Anointing Shofar, Anointing Horn, Shofar Anointing Oil, Shofar Anointing Horn
What is Anointing Shofar?
The practice of anointing is one that goes back thousands of years, right back to biblical times. People can be anointed as king, or a priest, or a prophet or as messiah, or any leadership figure. The act of anointing someone is symbolic of their being chosen for the position they are being anointed to, often chosen by G-d. It is a blessing ceremony used in appointing people of great importance.
Anointing is done by pouring a special oil over the anointed person, and the oil is poured from a unique vessel, a horn. Similar to a shofar, the anointing horn is made of a ram's horn or kudu horn, and is often decorated to show its cultural significance. The horns are plugged up on one end and corked on the other, to form a closed vessel that can hold the anointing oil until use.
Anointing was also done historically to cure illnesses, and anointing the sick is called unction.
Anointing the shield is a practice where leather and wood war shields were oiled to keep them in good condition. This is where the practice of anointing people for protection originated. It has since become a more generalized form of symbolic protection.
The oil held in an anointing shofar is not just any oil either, anointing is traditionally done with a special anointing oil forbidden from general use.
The recipe used for this unique oil is written in Exodus 30:23-24:
"Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, 24 and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil."
Today, people buy anointing shofars as a relic of the past, like a piece of history in an artful home decoration, or to use for their personal spiritual well being.