Roy

at Rosh
Hashanah
and on other
days of cele-
bration. The
other, made
from a ram's
horn and
ornamented
in silver, was
sounded on
days of fast-
ing.

r

Lichtenstein

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{PRINTS}

"Soundin g
the Shofar,"
Amsterdam,
1823. This
woodcut
is _from an
18th-century
Dutch book
of customs.

How THE
SHOFAR IS
MADE
The shofar
of today is
made in
Courtesy of the Sir Isaac and Lady Wolfson Museum, Hechal Shlomo, Jerusalem
much the
same way it
• shaverim: three short calls, broken
was in ancient times and throughout
or wavering.
the millennia: by hollowing, soaking,
• terua: literally an "alarm." A quick
shaping and polishing an animal horn.
succession of nine and up to 100 very
It is not permitted to steam or boil
short notes.
a shofar. Instead, a hollowed horn is
• tekia gedola: literally the "big" or
soaked in very hot water until it
great" tekia, the sounding of a soli-
becomes softened and pliable. It is
tary uninterrupted blast, held as long
then flattened and bent to the familiar
as
possible.
and recognizable shape of the shofar.
Finally it is dried, carved, if desired,
A CALL To ACTION
and polished.
We are commanded in Leviticus to
While a shofar may be carved, the
sound the shofar. "Then you shall
Talmud teaches that for the High
transmit a blast on the horn; in the
Holidays, other modifications, like the
seventh month, on the tenth day of
addition of a mouthpiece that could
the month, the day of Yom Kippur,
alter the sound of the shofar, are not
you
shall have the horn sounded
permitted.
throughout the land and proclaim lib-
The simplicity of the instrument,
erty throughout all the land unto all
both in shape and function, is where
the inhabitants thereof."
the beauty of the shofar lies.
But the shofar is sounded before
Yom Kippur as well. During Elul, the
THE SOUNDS OF THE SHOFAR
month before Rosh Hashanah and the
There's an art to the blowing of the
"Days of Awe," the shofar is sounded
shofar. Like all wind instruments, the
daily as a summons to repentance and
horn is blown with the mouth. But
spiritual reformation.
unlike modern wind instruments, the
This has been likened to a "wake-
shofar has no mouthpiece, making it
up call" toward atonement and con-
extremely difficult to elicit sounds.
templation. By sounding the shofar we
The babel tekia, the blower, is not
participate
in an ancient Jewish ritual.
necessarily a musician, and it's not
And
we're
reminded
to recognize the
unusual for the babel tekia to practice
design
or
purpose
of
the creation, of
and learn the method and the
our ability to change our actions in
sequence of sounding the shofar over
the year to come and to forgive the
several months before the High Holy
actions of others.
Days. Usually, the babel tekia is a
community member deemed worthy
of such an honor.
Shofrot are available for purchase
The rhythm and official sequence
at local Judaica shops and
of the sounding of the shofar is very
through several Web sites,
specific. The blower responds to notes
including www.reapernet.com ;
as they are called out, usually by a
www.rosenblum.com ; www.jew-
rabbi.
ishsource.com ; and www.jewish-
The sounds trumpeted are in
.
bazaar.com
response to these notes.
• tekia: one long blast.

September 11
through October 2, 1999

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163 TOWNSEND BIRMINGHAM MI 48009
248.433.3700 FAX 248.433.3702
HOURS: MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY 11 - 5:30

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ne

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Detroit Jewish News

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