SHOFAR (שׁוֹפָר), a wind musical instrument made from the horn of a ram or goat. In Semitic languages, the word shofar and the name of the mountain sheep are the same root words.
The first mention of the sounds of the shofar is found in the description of the Sinai revelation (Ex. 19:16). The sound of the shofar was to announce the coming of the year of jubilee (Lev. 25:9, 10). Shofar - an indispensable attribute of Rosh celebration X Hashanah, this holiday in the Torah is called yom tru'ah ('the day of the sound of the trumpet'; Numbers 29:1). Apparently, in the biblical era it was customary to combine the sounds of the shofar with playing other musical instruments - trumpets, flutes, etc. (Ps. 96:6). During mass processions, the horn was blown to summon citizens (Ibn. 6:4, 12; II Sam. 15:10), sometimes the shofar announced the outbreak of hostilities (Judg. 3:27) or an approaching disaster (Am. 3: 6).
According to the Oral Law, listen to the shofar on Rosh X a-Shana is mitzvah mi de oraita(cm. ). The Tannaites debated whether the shofar should be made from a straight or twisted horn and decided that from a twisted one, since, according to the Haggadah, on Rosh X Hashanah is blown on a shofar to recall the sacrifice of Abraham (see Akedah), when instead of Isaac, a ram was sacrificed, entangled in the bushes with its twisted horns.
The Oral Law contains regulations regarding the shape of the shofar, the method of its manufacture, the material, as well as detailed instructions on how it should be blown. Thus, three stages of equal duration have been established: ki'a - a drawn-out continuous sound lasting several seconds, shevarim - three sounds separated by short intervals, tru'a - nine drawn-out sounds. According to custom, during the two days of Rosh X The Hashanah shofar must be heard a hundred times, which is why it is blown multiple times during the morning service.
According to traditional interpretations, the sounds of the shofar on the day of Rosh X Hashanah enhance solemnity, encourage those praying to repent, in addition, according to popular ideas, they should confuse Satan, who on this day of judgment acts as an accuser.
In the Middle Ages, the custom arose of blowing the shofar at the end of the morning service throughout the month of Elul (see calendar). In the Talmudic era, the shofar was blown on the eve and at the end of holidays and Saturdays to notify the people (Shab. 35b). This custom was preserved only in the Yom Kippur exodus ceremony, during which those present wish each other to meet in Jerusalem next year. The combination of trumpet sounds with a messianic wish (see Messiah) gave the shofar a new symbolic meaning.
In 1948, when Jews blew a shofar at the Western Wall on Yom Kippur, Arabs considered it a political act and protested. The shofar was also blown during the fighting for the Temple Mount in 1967 (see Six-Day War). In the State of Israel, it is customary to introduce the blowing of the shofar in various, including secular, ceremonies. Thus, the shofar is blown when the new President of Israel takes office. The shofar is sometimes blown during mass demonstrations (especially by religious Jews).
Shofars vary from community to community. The Ashkenazi (see Ashkenazi) shofar is processed outside and inside, it is given a crescent shape. Sephardic (see Sephardi) shofars are long and twisted. Shofars are made by artisans who pass on the tradition from generation to generation.
Already in the era of the Second Temple, the shofar was part of the national symbolism. Images of the shofar are found in the mosaic decorations of ancient synagogues.
According to the Bible, on the Day of Judgment, angels will blow trumpets. Here is the description of the first pipe:
The first angel sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and fell to the earth; and the third part of the trees was burned up, and all the green grass was burned up (Revelation 8:7).
And, as you know, ancient trumpets are shofars. Further data from Wikipedia
(שׁוֹפָר) is an ancient wind musical instrument, a ram's horn, which is blown during synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Judgment Day, or Day of Atonement).
In ancient times, the shofar was used as a signaling instrument for convening people and announcing important events, as well as during war. The sound of the shofar, according to legend, marked the collapse of the walls of Jericho (“the trumpet of Jericho”).
The shofar is a natural instrument; in addition to the fundamental tone, only the first and second overtones, which make up the fifth, can be extracted from it.
Addition: According to eyewitnesses, the sound was heard not from underground, but from above. That is, people claim that the source of the sound was at a low altitude in the sky. This does not confirm the assumption that the sound originates as a result of ground movements.
Of course, you should not take this information literally, and first of all you should remember that trumpets in the Bible have a specific symbolic meaning. However, this fact gives rise to some thoughts.
For comparison, the sound in Kyiv
August 22, 2011. The sounds were recorded by two tourists in Colorado the day before the recent earthquake.
Call of the Abyss.
About the film: The secret psychotropic war of the special services has never been made public. There is reason to believe that the image of a scandalous pseudoscience, parapsychology, was created deliberately. Meanwhile, secret experiments were carried out in closed laboratories, the results of which were truly sensational. Retired KGB general Boris Ratnikov instigated the cancellation of Yeltsin's visit to Japan in 1992. The reason is allegedly insufficient security for the event. In fact, the reason was information from regular psychics of the Russian special services. They reported that, under pressure from Washington, Japan would demand the return of the Kuril Islands in the form of an ultimatum. The revenge of the American intelligence services was supposed to be the death of Boris Ratnikov’s wife. After obvious psychological impact, the woman almost jumped out of the window.
Special services often recruit experts in ancient shamanic rituals and secret techniques. A resident of Pskov is one of those who are fluent in such rituals. She spoils her husband in order to take over his business. A businessman dies of acute renal failure... 1990. Oslo. Presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize to M.S. Gorbachev. The officer responsible for the security of Gorbachev's stay in Norway is captured by American intelligence services. A provocation is being prepared on their part. The officer is being zombified, pushed into provocation... International competitions of special forces. On the last day, our instructor demonstrated non-contact combat, which was outlandish at that time. The command needed to know the capabilities of the Americans. The instructor receives the task of hitting one of his overseas colleagues. A month later, Lieutenant Colonel Lavrov was driving a car, suddenly a veil appeared before his driver’s eyes, his hands became weak, and the car crashed into a quarry near the road. The driver's brain was influenced remotely. As it turned out later, this was the American response. According to official statistics, the accuracy of psychic officers is over 70%; sometimes they find given targets even in concrete bunkers. There are such groups of psychics in the CIA...
Autumn is the time for long-awaited holidays, cheerful, joyful and, at the same time, very spiritual. The holiday season opens with the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, followed by another most important day of the year, Yom Kippur. These two holidays are radically different from each other in mood, but are also very similar in their meaning and spiritual significance. These days, the whole world seems to pass before the Almighty, who evaluates our actions and our thoughts, weighs them in all their diversity and interconnection, after which the year is summed up for everyone, and the line of our destiny in the new coming year is outlined. On these special days for every Jew, it is necessary to look back and analyze your actions and deeds over the past year, see the results of your work, and figure out whether the goals set for the year have been achieved. And the traditional and obligatory “voice of the shofar” on these holidays encourages people to open their hearts and has an unusually strong impact on the Jewish soul. Hearing the blowing of the shofar is the greatest mitzvah that was given to us in the Torah, and anyone who has ever heard this blowing can confirm that the shofar has a unique sound, different from others.
What is “shofar” and its meaning in Jewish tradition
The shofar is one of the oldest wind instruments, which was used mainly as a signal instrument for giving military signals, but it was also used to announce any important event. Today, the sound of the shofar can be heard during the autumn holidays, and its sound has remained the same as thousands of years ago thanks to the constant adherence to the traditions of its manufacture, as well as the transmission from generation to generation of the characteristics of the sounds extracted from it. Strangely, this ancient instrument still awakens the souls of Jews all over the world, as if calling to them: “Wake up, you who sleep, from your sleep! You who have fallen asleep, awaken from your slumber! Check your actions, and return to teshuva, and remember your Creator!”
Traditionally, the shofar is made from the horn of a kosher artiodactyl animal whose horns have a twisted shape, such as an antelope, gazelle or mountain sheep. But there is one strict exception. The Jerusalem Talmud says:
« All shofars are called a horn and are called a shofar, except a cow's horn, which is called a horn, but never a shofar».
This prohibition of using a cow's horn to make an instrument can be associated with the sin of the Golden Calf, and in all communities at all times this prohibition is zealously observed. The material, purpose and use of the shofar did not change for several millennia, regardless of the era and location of the Jewish community - the faith and traditions of the Jewish people were so strong. But the shape, size and small design details of this wind instrument still changed. By the appearance of a particular shofar, one can even recognize and understand the identity and special customs of the community that used it.
First shofar
We find repeated mention of the shofar primarily in the TANAKH - this is the most frequently used signaling and musical instrument of that period. It is not surprising that it became a symbol of the people's call for attention and spiritual awakening. The genealogy of the shofar originates from the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son Isaac.
« Arriving at the place, Abraham built an altar, laid Isaac on the altar on top of the wood and was already raising a knife over him when a voice from heaven called to him:
"Abraham! Abraham!<...>do not raise your hand against the boy and do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God and have not withheld your son, your only son, for Me.»
Instead of Isaac, a ram was sacrificed, and Abraham’s deed was highly appreciated by G-d. Using the horn of a mountain ram on the day of the Great Judgment for trumpeting and spiritual cleansing, we seem to be reminded of this service of Abraham to G-d. It was the shofar that sounded at Mount Sinai during the giving of the Torah to the people of Israel. The Midrash states that the shofar from the left horn of the ram sacrificed by Abraham sounded on Mount Sinai, and the shofar from the right horn will be blown when the scattered tribes of Israel are gathered together.
But why exactly does the sound of the shofar have such power to influence the souls of Jews, to awaken them from everyday life and disturb them, reminding them of sins and misdeeds, because trumpets cast from metal sound much more sweet? The reason for this can be attributed to the natural sound of the shofar - a person is not able to influence the sound produced by the horn, no matter what treatment the material is given. The sound may become cleaner, more sonorous, but its essence will not change. A pipe that is poured out of metal by a person can acquire exactly the sound that a person intends, but it will not cause spiritual trepidation and will not tear you away from the bustle of everyday life.
Types and differences of the shofar of Jewish communities around the world
The traditions of processing the horn to make a shofar to this day differ greatly among different communities. Some communities believe that the horn should be left practically untouched, without disturbing its natural forms. In others, it is customary to heavily process the horn, heating it over a fire to give it the desired shape. Also, the instrument was sometimes decorated with all kinds of overlays made of silver and other metal, onto which various Jewish symbols were applied. However, this type of instrument decoration was not common, since during the application of inscriptions there is a high probability of irreversible damage to the horn material.
The shape, size, and sounds made by instruments can indicate who they are intended for, and can also shed light on the history of the Jewish community of a particular country. For example, historically, Spanish Jews prefer straight shofars.
This has serious religious reasons. For a long time, Jews and their traditions were persecuted on the Iberian Peninsula; even holding a shofar in their hands was prohibited. Men hid musical instruments under their outerwear, tucked into their belts. Straight shofars were likely easier to hide. But not only the Moroccans used straight and flattened shofars. They were also used by Eastern European Jews and Sephardim during times of persecution by the authorities. Sephardim prefer a completely straight shofar, facing upward. Straightening a shofar is a very difficult process that requires a lot of effort, every second shofar breaks, and therefore shofars for Sephardim are more expensive.
Polish Jews claim that the shofar should make a "weeping" sound, perhaps to reflect the suffering of the Jews of Poland. Therefore, in Polish communities this wind instrument was made from shorter animal horns. In general, the Ashkenazi shofar is initially straight and curved at the end, which gives the instrument a piercing “crying” sound.
Probably the most unusual, spectacular and attracting everyone's attention are the shofars of Yemenite Jews. The Yemenis were cut off from the rest of the Jewish communities for many years, so they also differ in the shape of their shofars. Yemenite Jews preferred large shofars made from twisted kudu antelope horns. They have a deep, drawn-out sound reminiscent of the ram that Abraham sacrificed. But in most cases, shofars are made from a crooked ram's horn.
Yemenite Jews, historically, are divided into two groups, and their shofar-making traditions differ greatly. One group follows the RAMBAM tradition, according to which the shofar must be blown unprocessed and not straightened. Another group of Yemenite Jews lived alone, far from civilization, so they did not have the opportunity to get ram horns and the material for making the shofar was the horns of the kudu antelope, long and curling.
Traditional sounding of the shofar for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Due to the complexity of processing and the specifics of the material used, the shofar is capable of producing a fairly limited range of sounds, which distinguishes it from most other wind instruments. The shofar sounds exclusively with the first and second overtones, which make up a fifth. The Torah also mentions only three types of blowing:
– “tkia” is a long, drawn-out sound that begins on the bottom note and moves to the top note with increasing sonority. Tkia symbolizes the call to awaken conscience and return to G‑d. The final blowing is called "tkia gdola" ("big blowing") and lasts longer on the top note;
– “tru’a” - a series (at least nine) of abrupt sounds on the bottom note, ending on the top. These short and sharp sounds convey sadness and melancholy;
– “shvarim” – rapid alternation of lower and upper notes - three short sounds, reminiscent of a sigh, as a sign of awareness of one’s mistakes.
Regarding shevarim, opinions differ: some authorities believe that shevarim is a series of individual intermittent sounds and a final prolonged sound of tqia; others believe that shevarim should be replaced by trois - shorter fractional sounds; The third opinion is that the trumpeting should consist of both the sounds of shevarim and the sounds of truah, which are preceded and completed by the prolonged sound of tkiah. Traditionally, trumpeting in the synagogue is carried out in accordance with all three opinions.
Listening to the sounds of the shofar is a great mitzvah, because its voice personifies the appeal of the Jewish people to the G-d. The trumpet sounds of this ancient musical and signaling instrument are an integral part of the days of awe that come after Rosh Hashanah and continue until Yom Kippur. They amazingly accurately convey the mental state of a person turning to the G-d, emitting either tears and sighs, or calling for the awakening of the soul and a return to G-d.
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Son, if you want to know what a shofar is, listen to the story about the computer that was not connected to electricity. Without electricity, it was just a dead box with electronic parts and it was used as a stand for a vase. When the computer was plugged into the network, electricity revived dormant programs in it and now it serves its intended purpose.
Figuratively speaking, the ram's horn (shofar) turns into a large hadron collider when it is connected to a burning heart.
Wait, what if we asked the shofar what he thinks about himself? What does the shofar think about itself? He thinks that he is just a ram's horn with an entrance and an exit. People blow it something like this: tu-u-u-u-u-u (called tikiya), or: au-au-au (called shevarim) or: tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu (called truah )
A rhythm arises: tikiya-shvarim-trua-tikiya.
The rabbi sitting next to him said: listen! The shofar is a sacred horn and is blown on the day of atonement and... Three days before the coming of Moshiach, the prophet Elijah must blow the shofar horn three times. The Torah says to blow the shofar on special days. It is known that the walls of Jericho collapsed due to the sound of trumpets, but it was the sound of shofars.
The artist said: I often depicted the shofar in paintings, but when I heard its sounds, a new world opened up in me, a feeling of piercing depth.
The musician compared the shofar to the violin of the soul. He took the shofar in his hands and held it to his heart for a long time.
We need a shofar, said the scholar, a horn ready to awaken our sleeping brothers to cooperation for our higher purpose. In the name of the laws of integrity, we must live in a new global world in harmony with nature.
The poet also wanted to say something, but we no longer heard him.
We decided to go to Safed, where almost two thousand years ago, in a cave in the mountains of Galilee, the great Rav Shimon Bar Yochai hid, along with his son and disciples. There they wrote the book of Zohar. We went down into the cave and sat down on the rocks. Light streamed from narrow windows cut into the stone wall. Suddenly, the intermittent sounds of a shofar were heard from underground. They, like a fiery merkava (chariot), lifted us up to the sky and lowered us down to the ground. It was like a miracle that made us all one flaming point.
Tell me, how can so much energy and light be extracted from a simple horn? How can one combine the cry of the heart with the materiality of an animal’s horn? It's like a cry-catharsis of the soul, it's fire and water, united together in a dance of delight and unity. This is the force that unites rest and movement into one rhythm of the guttural flamenco cry.
I felt the child’s breath again, and this breath entered my heart, my thoughts. I took the shofar in my hands and began to breathe into it with all my heart, up into the sky. And I realized that it is necessary to open my heart again and again...
Listen, son - the sounds of the shofar are trying to awaken us from insensibility and indifference, they fill us with the rhythm of a common heart, they awaken us to fill each other with limitless impulses of happiness. It is happiness when we sit together like brothers at our feet. As one people, united by the intention to comprehend the meaning of the Higher Power, the essence of selfless service to each other.
Historically, during or at designated special times, our ancestors, many thousands of years ago, blew the shofar horn. The sounds of the shofar carry over long distances. We attach special meaning to this ancient tradition. Shofar implies the dissemination of the wisdom that our people have learned among the nations of the world. The sounds of the truth must reach all corners of our wonderful land that all the peoples of the world are united as one person with one heart. We must finally realize that there is a method for implementing these ideas, that selfishness gives rise to suffering and war. Our higher nature can transform us, provided that we build the right intention to get out of egoism. The role of conveying this truth is symbolically played by the shofar, which, like a Universal alarm clock, should awaken the hearts of all people to a new reality. The ancient sounds of the shofar remind us of how important it is now for a new generation to enter the creative world of a single integral space.
A new day is a blank page that we fill with the intention to exist as a healthy and united organism. I realized that I had to, again and again, every second, go back and open my heart to explain to my son why we blow the shofar horn.
Grigory Kohelet
Shofa r(שׁוֹפָר) is an ancient wind musical instrument, a ram's horn, which is blown during synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Judgment Day, or Day of Atonement).
In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, may you have rest, a reminder of the sound of the trumpet, a holy convocation.
(Lev.23:23-25)
The meaning of blowing the shofar
Shofar - an attribute of the Rosh Hashanah celebration
In ancient times, the shofar was used as a signaling instrument for convening people and announcing important events, as well as during war. The sounds of the shofar, according to legend, brought down the walls of Jericho (“the trumpet of Jericho”). The use of this instrument dates back to the magical rites of the pre-Jewish era. Only the first and second overtones, which make up the fifth, can be extracted from the shofar. There are the following types of shofar sounds:
"tki'a"(“trumpeting”) begins on the lower note and moves to the upper note with increasing sonority.
"tki'agdola"(“big blow”) lasts longer on the top note (and always the final one).
Symbolizes the call to awaken conscience and return to God.
"tru'a"(“alarm”), a series of abrupt sounds on a lower note ending on a higher note.
Nine short and sharp sounds conveying sadness and melancholy.
"we're welding"(“tremolo”), rapid alternation of lower and upper notes.
Three short sounds, reminiscent of a sigh, as a sign of awareness of one’s mistakes.
The sounds of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah are interpreted as a call to repentance. According to traditional interpretations, the sounds of the shofar also symbolize:
Coronation of the Creator of the World
Awakening awe before the Creator
Reminder of the Sacrifice of Isaac
Reminder of the Giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai
Reminder of the coming of Moshiach
In addition, according to popular belief, they should confuse Satan, who on this day of judgment acts as an accuser.
Shofar Blowing Traditions
Yemenite shofar
According to Halakha, the shofar is blown during synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Judgment Day, or Day of Atonement). Later, the custom arose of blowing the shofar every day for the entire month preceding the New Year.
On the eve of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the shofar is blown not only in the synagogue, but also in places where Jews gather, for example, in Jewish schools. In Israel, the shofar can be heard in unexpected places, such as near a train station or near a shopping mall. This is done in order to call the entire people of Israel to repentance.
Jewish sources about the shofar
The Midrash states that the shofar from the left horn of the ram sacrificed by Abraham was sounded on Mount Sinai, and the shofar from the right horn will be blown when the scattered tribes of Israel are gathered together.
The prophet Isaiah prophesied:
...and it will happen on that day that the great shofar will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Ashur and thrown into the land of Egypt will come, and they will worship on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
The Talmud allows making a shofar from the horns of rams, wild and domestic goats, antelopes and gazelles, but it is still recommended to use the horn of a ram, which is associated with the sacrifice of Isaac; on these days, the corresponding chapter of the Torah is read in synagogues.
According to the Torah, when an angel stopped Abraham's hand, which was raised with a knife over Isaac, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice a ram instead of his son. Thus, the ram became a symbol of repentance.
At the same time, it is forbidden to use cow horns, since Satan can remind the Almighty of the sin of the golden calf and, thereby, turn God away from forgiving current sins.
In the Middle Ages, a legend arose that before the coming of the Messiah, the prophet Elijah (Eliyahu) would blow the shofar for three days. The shofar is also meant to announce the resurrection from the dead at the end of days.
From the Oral Torah we learn that on Rosh Hashanah, the sounds of the shofar, when played correctly, influence the Jewish soul, helping it to feel restless and desire to improve its behavior.
The meaning of the shofar in Kabbalah
In Kabbalah, shofar means the revelation of secret wisdom to the masses, which is a preliminary and obligatory condition for complete deliverance. Quote from BaalSulam's article "Shofar Mashiach":
« The dissemination of this wisdom (Kabbalah) to the masses is called “Shofa r”, like a shofar - a ram's horn, the sound of which travels over long distances. Likewise, the echo of this wisdom will spread throughout the world until even the nations hear and recognize that there is the wisdom of the Creator in the midst of Israel.»
Interesting Facts
The shofar is blown when the new President of Israel takes office.
The shofar is sometimes blown during mass demonstrations (especially by religious Jews).
Already in the era of the Second Temple, the shofar was part of national symbolism.
Images of the shofar are found in the mosaic decorations of ancient synagogues.
