If there’s one sound sure to bring a shiver down your back, it’s the sound of a shofar ringing out. These ancient instruments, made from a ram’s horn, are sounded in synagogue on the most important Jewish holy days of the year: Rosh Hashanah (New Year), when it is sounded 100 times, and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), when it is blow to signify that the day of prayer and repentance is at an end
Classic Ram's Horn Shofar
The use of the shofar stretches all the way back to the days of the bible when Abraham, on instruction from God, was about to sacrifice his only and beloved son, Isaac. Having passed God’s test, and shown his true faith, God told Abraham to spare the youngster and instead commanded him to sacrifice a ram that was caught in a nearby bush.
Since then, the ram’s horn shofar has become an emotive and meaningful Jewish symbol utilized throughout history. It was used by Joshua to bring the walls of Jericho crumbling down and it was blown by Rabbi Shlomo Goren on June 7, 1967, when the Israeli army captured the Western Wall during the Six-Day War.
Such is the beauty of the shofar sound, that the instrument is sometimes even incorporated into classical music! Edward Elgars’ oratorio “The Apostles,” for example, calls for a shofar to be blown to announce the dawn.
Shofars, which are usually made of the horns of male sheep older than a year, come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The longer, twisted Yemenite shofar, however, is made of the horn of a kudu – a woodland antelope from Africa. This variation in shape and size – along with the personal care that goes into the crafting of each horn – means that each shofar sounds unique and distinct.
A Jewish shofar makes a perfect – and extremely affordable – gift from the Holy Land. While looking for a shofar for sale – buying a classic shofar as an unusual and lasting memory of your trip to Israel, or, if you are looking for something really special, there are silver-plated shofars available.
Every purchase of a shofar from Israel-Catalog.com comes with a beautiful silk shofar carrying bag from Galilee Silk to house your new treasure and to protect it from scuffs, nicks and scratches, making sure the shofar sounds absolutely perfect once you get it home.
A Rabi Blowing a Shofar
Our shofar makers, the Ribak family, who are based in Tel Aviv, are experts in the trade and have been making shofars for 15 generations. Their expertise in making of shofars ensures that every shofar they produce is faultless, without any flaws that might either render it unfit for ritual purposes or impact the sound it produces.
When it comes to actually getting a sound out of the shofar, like any instrument, it’s a matter of practice and perseverance. The best method is to put it to close your lips, put the shofar to the corner of the mouth and blow air directly into the shofar while keeping the rest of your mouth closed.
All of the shofar horns at Israel-Catalog.com are manufactured in Israel and are certified kosher by the Chief Rabbinate of Tel Aviv-Yafo.
Let the shofar sounds ring out!
