Where is the Shofar mentioned in the Bible? why do we blow the shofar? how to blow a shofar? And what does it have to do with current Jewish tradition? All the answers are right here.
In ancient times, the Shofar used to be blown on many occasions, being a powerful wind instrument that could be heard far and wide. The commandment to hear the sound of the shofar appears in the Torah, and it characterizes Rosh Hashanah more than anything else. As the Bible says:
And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a day of blowing the horn unto you. (Numbers 29:1)
The Shofar is mentioned in the Bible more than any other musical instrument – 72 times! It is referred in the context of rituals and sanctity, the anointing of kings and leaders, going to war, assembling the People, redemption, burial, etc.
The first mention of the Shofar in the Torah is during the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai – the sound of the Shofar is said to accompany the special and powerful atmosphere, and give it a sense of awe and glory:
Now mount Sinai was altogether on smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the horn waxed louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice. (Exodus 19: 18-19)
A further mention, which many of us know from Torah lessons in elementary school, is from the time of the Conquest of the Land by Joshua and Battle of Jericho. On the seventh day of the siege of Jericho, seven priests marched seven times around the city walls while blowing the Shofar:
And it shall be, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the horn, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him. (Joshua 6:5)
When King David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, it says:
So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the horn. (2 Samuel 6:15)
During the time of the Temple, the Shofar was blown every day. There was even a special place called ” the Trumpeting Place” (Beit HaTeki’ah), located in the corner between the Southern and Western Walls, so that the Shofar could be heard throughout Jerusalem and the nearby fields.
The beginning of the Shabbat was also announced by a series of six blows:
They never sounded less than twenty-one blows in the Temple, and never more than forty-eight. Every day they sounded twenty-one blows (in the Temple)… On the eve of Shabbat they added six; three as a sign for the people to cease from work, and three to mark a distinction between the holy and the mundane. (Mishna, Sukkah 5:5)
Hence the Hebrew expression, “to be as a shofar” (“leshamesh keShofar”) – meaning, to be a herald, an announcer.
When the Temple was destroyed, the shofar lost its public function as an announcer announcing various events, but its ritual function was preserved for the observance of the mitzvah of blowing the kosher shofar on Rosh HaShanah (later the Rabanan also corrected it on the evening of Yom Kippur). In some communities, the shofar is also blown in the month of Elul during Slichot time and fasting.
Rabbi Saadia Gaon, 942-882, one of the great Babylonians, mentioned 10 reasons for blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah:
All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, see ye; and when the horn is blown, hear ye. (Isaiah 18:3)
הThe Rambam (Maimonides, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, 1135-1204), one of the greatest Poskim and thinkers, said that beyond the fact that blowing the Shofar on Rosh HaShanah is a mitzvah, it has the additional value of man’s transcendence:
Wake up you sleepy ones from your sleep and you who slumber, arise. Inspect your deeds, repent, remember your Creator. Those who forget the truth in the vanities of time and throughout the entire year, devote their energies to vanity and emptiness which will not benefit or save: Look to your souls. Improve your ways and your deeds and let every one of you abandon his evil path and thoughts. (Hilchos Teshuvah, chapter 3, halacha 4)
According to the Mishnah, every Jew must hear nine Shofar sounds on Rosh HaShanah.
The word “Teru’ah” is mentioned three times in the Torah, and every “Teru’ah” should be preceded and followed by an (ordinary) “Teki’ah”. That is, making the order of Teki’ot three times: Teki’ah, Teru’ah, Teki’ah (TaRaT) – nine sounds.
In the fourth century, a third sound was added – Shevarim (sounding like sighs), because of a doubt concerning the exact sounds and their combination, thus, the number of sounds was increased from nine to thirty.
Consequently, we blow all the different combinations:
Over the passage of the years and throughout the many exiles, doubt has been raised concerning the Teru’ah which the Torah mentions, to the extent that we do not know what it is: Does it resemble the wailing with which the women cry when they moan, or the sighs which a person who is distressed about a major matter will release repeatedly? Perhaps a combination of the two. Therefore, we fulfill all [these possibilities]. The crying refers to what we call Teru’ah. The repeated sighs refer to what we call three Shevarim. (Shofar 3:2)
Over the years, most communities added another thirty sounds during prayers – Malchuyot, Zichronot, Shofarot –ninety sounds altogether!
And to round things up nicely – another ten sounds in order to reach one hundred.
Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Shofar has played an important role during various ceremonies and events of a national Jewish character.
FAQ and how to make a shofar?
The Shofars at Kol Shofar are meticulously handcrafted in our family workshop, paying maximum attention to the highest level of quality, to Kashrut, ease of blowing, cleanliness and producing a special sound. Our customers say they can recognize our Shofars immediately anywhere in the world, due to our unique handprint.
