Description: ''S'' Yemenite Shofar
Size: Avg. Length 24-26''
Available in: Full Polish, Half Polish, or Natural
(full polished version shown)
The Shofar has been used from Old Testament times and even to the present. It is an instrument usually made from a rams horn. It was blown on the Sabbath, it announced the New Moon, and was used to proclaim the crowning of a new king, It was also used to lead the people of Israel into battle.
The most significant modern use of the Shofar is during the holiday of Rosh Ha'Shana.
In modern day Israel, The Shofar is used mainly on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It is blown in synagogues to mark the end of the fast at Yom Kippur, and blown at four particular occasions in the prayers on Rosh Hashanah.
During the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashana, there are three distinct sounds:
- Tekiah -- one long, straight blast
- Shevarim -- three medium, wailing sounds
- Teruah -- 9 quick blasts in short succession
References to the Shofar in The Bible:
"But the Spirit of The Lord took possession of Gideon; and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him." (Judges 6:34 RSV)
"And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet [see Prophets] there anoint him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet, and say, 'Long live King Solomon!'" (1 Kings 1:34 RSV)
"God has gone up with a shout, The Lord with the sound of a trumpet." (Psalm 47:5 RSV)
"Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day. For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob." (Psalm 81:3-4 RSV)
"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins." (Isaiah 58:1 RSV)
"Then The Lord will appear over them, and His arrow go forth like lightning; the Lord God will sound the trumpet, and march forth in the whirlwinds of the south." (Zechariah 9:14 RSV)
Shofars are usually made from Rams horn or Antelopes horn