh Chodesh Elul, the start of the month preceding Rosh Hashanah.
The campaign began on the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y., led by young rabbinical students from the Lubavitcher yeshiva. These students visited street corners, parks, and Jewish stores throughout Brooklyn. The primary early focus was ensuring those who could not attend synagogue had the opportunity to hear the shofar, especially patients in hospitals like St. John’s and Kings County Hospital.
While initially informal, the campaign came under the aegis of the Lubavitch Youth Organization of New York after its founding in 1955. Beginning in the late 1950s, the practice spread globally, carried by guests from Israel and around the world traveling to New York. The campaign was subsequently brought to Israel, Miami Beach, Detroit, and Milan. By the early 1970s, Chabad in California was bringing the Shofar Campaign to 15 hospitals. Local Chicago efforts began around 1967 in Skokie, eventually expanding to serve both hospital patients and the homebound. This effort spread beyond adherents of the Chabad movement with young men from other Jewish communities taking to the streets to help out other Jews.
In 1975, the Rebbe expanded the campaign to include the entire month of Elul. Furthermore, he emphasized reaching isolated soldiers (including the Israeli military) and Jews incarcerated in correctional facilities, leading to prisons like Sing Sing and the Federal Correctional Complex at Allenwood, Pa., being added to the itinerary. Today, the Shofar Campaign continues to operate in public parks, prisons, nursing homes, hospitals, and on intersections globally, including Jerusalem, Moscow, Los Angeles, and Brooklyn. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice proved crucial, with Chabad organizing extensive public shofar events, such as 22 street corner blowings in Skokie, Illinois, and several more in other areas of Chicago, such as Rogers park and Lakeview.
The Shofar has been sounded as a sign of victory and celebration. Jewish elders were photographed blowing multiple shofars after hearing that the Nazis surrendered on 8 May 1945. The shofar has played a major role in the pro-Israel movement and often played in the Salute to Israel Parade and other pro-Israel demonstrations.
In the inauguration ceremony of the President of Israel, a shofar is blown once the President has been sworn in, followed by a call of "Long live the President".
The shofar has been used in a number of films, both as a sound effect and as part of musical underscores. Elmer Bernstein incorporated the shofar into several cues for his score for Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments; one of the shofar calls recorded by Bernstein was later reused by the sound editors for Return of the Jedi for the Ewoks' horn calls. Jerry Goldsmith's scores to the films Alien and Planet of the Apes also incorporate the shofar in their orchestration.
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