Shofar sounds

One of the oldest Jewish traditions is blowing the Rams Horn Shofar on religious and important days. Blowing the Shofar and hearing the Shofar sounds is an important part of Rosh Hashanah and other important days like Yom Kippur. All Jews should hear the Shofar, and an exemption is provided only for women, children below the bar mitzvah age, and mentally disturbed and incompetent individuals. Male Jews are obligated to hear the sounds of the Shofar blasts and can also learn to blow the Shofar. Although women are relieved of the obligation to hear the Shofar sounds, almost all women do prefer to hear the sounds. But they cannot blow a Shofar, according to the Torah, as they are not obligated to hear the sounds.

In biblical and ancient times, the sound of the Rams horn Shofar was used to attract people's attention and was used to gather the men before a battle, or assemble people for some reason or on religious and important occasions. The Shofar was blown on Friday evenings, to announce the coming of the Sabbath, and it was used to remind people to stop working before the Sabbath and holy day began. Nowadays, the most important occasion for blowing a Rams horn Shofar is Rosh Hashanah. The sounds that a Shofar blower makes are known as the 'Tekiah', the 'Shevarim', the 'Teruah', and the 'Tekiah Gedolah'. There are many theories and ideas on why a Shofar is blown for Rosh Hashanah. One idea is that the 'Tekiah' sound is a symbolic crowning of God as the Lord of the Jewish people. The Jews believe that hearing the 'Tekiah' revalidates their bindings to God in the same way that Abraham did by binding Isaac to the altar. The 'Tekiah' also reminds Jews of Mount Sinai, where the Torah was given to the people of Israel. It was here that they were witness to Gods glory and made a pledge to follow Gods commandments.

The sounds made by blowing the Shofar are unique. The 'Tekiah', is the first blast or sound from the Shofar, is a glorious sound of happiness and joy. It is one long powerful blast with clear tones. Immediately after this come the blasts of 'Shevarim' and 'Teruah'. The 'Shevarim' is three short blasts and sounds like sighing, while the 'Teruah' is a series of rapid short calls, nine or more in number. These two sounds are of sadness, suffering, and pain. The contrast in these sounds is very intentional, and is supposed to remind Jews who hear the sounds that they should not forget God in times of contentment and not to become egotistic about successes and achievements. These can quickly become failures and only Gods grace and help can continue to provide success and contentment in life. But hearing the other two sorrowful sounds should not make Jews think that God has forsaken them in times of suffering. It reminds them not to be depressed as right after these sorrowful blasts, comes another happy sound of the 'Tekiah', signifying that God is ever present and his mercy will help them. At the end of this series of Shofar sounds comes 'Tekiah Gedolah' or 'The Great Tekiah', which is a single blast, unbroken and held for as long a time as possible.

Male Jews who are obligated to hear the sounds of the Shofar can also learn to become Shofar blowers, but very few people actually become proficient. The Talmud states that blowing a Shofar is "chochmah ve-einah melachah", which means a skill, not work, and mastering how to blow a Shofar properly does require a lot of intense practice. For Jews who wish to learn Shofar blowing, it is important to select a Shofar with care. A bigger Shofar costs more than a smaller Shofar for obvious reasons, but size should not be a consideration in the selection, and instead hot the Shofar feels in your hands and the sound it makes should be the primary consideration. As Shofars has no finger holes, reed, or valves like other instruments, the only control a blower has over the sounds is with the lips and tongue. Hence it is important to find a Shofar that is comfortable for the lips, because the shape of mouthpiece may vary greatly. Once a right Shofar is found, keep blowing it for several minutes to make sure that choice is right. This also makes sure that you have the "staying power" and have the strength to blow the Shofar for a few minutes. The rest is just practice, perfecting the sounds, and strengthening of lip muscles and increasing the capacity of the lungs.