Shofar
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A shofar (IPA: [ˈʃoʊfər] (USA) or [ˈʃəʊfə(r)] (UK); Heb.: שופר) is a horn that is used as a musical instrument for Jewish religious purposes. It is intimately connected with both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The shofar originated in Israel for Jewish callings.
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[edit] In the Bible and rabbinic literature
The shofar is mentioned frequently in the Hebrew Bible, from Exodus to Zechariah, and throughout the Talmud and later rabbinic literature. It was the voice of a shofar, "exceeding loud," issuing from the thick cloud on Mount Sinai that made all the Israelites tremble in awe (Exodus 19, 20).
The shofar is prescribed for the announcement of the New Moon and solemn feasts (Num. x. 10; Ps. lxxxi. 4), as also for proclaiming the year of release, Jubilee (Lev. 25. 9). The first day of the seventh month (Tishri) is termed "a memorial of blowing" (Lev. 23. 24), or "a day of blowing" (Num. xxix. 1), the shofar; the modern use of the instrument survives especially in this connection. In earlier days it was employed also in other religious ceremonials, as processions (II Sam. 6. 15; I Chron. 15. 28), or in the orchestra as an accompaniment to the song of praise (Ps. 98. 6; comp. ib. xlvii. 5). More frequently it was used as the signal-horn of war, like the silver trumpets mentioned in Num. 10. 9 (see Josh. 6. 4; Judges 3. 27; 7. 16, 20; I Sam. 8. 3).
The Torah describes the first day of the seventh month (1st of Tishri = Rosh ha-Shanah) as a zikron teruah (memorial of blowing; Lev. xxiii) and as a yom teru'ah (day of blowing; Num. 29). This was interpreted by the Jewish sages as referring to the sounding the shofar.
The shofar in the Temple in Jerusalem was generally associated with the trumpet; and both instruments were used together on various occasions. On New-Year's Day the principal ceremony was conducted with the shofar, which instrument was placed in the center with a trumpet on either side; it was the horn of a wild goat and straight in shape, being ornamented with gold at the mouthpiece. On fast-days the principal ceremony was conducted with the trumpets in the center and with a shofar on either side. On those occasions the shofarot were rams' horns curved in shape and ornamented with silver at the mouthpieces. On Yom Kippur of the jubilee year the ceremony was performed with the shofar as on New-Year's Day.
The shofar was blown in the times of Joshua to help him capture Jericho. As they surrounded the walls the shofar was blown and the Jews were able to capture the city. The shofar was commonly taken out to war so the troops would know when a battle would begin. The person who would blow the shofar would call out to the troops from atop a hill. All of the troops were able to hear the call of the shofar from their position because of its distinct noise.
[edit] Post-Biblical times
In post-Biblical times, the shofar was enhanced in its religious use because of the ban on playing musical instruments as a sign of mourning for the destruction of the temple. (It is noted that a full orchestra played in the temple, including, perhaps, a primitive organ.) The shofar continues to announce the New Year and the new moon, to introduce the Sabbath, to carry out the commandment to sound it on Rosh Hashanah, and to mark the end of the day of fasting on Yom Kippur once the services have completed in the evening. The secular uses have been discarded (although the shofar was sounded to commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967) (Judith Kaplan Eisendrath, Heritage of Music, New York: UAHC, 1972, pp. 44-45).
The shofar is primarily associated with Rosh ha-Shanah. Indeed, Rosh Hashanah is called "Yom T’ruah" (the day of the shofar blast). In the Mishnah (book of early rabbinic laws derived from the Torah), a discussion centers on the centrality of the shofar in the time before the destruction of the second temple (70 C.E.). Indeed, the shofar was the center of the ceremony, with two silver trumpets playing a lesser role. On other solemn holidays, fasts, and new moon celebrations, two silver trumpets were featured, with one shofar playing a lesser role. The shofar is also associated with the jubilee year in which, every fifty years, Jewish law provided for the release of all slaves, land, and debts. The sound of the shofar on Rosh ha-Shanah announced the jubilee year, and the sound of the shofar on Yom Kippur proclaimed the actual release of financial encumbrances.
The halakha (Jewish law) rules that the shofar may not be sounded on the Sabbath due to the potential that the ba’al tokeiyah (shofar sounder) may inadvertently carry it which is in a class of forbidden Sabbath work (RH 29b) the historical explanation is that in ancient Israel, the shofar was sounded on the Shabbat in the temple ‘located in Jerusalem. After the temple’s destruction, the sounding of the shofar on the Sabbath was restricted to the place where the great Sanhedrin (Jewish legislature and court from 400 BCE to 100 C.E.) was located. However, when the Sanhedrin ceased to exist, the sounding of the shofar on the Sabbath was discontinued (Kieval, The High Holy Days, p. 114).
The shofar says, "Wake up from your (moral) sleep. You are asleep. Get up from your slumber. You are in a deep sleep. Search for your behavior. Become the best person you can. Remember God, the One Who created you." Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance 3:4.
See Arthur l. Finkle, Shofar Sounders Reference Manual, LA: Torah Aura, 1993
[edit] Construction
The shofar may be the horn of any animal, except that of a cow or calf in deference to the biblical golden calf incident. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with using a cow's horns, it is not for the benefit to the Jewish people to remind God of such indiscretions when He is sitting in judgment, according to the principle, "the prosecutor can not act as the defence." Rosh Hashanah, 26a.
In addition, the Shofar may be made of a non-kosher animal, with qualifications. The Mishnah Breuah states that the best type of Shofar is made from a ram and is bent (Mishnah Berurah 586:1). Further, on, the Chofetz Chaim posits that the best type of Shofar should be made from a ram whose horn is bent; the middle type, a kosher animal; the least, any kind of animal. (MB 586:16). Note that there is no requirement for ritual slaughter (shechitah).
Although some disagree with this priority, the horn can be made form a non-kosher animal on the basis of Mutar B’ficha (the material is good enough to put into your mouth). Moreover, since the principle halacha is to hear the Shofar, the Rabbis use the [principle of tashmishe mitzvah (for things that surround the mitzvah, in this case the original of the hollow horn, do not have to be strict). (MB 586:16 (8). Thus, even nevaylah or treif is all right. However, the Magen Avraham opines a stricter standard by saying that all has to be pure.
In addition, the interpretation form Avot 67b calls for Non-kosher “food” unfit for human consumption is not called food. Thus, the Tannah. R. Meir poskins that animal hairs, anointing oil and incense (animal secretions) and dyes of crimson (royal or holy dyes made from mollusks, a treif food) are acceptable (Megillah 26b)
To cap this issue, a recent article appeared in the Journal of Halacha, Number LIII, and Contemporary Society, Rabbi Ari Z, Zivotofsky, Yemenite Shofar: Ideal for the Mitzvah?, Cleveland, OH: Rabbi Jacob Joseph School R. Ari Z, Zivotofsky, 2007
Halachic preference is to begin with the horn of kosher animal; however, in certain situations, the horn of a non-kosher animal may be used.Indeed, there is a priority order in the Elef Hamagen: (See Elef Hamagen -Rabi Shemarya Hakreti Author: Erand Aharon Editor, Jerusalem: Mekitzei Nirdamim, 2003.)
See Shofar Sounders Website See Shofar Sounders Website II See Shofar Resource Webpage
The Elef Hamagan (586:5) delineates the order of preference: 15 1) curved ram; 2) curved other sheep; 3) curved other animal; 4) straight - ram or otherwise;16 5) non-kosher animal; 6) cow horn. The first four categories are used with a beracha, the fifth without a beracha, and the final, not at all.
[edit] Physical horns
Many large grazing animals, the ones that have cloven hoofs and chew their cud, are armed with either horns or antlers. These weapons are used for defense against predators or dominance duels between males for possession of a few favored females. Both horns and antlers are borne on the head and have similar uses. However, they are structurally different.
A Shofar may be created from the horn of any kosher animal (cloven hoof; and chews a cud. Mishnah RH 1:1). In biological classification, these animals belong to the Bovidae family.
Bovidae horns are made of keratin (the same material which is a human toenail or fingernail). An antler, on the other hand, is not a horn but solid bone. Such antlers are not used for Shofars because they cannot be hollowed. A rent or hole in the shofar affecting the sound renders it unfit for ceremonial use. A shofar may not be painted in colors, but it may be carved with artistic designs (Shulkhan Arukh, Orach Chayim, 586, 17). According to traditional Jewish law women and minors are exempt from the command to hear the shofar-blowing (as is the case with any positive, time-bound commandment), but they are allowed to, and encouraged to, attend the ceremony.
The horn is flattened and given a turned up bell by applying heat to soften it. A hole is made from the tip of the horn to the natural hollow inside. It is played much like a European brass instrument, with the player applying his lips to this hole, and causing the air column inside to vibrate. Shofars used in Ashkenazic Jewish worship tend to have no carved mouthpiece, the player instead applying his lips directly to the irregular hole drilled in the tip of the horn. Sephardic Jewish shofars, on the other hand, usually do have a carved mouthpiece resembling that of a European trumpet or French horn, but smaller.
Because this hollow is of irregular bore, the harmonics obtained when playing the instrument can vary: rather than a pure perfect fifth, intervals as narrow as a fourth, or as wide as a sixth may be produced.
For a detailed halachic consideration of shofars, see Rabbi Natan Slifkin's "Exotic Shofars" at Zootorah.com.
[edit] The sounds
The tekiah and teruah sounds mentioned in the Bible were respectively bass and treble. The tekiah was a plain deep sound ending abruptly; the teruah, a trill between two tekiahs. These three sounds, constituting a bar of music, were rendered three times: first in honor of God's Kingship; next to recall the near sacrifice of Isaac, in order to cause the congregation to be remembered before God; and a third time to comply with the precept regarding the shofar.
Ten appropriate verses from the Bible are recited at each repetition, which ends with a benediction. Over time doubts arose as to the correct sound of the teruah. The Talmud is uncertain whether it means a moaning/groaning or a staccato beat sound. Shevarim was supposed to be composed of three connected short sounds; the teruah of nine very short notes divided into three disconnected or broken sequences of three notes each. The duration of the teruah is equal to that of the shevarim; and the tekiah is half the length of either. This doubt as to the nature of the real teruah, whether it was simply a moan, a staccato or both, necessitated two near-repetitions to make sure of securing the correct sound.
The sequence of the shofar blowing is thus tekiah, shevarim-teruah, tekiah; tekiah, shevarim, tekiah; tekiah, teruah, and then a final blast of "tekiah gadola" which means "big tekiah," held as long as possible. This formula is repeated twice more, making thirty sounds for the series, with tekiah being one note, shevarium three, and teruah nine. This series of thirty sounds is repeated twice more, making ninety sounds in all. The trebling of the series is based on the mention of teruah three times in connection with the seventh month (Lev. xxiii, xxv; Num. xxix), and also on the above-mentioned division of the service into malchiyot, zichronot, and shofarot. In addition to these three repetitions, a single formula of ten sounds is rendered at the close of the service, making a total of 100 sounds. According to the Sephardic tradition, a full 101 blasts are sounded, corresponding to the 100 cries of the mother of Sisera, the Cannanite general who did not make it home after being assassinated by the biblical Yael (Judges 5:28). One cry is left to symbolize the legitimate love of a mother mourning her son.
[edit] The performer
The expert who blows (or "blasts" or "sounds") the shofar is termed the Tokea (lit. "Blaster") or Ba'al Tekia (lit. "Master of the Blast"). Qualifications include someone who is learned in Torah and God-fearing. Every Jew is eligible for this sacred office, providing he is acceptable to the congregation. If a potential choice will cause dissension, he should withdraw his candidacy, even if the improper person is chosen. See Shulkhan Arukh 3:72; The Ba'al Tekia shall abstain from anything that may cause ritual contamination for three days prior to Rosh ha-Shanah. See Shulkhan Arukh 3:73.
[edit] Shofar in National Liberation
During the Ottoman and the British occupation of Jerusalem, Jews were not allowed to sound the shofar at the Western Wall. After the Six Day War, Rabbi Shlomo Goren famously approached the wall and sounded the shofar.
[edit] Use in modern times
The shofar is used mainly on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It is blown in synagogues to mark the end of the fast at Yom Kippur, and blown at four particular occasions in the prayers on Rosh Hashanah. Because of its inherent ties to the Days of Repentance and the inspiration that comes along with hearing its piercing blasts, the shofar is also blown after morning services for the entire month of Elul (excluding Shabbat and the morning before Rosh Hashanah), which is the last month in the year, but the sixth of the Jewish months according to the count from Nisan. It is not blown on the last day of month, however, to mark the difference between the voluntary blasts of the month and the mandatory blasts of the holiday. Shofar blasts are also used during penitential rituals such as Yom Kippur Katan and optional prayer services called during times of communal distress. The exact modes of sounding can vary from location to location.
First mentioned in Exodus 19:16 at the Mt. Sinai, to proclaim the awesomeness of the Ten Commandments, the Shofar became an instrument accompanying sacrifices in the Tabernacle and then the Temple. As the sacrificial cult progressed, the shofar and the trumpet accompanied some of the offerings. While there were usually a trumpet and a shofar, with the trumpet taking the long notes, on Rosh Hashanah, the shofar sounded the long notes. See RH 33b. The Shofar accompanied the special sacrifices on Rosh Hashanah, the holiday designated as "Yom Teruah" ("A day of blowing"; Num. 29:1). The shofar proclaimed the Jubilee Year on Yom Kippur (Lev. 25:9–10). The ancients also used it to accompany other musical instruments (Ps. 98:6); in processionals (Josh. 6:4ff.); as a signal (Josh. 6:12ff., II Sam. 15:10); as a call to war (Judg. 3:27); and to induce fear (Amos 3:6). At a later period, the Rabbi’s postulated that the ram's horn was preferred in order to recall the binding of Isaac for whose sacrifice a ram was substituted (RH 16a; see Gen. 22:13). The Rabbi’s rules that a curved shofar symbolizes humankind bowing in submission to God's will (RH 26b)See First mentioned in Exodus 19:16 at the Mt. Sinai, to proclaim the awesomeness of the Ten Commandments, the shofar became an instrument accompanying sacrifices in the Tabernacle and then the Temple. As the sacrificial cult progressed, the shofar and the trumpet accompanied some of the offerings. While there were usually a trumpet and a shofar, with the trumpet taking the long notes, on Rosh Hashanah, the shofar sounded the long notes. See RH 33b. The Shofar accompanied the special sacrifices on Rosh Hashanah, the holiday designated as "Yom Teruah" ("A day of blowing"; Num. 29:1). The shofar proclaimed the Jubilee Year on Yom Kippur (Lev. 25:9–10). The ancients also used it to accompany other musical instruments (Ps. 98:6); in processionals (Josh. 6:4ff.); as a signal (Josh. 6:12ff., II Sam. 15:10); as a call to war (Judg. 3:27); and to induce fear (Amos 3:6). At a later period, the Rabbi’s postulated that the ram's horn was preferred in order to recall the binding of Isaac for whose sacrifice a ram was substituted (RH 16a; see Gen. 22:13). The Rabbi’s rules that a curved shofar symbolizes humankind bowing in submission to God's will (RH 26b)See http://www.geocities.com/afinkle221/
The shofar is now almost never used outside these times, though has been seen in western classical music on a limited number of occasions. The best known example is to be found in Edward Elgar's oratorio The Apostles, although an instrument such as the flugelhorn usually plays the part instead of an actual shofar.
Israeli Oriental metal band Salem used Shofar in their metal adaptation for "Al Taster" psalm.
Trumpeter Lester Bowie occasionally used a shofar with the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
On the album produced by Mike Gordon, Joey Arkenstat's Bane, the former bassist for Phish is credited for playing the shofar.
In the musical "Godspell", the first act opens with a cast member blowing the shofar, in preparation to singing "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord"
Air America host Sam Seder regularly blows the shofar at the mere invocation of Sen. Joe Lieberman's name. (Lieberman happens to be Jewish.)
Singer Yitzhak Sinwani played the Shofar at the beginning of the song "Isaac" during Madonna's 2006 Confessions Tour.
A media depiction of a shofar occurs in the movie Harold and Kumar go to White Castle where the characters Rosenberg and Goldstein smoke cannabis out of a shofar adapted with a pipe bowl.
In the Anime Series "Yu-Gi-Oh!", the introduction to the show begins with a Shofar playing an Egyptian-like tune.
In 2007, a shofar purchased in israel by a Chilean Jew was seized by the Chilean Agriculture and Stockbreeding Service at Santiago de Chile airport, on the grounds that it belonged to an endangered animal species, and that in addition it was not properly documented for sanitary pest control; it was subsequently released when these objections were shown to be groundless. [1]
[edit] References
- ^ "Shofar Situtation", Dateline World Jewry, world Jewish Congress, September, 2007
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Etymology of "shofar"
- The Shofar in Jewish thought and Kabbalah chabad.org
- Shofar sounders webpage
- Shofar sounders guide
- Frequently asked questions about the Shofar askmoses.com
- Meditations on Shofar for Month of Elul By Michael Chusid
- "Exotic Shofars" - a halachic examination by Rabbi Natan Skifkin
- How to Blow a Shofar
