What is a Shofar ? One of the main Judaica items is the Shofar. But what is a Shofar? A Shofar is a ceremonial horn instrument used a few times a year in Jewish tradition. Literally made of an animal's horn, it is hollow and is blown in a special way that produces a sound unlike any other.
The Shofar is blown on in synagogue on Rosh hashana (Jewish new year) and Yom kippur (day of atonement) to remind people of g-d's judgement of us for our behavior over the past year, so that they can repent and fix their bad habits. Shofars come in a range of sizes and a number of types. You can get a polished Shofar, easier to clean, or an all natural Shofar. It can be made from a ram's horn, or a kudu's horn, depending on your community's tradition.
They come in varying lengths and shapes, and you can in fact also get your Shofar decorated with silver plating, or paint, ect. Typically, Ashkenazic and Sefardic communities have the tradition of using ram's horn Shofars, which have a curved shape. Yemenite communities however, prefer the long curled kudu horn. There are also straight ram's horn Shofars available in some places, but the curved type is preferable.
When the Shofar is used? Biblically, the Shofar was used in a number of settings. It was blown at the Holy temple, as well as for announcing holidays and the Jubilee year (Yovel). It was also blown during the times of Joshua to help capturing Jericho. It has been used for many other things over the course of history, and now is a wonderfully significant piece of Judaica, commonly found in Jewish homes and synagogues, used during the high holidays. Especially associated with Rosh hashana, also called 'Yom Teru'ah' or 'The day of the Shofar blast', the only exception to the rule of blowing the Shofar during one of the high holidays is when they fall on Shabbat, and blowing the Shofar is forbidden.
The person who blows the Shofar during Rosh hashana and Yom kippur is called a Baal Tokea, and he is an expert at blowing the Shofar according to the Halacha, with the blasts the right length and type, and the right thoughts during the blowing. Any male Jew can take the mantle of the Baal Tokea, provided he knows how to properly blow the shofar. The rav of the congregation often helps the baal tokea and provides a secondary check to make sure it all goes correctly and in order. The Baal Tokea prepares three days in advance to be pure and ready when the time comes to blow the Shofar. One hears 100 or 101 blasts of the Shofar over the course of Rosh hashana, though the minimum requirement is only 30. There are three types of Shofar blasts, Tekiyah being one long blast, Shevarim being three medium blasts, and Teruah being 9 or more short blasts. These blasts are incorporated into key parts of the holiday prayers.
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