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shofar: The shofar is mentioned
frequently in the Bible, from Exodus to Zechariah,
and throughout the Talmud and later tabbinic
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 xix, xx).
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 (Lev. xxv. 9).
The first day of the seventh month (Tishri) is
termed "a memorial of blowing" (Lev. xxiii. 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. v. 15; I Chron. xv. 28), or in the
orchestra as an accompaniment to the song of praise
(Ps. xcviii. 6; comp. ib. xlvii. 5). More
frequently it was used as the signal-horn of war,
like the silver trumpets mentioned in Num. x. 9
(see Josh. vi. 4; Judges iii. 27; vii. 16, 20; I
Sam. xiii. 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. xxix). This was
interpreted by the Jewish sages as referring to the
sounding the
shofar. |
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Shofars |
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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. |
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Construction
The shofar may be the horn of any kosher animal, except
that of a cow or calf, which would be a reminder of the
golden calf incident. 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, Orah Hayyim, 586,
17). According to traditional Jewish law women and minors
are exempt from the command to hear the shofar-blowing,
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.
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 were recited at each
repetition, which ended with a benediction. Over time
doubts arose as to the correct sound of the teruah. The
Talmud is uncertain whether it means an outcry or a
moaning sound. The former was supposed to be composed of
three connected short sounds; the latter, of nine very
short notes divided into three disconnected or broken
sounds. 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 teru'ah, whether
it was simply an outcry or a moan, or both, necessitated
two repetitions to make sure of securing the correct
sound, the following formula, consisting of ten sounds,
resulting:
teki'ah, shebarim-teru'ah, teki'ah; teki'ah, shebarim,
teki'ah; teki'ah, teru'ah, teki'ah. This formula was
repeated twice, making thirty sounds for the series. The
last teki'ah was prolonged and was called "teki'ah gedolah"
= the "long teki'ah." This series of thirty sounds was
repeated twice, making ninety sounds in all. The trebling
of the series was based on the mention of teru'ah three
times in connection with the seventh month (Lev. xxiii,
xxv; Num. xxix), and also on the above-mentioned division
into malkiyot, zikronot, and shofarot. In addition a
single formula of ten sounds is rendered at the close of
the service, making a total of 100 sounds. |
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