![ShofarSound](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/ShofarSound.JPG)
The blowing of the shofar ( he, תקיעת שופר, ) is a ritual performed by Jews on
Rosh Hashanah. The
shofar
A shofar ( ; from he, שׁוֹפָר, ) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying ...
is a musical
horn
Horn most often refers to:
*Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound
** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments
*Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...
, typically made of a
ram
Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to:
Animals
* A male sheep
* Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish
People
* Ram (given name)
* Ram (surname)
* Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director
* RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch
* ...
's
horn
Horn most often refers to:
*Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound
** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments
*Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...
. Jewish law requires that the shofar be blown 30 times on each day of Rosh Hashanah, and by custom it is blown 100 or 101 times on each day.
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial proclaimed with the blast of horns, a holy convocation.
Modern practice
Initially, the blasts made by the ram's horn were blown during the first standing prayer (
Amidah) on the
Jewish New Year
Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , ...
, but by a rabbinic
edict
An edict is a decree or announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism, but it can be under any official authority. Synonyms include "dictum" and "pronouncement".
''Edict'' derives from the Latin edictum.
Notable edicts
* Telepinu Pro ...
, it was enacted that they be blown only during the
Mussaf-prayer, because of an incident that happened, whereby congregants who blew the horn during the first standing prayer were suspected by their enemies of staging a war-call and were massacred. Even though the underlining motive for the rabbinic enactment was no longer prevalent in ensuing generations, their enactment still stands and is practised by all Jewish communities to this very day, to blow the ram's horn only during the Mussaf-prayer.
Types of blast
The following blast are blown on Rosh Hashanah:
* ' () is a single long blast of the shofar.
* ' () is composed of three connected short sounds.
* ' () - in most
Sephardic and
Ashkenazi traditions, this is a string of many short-lived, broken blasts made by the tongue (e.g. tut-tut-tut-tut, etc.). In the Yemenite, Tunisian and Babylonian Jewish communities as well as many Western Ashkenazic communities, it is a single long, reverberating blast.
* It is customary for the last ''tekiah'' in a set of 30, and the last ''tekiah'' blown overall on a day of Rosh Hashana, to be extended in length, called a ''tekiah gedolah'' ("great ''tekiah''").
Combinations of blasts
The blasts are blown in the following set groups:
* ''tekiah''-''shevarim''-''teruah''-''tekiah'' (abbreviated ''TaShRaT'') [being a long sustained blast (''tekiah''), followed by three short lilting blasts (''shevarim''), with the resounding pitch of a person who is crying, and again by a long sustained blast (''tekiah''). This series was to be repeated three times, for a total of 12 blasts]
* ''tekiah''-''shevarim''-''tekiah'' (abbreviated ''TaShaT'') [being one long sustained blast (''tekiah''), followed by three short lilting blasts (''shevarim''), followed by a long sustained blast (''tekiah''). This series was also to be repeated three times]
* ''tekiah''-''teruah''-''tekiah'' (abbreviated ''TaRaT'')
eing a long sustained blast (''tekiah''), followed by a long quavering blast (''teruah''), and again a long sustained blast (''tekiah''). Again, this series was to be repeated three times
Place in the prayer service
In Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities, it is customary to hear 100 or 101 or 102 sounds in the synagogue on Rosh Hashanah morning, although the minimum requirement is to hear 30 sounds. The sounds are scheduled as follows:
* 30 shofar blasts are sounded to fulfill the
mitzvah of shofar blowing, after the
Torah reading
Torah reading (; ') is a Jewish religious tradition that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the scroll (or scrolls) from the Torah ark, chanting the a ...
and before
Mussaf
Mussaf (also spelled Musaf or Musof) is an additional service that is recited on Shabbat, Yom Tov, Chol Hamoed, and Rosh Chodesh. The service, which is traditionally combined with the Shacharit in synagogues, is considered to be additional to th ...
. In many communities, these blasts are preceded by reciting Bible verses related to the shofar. Two blessings are recited before the blasts: one on the Biblical commandment of "hearing the sound of the shofar", and the blessing of
Shehecheyanu; on the second day (except when the first day falls on the Sabbath), Sephardic Jews and Western Ashknazic Jews omit
Shehecheyanu, but Eastern Ashkenazic Jews recite it. The blasts here consist of the ''TaShRaT'' sequence three times, followed by ''TaShaT'' three times, then ''TaRaT'' three times.
* In most Sephardic and many Hasidic communities, 30 shofar blasts are blown in the silent
Mussaf
Mussaf (also spelled Musaf or Musof) is an additional service that is recited on Shabbat, Yom Tov, Chol Hamoed, and Rosh Chodesh. The service, which is traditionally combined with the Shacharit in synagogues, is considered to be additional to th ...
prayer, 10 blasts after each of the three central blessings. Each sequence of 10 blasts consists of ''TaShRaT'', ''TaShaT'', ''TaRaT'' one time each. In most Ashkenazic communities, these blasts are not performed.
* Shofar is blown during the leader's repetition of the Mussaf prayer. There are several customs for how this is done:
**The original custom from the
Geonim
''Geonim'' ( he, גאונים; ; also transliterated Gaonim, singular Gaon) were the presidents of the two great Babylonian Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita, in the Abbasid Caliphate, and were the generally accepted spiritual leaders of ...
is to blow one ''TaShRaT'' after the first blessing, one ''TaShaT'' after the second blessing, and one ''TaRaT'' after the third blessing, for a total of 10 blasts during the repetition of Musaf. This custom has been preserved in the Western Ashkenazic rite and many
Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews or Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ''Yehudei Teman''; ar, اليهود اليمنيون) are those Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Is ...
.
***A variation of that opinions is to blow three ''TaShRaT'' after the first blessing, three ''TaShaT'' after the second blessing, and three ''TaRaT'' after the third blessing, for a total of 30 blasts during the repetition of Musaf. This is the custom today of
Spanish and Portuguese Jews
Spanish and Portuguese Jews, also called Western Sephardim, Iberian Jews, or Peninsular Jews, are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardic Jews who are largely descended from Jews who lived as New Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the ...
.
**Another version, suggested by
Rabbeinu Tam
Jacob ben Meir (1100 – 9 June 1171 (4 Tammuz)), best known as Rabbeinu Tam ( he, רבינו תם), was one of the most renowned Ashkenazi Jewish rabbis and leading French Tosafists, a leading ''halakhic'' authority in his generation, and a gr ...
, is to blow one ''TaShRaT'' after each blessing, for a total of 12 blasts during the repetition of Musaf. Until recently, this was the widespread custom in Eastern Ashkenazic communities, but it is preserved today in very few places.
**Most Eastern Ashkenazic (except for those that preserve the previous practice above) and Edot Hamizrach communizes today follow the opinion of the
Shelah Shelah may refer to:
* Shelah (son of Judah), a son of Judah according to the Bible
* Shelah (name), a Hebrew personal name
* Shlach, the 37th weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading
* Salih, a prophet described ...
to blow 10 blasts - ''TaShRaT'', ''TaShaT'', ''TaRaT'' - after each of the three blessings.
* In most communities, as many blasts are needed to get to a total of 100, 101 or 102 are blown after musaf. Thus, in communities where they blow 30 during the silent Amidah and 30 during the repetition, only 10 or 11 are needed to complete the 100 or 101. In communities where shofar is not blown during the silent Mussaf prayer and they blow 30 during the repetition, 40 or 41 blasts are blown. And in communities following the opinion of the Geonim or Rabbeinu Tam, 60 blasts are blown after musaf; in communities following the Geonim, this makes a total of 100, whereas in communities following the opinion of Rabbeninu Tam, they end up with 102.
According to all opinions, the
mitzvah is fulfilled by hearing the initial set of 30 blasts. Thus, if a person cannot attend the synagogue prayers, they will commonly arrange for a shofar blower to visit and blow only 30 blasts for them.
Additional laws
Duration of the notes
Among Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities, the ''teruah'' is blown as nine very short notes, while the ''shevarim'' is blown as three longer notes, each equal in duration to three short notes. The ''tekiah'' must be longer than the blast which it comes before and after. Thus the ''tekiah'' must be more than 9 short notes in duration when blowing ''TaRaT'' or ''TaShaT'', and more than 18 short notes when blowing ''TaShRaT''.
The
Shulchan Aruch
The ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך , literally: "Set Table"), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in I ...
rules that the minimum length of a ''teruah'' and ''tekiah'' are identical, but agrees that a longer ''teruah'' is also valid. In Yemen, the practice was to make the ''teruah'' double the length of a ''tekiah''. Each community is advised to follow its ancestral tradition.
Pausing between ''shevarim'' and ''teruah''
When ''shevarim'' and ''teruah'' are blown together, a dispute exists whether they must be blown in a single breath, or whether one may pause (for a duration of no longer than a breath) between them. The
Shulchan Aruch
The ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך , literally: "Set Table"), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in I ...
suggests that "one who fears God" should blow in a single breath before Mussaf, and with two breaths during Mussaf. The
Chazon Ish
Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz (7 November 1878 – 24 October 1953), also known as the Chazon Ish () after his magnum opus, was a Belarusian-born Orthodox rabbi who later became one of the leaders of Haredi Judaism in Israel, where he spent his ...
adopted this practice. However, general Ashkenazi custom is to always stop for breath between ''shevarim'' and ''teruah'', both before and during Mussaf (but not between the three blasts of ''shevarim'').
Rabbi
Yihya Saleh Yihyah a Hebrew given name, a variant of Yehya, Yehia, Yahia Yahya, Yihye, etc. It may refer to:
* Yiḥyah Qafiḥ (1850–1931), Chief Rabbi in Yemen
*Yiḥyah Salaḥ, alternatively Yichya Tzalach; Yehiya Saleh), known by the acronym of Ma ...
, explaining the Yemenite custom, wrote that a breath is taken between ''shevarim'' and ''teruah'', both before and during Mussaf. In this regard, the Yemenite practice was more lenient than that of the
Shulchan Aruch
The ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך , literally: "Set Table"), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in I ...
.
History
Initial 9 blasts
The Torah twice defines Rosh Hashanah as a day of ''teruah'' or horn-blowing (, ), without specifying exactly how this is to be done.
The rabbis of the
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
concluded that a shofar must be used for this blowing, and that each ''teruah'' must be preceded and followed by a ''tekiah''. Since the word ''teruah'' appears three times in the Torah in connection with holidays of the seventh month, the rabbis concluded that a ''teruah'' must be blown three times, making a total of nine blasts (three sets of ''tekiah''-''teruah''-''tekiah''). The three sets also correspond to the three special blessings of Mussaf: ''malchiyot'', ''zichronot'', and ''shofarot''.
From 9 to 30 blasts
In the
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
ic era, doubts arose regarding the correct sound of the ''teruah'' blast - whether it should be a series of short, lilting blasts similar to a person moaning (now known as ''shevarim''), or else a
staccato beat sound similar to a person whimpering (now known as ''teruah''), or else a combination of the two sounds (''shevarim-teruah''). Therefore, Rav
Abbahu
Rabbi Abbahu ( he, אבהו) was a Jew and Talmudist of the Talmudic Academies in Syria Palaestina from about 279-320 and is counted a member of the third generation of Amoraim. He is sometimes cited as Rabbi Abbahu of Kisrin ( Caesarea).
Biogra ...
of
Caesarea (3rd century CE), ruled that shofar blowing should be performed according to each of the three possibilities:
* Three sets of ''tekiah, teruah, tekiah'' (in case what we call ''teruah'' is the correct sound of the Biblical ''teruah'')
* Three sets of ''tekiah, shevarim, tekiah'' (in case what we call ''shevarim'' is the correct sound of the Biblical ''teruah'')
* Three sets of ''tekiah, shevarim-teruah, tekiah'' (in case what we call ''shevarim-teruah'' is the correct sound of the Biblical ''teruah'')
If ''tekiah, shevarim-teruah, tekiah'' is considered to be four blasts, then Rabbi Abbahu's requirement makes for a total of 30 blasts.
[ She'iltoth de'Rav Achai Gaon, ''P. ve'Zoth Ha-berachah'', # 170 - ''Le-Rosh Hashanah'': Translation: "One must blow a sustained blast (teki'ah), three ]hort Hort may refer to:
People
* Erik Hort (born 1987), American soccer player
* F. J. A. Hort (1828–1892), Irish theologian
* Greta Hort (1903–1967), Danish-born literature professor
* Josiah Hort (c. 1674–1751), English clergyman of the Chu ...
lilting blasts (shevarim), a quavering blast (teru'ah) and a sustained blast (teki'ah), seeing that Rabbi Abbahu enacted in Caesarea the mnemonics: TaSHRaK (teki'ah, shevarim, teru'ah and teki'ah), TaSHaK (teki'ah, shevarim, and teki'ah), TaRaK (teki'ah, teru'ah, and teki'ah)."; Maimonides, ''Mishne Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''ha ...
'' (Hilchot Shofar VeLulav 3:2–3)
According to another opinion, Rabbi Abbahu instituted a total of 12 rather than 30 blasts, specifically ''tekiah, shevarim-teruah, tekiah'' repeated three times. However, modern halacha accepts the opinion that 30 blasts are blown.
From 30 to 100 blasts
![10thStreetShofar (retouched)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/10thStreetShofar_%28retouched%29.jpg)
The Talmud specifies that the shofar is blown on two occasions on Rosh Hashana: once while "sitting" (before the
Mussaf
Mussaf (also spelled Musaf or Musof) is an additional service that is recited on Shabbat, Yom Tov, Chol Hamoed, and Rosh Chodesh. The service, which is traditionally combined with the Shacharit in synagogues, is considered to be additional to th ...
prayer), and once while "standing" (during the Mussaf prayer). This increases the number of blasts from the basic requirement of 30, to 40, 42, or 60, based on the above-mentioned opinions.
The ''
Arukh
Nathan ben Jehiel of Rome (Hebrew: נתן בן יחיאל מרומי; ''Nathan ben Y'ḥiel Mi Romi'' according to Sephardic pronunciation) ( 1035 – 1106) was a Jewish Italian lexicographer. He authored the Arukh, a notable dictionary of Talmu ...
'' mentions a custom to blow 100 blasts: 30 before Mussaf, 30 during the Mussaf silent prayer, 30 during the cantor's loud repetition of Mussaf, and 10 more after Mussaf.
[Arukh 272:1; mentioned in ]Tosafot
The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot ( he, תוספות) are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes.
The auth ...
Rosh Hashana 33b s.v. שעור The final 10 blasts are by tradition dating to the
Geonim
''Geonim'' ( he, גאונים; ; also transliterated Gaonim, singular Gaon) were the presidents of the two great Babylonian Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita, in the Abbasid Caliphate, and were the generally accepted spiritual leaders of ...
, and in some communities are blown in the middle of "
Kaddish
Kaddish or Qaddish or Qadish ( arc, קדיש "holy") is a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy, different version ...
Tiskabal."
Blowing 100 (or 101 or 102) blasts is nearly universal today (with the exception of many Yemenite and Spanish Portuguese Jews), although many congregations omit the 30 blasts in the silent prayer, and instead blow 40 after Mussaf, and some communities do only 10 (or 12) during the repetition and blow 60 afterwards.
The number 100 in the ''Arukh'' is intended to correspond to the tears which
Sisera's mother is said to have shed when her son was killed in battle.
(The Hebrew word used to describe her wailing is ' (); this is cognate to ''yevava'' (), the Aramaic translation of ''teruah''.
) The short Biblical story of Sisera's mother contains 101 letters; while the Arukh only mentions 100 blasts. This discrepancy is explained by saying that while each shofar blast is intended to "nullify" one of her cries due to hatred of Israel, nevertheless we leave her one tear out of recognition of the pain suffered by any bereaved mother.
In any case, Sephardic communities typically blow 101 blasts, with the 101st symbolizing her legitimate mourning.
Symbolic meaning
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Tora ...
wrote that even though the blowing of the shofar is a Biblical statute, it is also a symbolic "wake-up call", stirring Jews to mend their ways and repent: "Sleepers, wake up from your slumber! Examine your ways and repent and remember your Creator."
Rabbi
Abraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one ...
suggested that the doubt whether the shofar sound is supposed to be short, intermittent blasts (''Shevarim''), like a person groaning in remorse, or a series of short, staccato bursts (''Teru'ah''), like the uncontrolled wailing of a person in extreme anguish and grief, may be connected to Maimonides’ explanation. Some people are moved to better themselves due to an intellectual recognition that something was seriously amiss in their lives. Their shofar sounds – what motivates them to repent – are the heavy sighs and groans of the introspective individual, the ''Shevarim''. For others, the stimulus comes from the heart. They are moved by the overwhelming pain and anguish of a person who has lost his way – the emotional outburst and wailing of the ''Teru’ah''. The most effective form of repentance, however, utilizes the strengths of both faculties, the emotions and the intellect, combining together the ''Shevarim'' and the ''Teru'ah''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shofar blowing
Elul
High Holy Days
Jewish law and rituals
Jewish ritual objects
Natural horns and trumpets
Rosh Hashanah
Ten Days of Repentance
Positive Mitzvoth