An original gift for the holiday? A shofar!

So what is a shofar?

shofar It is a wind instrument made from the hollow horn of a horned animal, usually a cattle.
In ancient times, the shofar was used as an instrument for making noise, for playing music, for conveying messages, and for warning of dangers. The word " shofar " originates in the Bible, and is used primarily in its religious context. In Judaism, it is used to fulfill a commandment such as blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and more, and it is also a symbol of freedom in the Jubilee Year and the coming of the Messiah, and as such, the shofar has become a Jewish symbol throughout the world.

The horn is made of essentially the same material as our fingernails – keratin. It grows in an equally interesting way: the animal’s skull bone extends out of its body, and the horn grows on top of it. The narrower part of the horn is not hollow at all.

The types of shofars are:
– Kudo: is a wind instrument that comes from the horns of the African kudo antelope.

It was widely used among Yemenite Jews who used it for centuries to strike on Rosh Hashanah. Therefore, it is also known as the Yemenite shofar, and usually by the community.
It turns out that the Yemenites, like the rest of the Jewish communities, have halachic disputes, but one thing is certain - we recommend that you continue reading to find out where you can successfully purchase a Kudo shofar ( link below the article ).
The kudu come in sizes: 50-136 cm.

– Classic lamb/ram: Made from the finest horn of an adult sheep (or ram (adult male sheep; as distinguished from a deer, which belongs to the family of rams).

This is the "classic" shofar, which is most often seen in synagogues.
It is characterized by a straightened horn and a relatively high sound. Made from premium raw horn.
The ram's horn recalls the binding of Isaac, when Abraham was ready to sacrifice his only son, and refrained from doing so only after the angel of the Lord showed him "a ram... I will take hold of the ram by its horns." According to the Talmud, blowing the ram's horn with the shofar recalls the privilege of binding, and this is considered to us as if we are recreating in ourselves the same amazing devotion and dedication that our forefather Abraham showed.
In addition, the bent shape of the ram's horn (and those similar to it) symbolizes our "bowed" heart in humility and repentance, as we come to stand before God and ask to be sealed for a good and sweet year.
Sheep/ram horns usually come in 7 sizes:
– No. 1 = 25-30 cm.
– No. 2 = 30-35 cm.
– No. 3 = 35-40 cm.
– No. 4 = 40-45 cm.
– No. 5 = 45-50 cm.
– No. 6 = 50-55 cm.
– No. 7 = 55-60 cm.

• Ram's horn: Made from the antler of the deer, also known as the gemsbok or hamsbok, is a species of large antelope in the ram subfamily that lives in central and western Africa, and the largest species in the ram family. An animal that was once common in Israel.

  

• The horn itself is straight, so it is not customary to use the ram's horn in the synagogue. Some identify the ram as the horn used by the Levites in the Temple. This shofar is characterized by a powerful sound reminiscent of a trumpet. Made from a fine raw horn, it is easy to strike.

  

• Painted/decorated shofars: Usually made from Kudu horn, Ram. With handmade artist paintings. A very wide selection of colorful paintings of various holy sites, rabbis, and more. The sky is the limit. Of course, it can also be provided upon customer request.

  

  

  

  

• Gold/silver plated trumpets: usually made from the horn of a lamb, kodo, ram. With handmade gold/artistic gold decorations. A very wide selection of decorations of various symbols (Star of David, Menorah, Menorah Star of David, fish, Jerusalem, and more).

  

  

  Silver decorations, of course, invalidate the shofar from a halachic perspective. Plating the shofar with silver or any other material invalidates the shofar, for fear that the original sound of the shofar will be altered. These are used mainly for decorative purposes and are sold with a clear emphasis that the shofar is not kosher to blow in a synagogue.

• Shofars with handmade engravings: usually made from the horn of a lamb, kodo, ram. With gold/artistic gold decorations handmade. A very wide selection of decorations of various symbols (Star of David, Menorah, Menorah Star of David Fish, Jerusalem, and more)

  

The shofar production process:

Because there are no rams in Israel whose horns are suitable for shofars, the horns are imported from the Maghreb countries and South Africa. The "Yemeni" are made from the horns of the kudu gemloni.

Most of the horns imported into Israel are immediately rejected due to fractures, cracks, and rot. Only about thirty percent of them begin initial processing.

There are many steps to making shofars:

• Sorting the horns: This is one of the most important processes! This requires a sharp and skilled eye, which will know how to decide whether a particular horn is suitable for preparation and for what style and sound. If it has a hole or crack throughout its thickness – it is halachically disqualified. If the perforation is only external, then the horn is kosher. In the process, we examine whether the horn is suitable for being a shofar based on its structure, shell, and color. This way we will know if it can be processed, and whether it will crack or break during processing.
• Separating the horn from the bone inside it: After choosing the appropriate horns, the first step in creating the shofar is to separate the horn from the bone inside it. The shofar is actually made from the horn's coating, and in order to separate the coating from the bone, it is necessary to drill a hole that extends from one side of the horn to the other. On one side (the mouth side) the hole remains small, but the drilling process leaves the rest of the horn completely hollow.

The craftsman must take great care in the drilling process, so that no holes or cracks are created in the side of the shofar. After drilling, the horn is placed in an oven to purify it of any organic matter that may be present. As mentioned, the horn material is organic (the same material that fingernails are made of), so bugs and various insects can eat it over time.

• Cleaning and disinfection process: After the careful sorting process, in which all damaged horns that are not suitable for making shofars are sifted out, the horns are transferred for washing, cleaning, and disinfection.
• Straightening the horns: The shofar arrives with its narrow head twisted and twisted, the sharp bend in no way allows for drilling a hole and a clean transition for the sound of the blow. Later in the process, the horn undergoes a heating process with fire, which softens the horn and allows it to be straightened. Thus, the horn is slowly straightened to the desired shape. The narrow third of the horn, which is made of solid material, is straightened so that it can be drilled and we can reach the cavity of the horn. The Sephardi shofar is usually straightened along its entire length, while the Ashkenazi one is straight at the beginning and curls towards the end. Straightening the Sephardi shofar increases its price by up to three times and causes every second shofar to break in this process.
• Building the mouthpiece/drilling: There are shofars with different mouthpieces – wide, round, narrow, elliptical, etc. The mouthpiece is an important part of the shofar, and it must fit the mouth and lungs of the person blowing the shofar. It is a complex craft that requires a great deal of knowledge. Drilling the shofar is an operation that requires the highest level of skill. In each horn, you must identify anew where the space is and adjust the drilling line accordingly. The longer the drill, the more difficult and complicated the drilling. Improper movement with the drill may cause the drill to penetrate the side of the shofar and cause it to disintegrate. An unprofessional driller can destroy a mouthpiece or make it problematic to blow. Some shofars go to waste at this stage.
• Polishing and polishing: The next step in the process is polishing the shofar, here we decide what its external appearance will be. Shofars usually come in 3 finishes: natural (without polishing, which preserves their natural texture), semi-polished, and fully polished.

  The shofar then undergoes two stages of polishing on cloth wheels that give the shofar its shiny appearance.

• Each shofar is inspected by an expert who checks for ease of striking, defects, sounds produced, and more.

How much does a shofar cost?

Prices usually start at 129 NIS for very simple shofars, continuing to over 1000 NIS for higher quality ones, and even those with masterful workmanship.
And of course the price increases when it comes to special shofars. Today, there are many Jewish homes that keep a shofar in the house. People also buy it as a gift for a Bar Mitzvah or when flying abroad to stay with relatives.

What does not invalidate/disqualify a shofar:

• If he cut the shofar, and as a result its sound changed – it is kosher. Likewise, if he sanded the shofar from the outside and inside until it became thin and its sound changed – it is kosher.
• Cover the shofar with gold. Or with any other material, if the sound of the shofar has changed – it is invalid, because the sound does not come out of the shofar alone. Therefore, one should avoid painting on the shofar, lest the paint cause the sound to change. However, it is permissible to engrave shapes on the shofar (Shulchan Ar-Rahman, 17). Coating the inside of the shofar with gold or another material – is invalid. Since the blowing does not pass through the shofar but through another material. Likewise, if one coats the mouthpiece of the shofar with gold or another material, even if he did not lengthen the shofar with it – it is invalid, because the coating separates between the mouth of the blowtorch and the shofar (Shulchan Ar-Rahman, 16:18).
• A pierced shofar, if its sound does not change, can be blown from the start. And if its sound changes, some say that it is invalid, and from the start it is appropriate to be stricter according to their opinion. And when there is no other shofar, one can rely on the opinion of most poskim, that as long as the piercing is in the lower part of the shofar, not even a single tap of the shofar remains without piercings, kosher for the blessing.
• And if you just pierce it and stick a piece of paper on it A shofar , if its sound has returned to what it was at first, and the hole was not on the top of the shofar – it is kosher. And in times of need, even if its sound has not returned to what it was – it is kosher, and one can even recite a blessing over it (M.B. 35).

Shofars are a stunning product with many meanings that come in a variety of sizes, prices, finishes, and more. A great gift for holidays , bar mitzvahs, synagogues, housewarmings, visits abroad, and more.

Artists who spend hours and sometimes days on stunning paintings and creating "ONE OF A KIND" shofars that come in serial numbers, and turn them into beautiful decorative items for the display case. This, by the way, is what saved the already small shofar industry in many ways, which only becomes in demand for one period of the year: turning the shofar into an item Judaica , beyond its functionality, and becoming a gift that is customary to give throughout the year.

Finally, Rabbi Ovadia from a few years ago, according to whom the shofar is a sign of improvement. "Every Jewish home should have one. It will improve their life, their family, their livelihood."

Our company works directly with a factory that specializes in importing and manufacturing horns for decades!
Here are some photos and a short video from this amazing factory:

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We welcome questions, comments, and shares.

"Israel Gifts" website