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What Is a Shofar?-By Ariela Pelaia, About.com GuideThe shofar ( ) is a Jewish instrument most often made from a rams horn, though it can also be made

from the horn of a sheep or goat. It makes a trumpet-like sound and is traditionally blown on Rosh

HaShanah, the Jewish New Year.

Origins of the Shofar

According to some scholars, the shofar dates back to ancient times when making loud noises on the New

Year was thought to scare off demons and ensure a happy start to the coming year. It is hard to say

whether this practice influenced Judaism.

In terms of its Jewish history, the shofar is often mentioned in the Tanach, Talmud and in rabbinic

literature. It was used to announce the start of holidays, in processions and even to mark the start of a

war. Perhaps the most famous biblical reference to the shofar occurs in the Book of Joshua, where

shofarot (plural of shofar) were used as part of a battle plan to capture the city of Jericho:

"Then the LORD said to Joshua March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.

Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the

city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the

trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will

go up, every man straight in. (Joshua 6:2-5)"

According to the story, Joshua followed Gods commandments to the letter and the walls of Jericho fell,

allowing them to capture the city. The shofar is also mentioned earlier in the Tanach, when Moses ascends

Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments.

During the times of the First and Second Temple, shofarot were also used along with trumpets to mark

important occasions and ceremonies.

The Shofar on Rosh HaShanah

Today the shofar is most commonly used on the Jewish New Year, called Rosh HaShanah (meaning head

of the year in Hebrew). In fact, the shofar is such an important part of this holiday that another name for

Rosh HaShanah is Yom Teruah, which means day of the shofar blast in Hebrew. The shofar is blown one

hundred times on each of the two days of Rosh HaShanah. If one of the days of Rosh HaShanah falls on

Shabbat, however, the shofar is not blown.

According to the famous Jewish philosopher Maimonides, the sound of the shofar on Rosh HaShanah is

meant to wake up soul and turn its attention to the important task of repentance (teshuvah). It is a

commandment to blow the shofar on Rosh HaShanah and there are four specific shofar blasts associated

with this holiday:

1. Tekiah An unbroken blast lasting about three seconds2. Shvarim A tekiah broken into three segments3. Teruah Nine rapid fire blasts4. Tekiah GedolahA triple tekiah lasting at least nine seconds, though many shofar blowers will

attempt to go significantly longer, which the audience loves.

The person who blows the shofar is called a Tokea (which literally means blaster) and it is no easy task toperform each of these sounds. Scroll down to the end of this article for a link to a video demonstrating the

four shofar sounds of Rosh HaShanah.

Symbolism

There are many symbolic meanings associated with the shofar and one of the best known has to do with

the Akedah, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. The story is recounted in(Genesis 22:1-24)and

culminates with Abraham raising the knife to slay his son only to have God stay his hand and bring his

attention to a ram caught in a nearby thicket. Abraham sacrificed the ram instead. Because of this story

some midrashim claim that whenever the shofar is blown God will remember Abrahams willingness to

sacrifice his son and will therefore forgive those who hear the shofars blasts. In this way, just as the shofar

blasts remind us to turn our hearts towards repentance, they also remind God to forgive us for ourtrespasses.

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7/29/2019 What is a Shofar

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The shofar is also associated with the idea of crowning God as King on Rosh HaShanah. The breath used by

the Tokea to make the sounds of the shofar are also associated with the breathe of life, which God first

breathed into Adam upon the creation of humanity.