Shofar

A shofar (pron. /ʃoʊˈfɑːr/, from Hebrew:  שׁוֹפָר , pronounced [ʃoˈfaʁ]) is a musical instrument of ancient origin, made of a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure. The shofar is blown in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and at the very end of Yom Kippur, and is also blown every weekday morning in the month of Elul running up to Rosh Hashanah. Shofars come in a variety of sizes and shapes, depending on the choice of animal and level of finish.

Bible and rabbinic literature

The shofar is mentioned frequently in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud and rabbinic literature. The blast of a shofar emanating from the thick cloud on Mount Sinai made the Israelites tremble in awe (Exodus 19:16).

The shofar was used to announce holidays (Ps. lxxxi. 4), and the Jubilee year (Lev. 25:9). The first day of the seventh month (Tishrei) is termed "a memorial of blowing" (Lev. 23:24), or "a day of blowing" (Num. 29:1), the shofar. They were for signifying the start of a war (Josh. 6:4; Judges 3:27; 7:16, 20; I Sam. 8:3). Later, it was also employed in processions (II Sam. 6:15; I Chron. 15:28), as musical accompaniment (Ps. 98:6; comp. ib. 47:5) and eventually it was inserted into the temple orchestra by David (Ps. 150:3). Note that the 'trumpets' described in Numbers 10 are a different instrument, described by the Hebrew word 'trumpet' (Hebrew: חצוצרה‎; ḥaṣoṣrah), not the word for shofar (Hebrew: שופר‎).

Shofar blowing

The blowing of the shofar, or ram's horn, on the Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Hebrew: תקיעת שופר, pronounced [teki'at shofarʻ] – although not exclusively limited to a ram's horn, as almost any natural bovid horn serves the purpose, excepting a cow's horn, is an injunction that is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (Leviticus 23:24) in undefined terms, without divulging how this was to be done:

Three series

The original practice in Israel was to hear a total of only nine blasts made by the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah. This practice was later changed by Rav Abbahu of Caesarea (3rd century CE), because of doubts that had arisen surrounding the actual performance of this commandment.

During the first series, Rav Abbahu enacted that they blow a [very long] sustained blast (Teki'ah), followed by three [short] lilting blasts (Shevarim), followed by a [long] quavering blast (Teru'ah), and again by a [very long] sustained blast (Teki'ah). This series was to be repeated three times. This prescribed order is often called by the mnemonics: TaSHRaT – Teki'ah, Shevarim, Teru'ah, Teki'ah.

Shofar (journal)

Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Purdue University Press on behalf of the University's Jewish Studies Program. It is the official journal of the Midwest and Western Jewish Studies Associations.

History

The journal was originally established as a departmental newsletter by Joseph Haberer in 1982. Over time, it developed into a peer-reviewed journal. In 1994, Zev Garber became editor-in-chief of Shofar.

See also

References

External links