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Prague · 28 Cheshvan 5787

Shabbat this week · 16:02–17:11

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Shofar

שׁוֹפָרshofar
Awaiting expert review

A horn (usually a ram's horn) sounded on Rosh Hashanah, at the end of Yom Kippur and during the month of Elul.

01

Origin

Bible

The Torah designates the first day of the seventh month as a day of "sounding" (yom teruah). The shofar also sounded at the giving of the Torah at Sinai and proclaimed the Jubilee year.1,2,3,4

02

Meaning

Interpretation

The Talmud explains the ram's horn as a reminder of the binding of Isaac, in whose place a ram was offered.5,6

Interpretation

Maimonides interprets the sound of the shofar as a call: "Awake, you sleepers, from your sleep" – to repentance.7

03

Use

Halakhah

There are three kinds of sound: tekiah (long), shevarim (three broken) and teruah (rapid short blasts); their combination stems from Talmudic uncertainty about the form of the teruah.8,9

Halakhah

The horn of any kosher animal is valid except that of a cow; a curved ram's horn is preferred.10,11

Halakhah

The shofar is not sounded when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat.12

04

Historical development

Bible

In biblical times the shofar was a signaling instrument in battle and at coronations; the story of the fall of Jericho is well known.13

05

Related traditions

MinhagAshkenazimSephardim

In Ashkenazi practice the shofar is sounded after morning prayer throughout the month of Elul; Sephardim recite selichot during Elul.14

MinhagYemenite Jews

Yemenite Jews use a long, twisted shofar made from the horn of a kudu antelope.

Minhag

Yom Kippur ends with a single long blast of the shofar.

FAQ

Why a ram's horn?

It recalls the ram that was offered in place of Isaac.

Why is the shofar not sounded on Shabbat?

The Mishnah restricted it to the Temple; the Talmud cites the concern that someone might carry the shofar through a public domain.

Can a cow's horn be used?

No. It would recall the sin of the golden calf.

Sources

See also