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Sponsored listings for Aharon's Jewish
Books and Judaica |
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Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica
600 South Holly Street Suite 103
Denver, Colorado 80246
303-322-7345
800-830-8660
Map to Aharon's Jewish Books and Judaica
Store Hours
Monday
through Thursday 9 AM to 6 PM
Friday 9 AM to 2 PM
Sunday 9 AM to 4 PM |
Judaic - Kosher Shofars
Online store that provides a wide selection of all types
of Judaica, Jewish gifts, Jewish books, Kittels, Jewish
ritual items and much more ....
www.judaic.com |
Choice
of animal
According to the Talmud, a shofar may be made from the
horn of any animal except that of a cow or calf (Rosh
Hashanah, 26a), although a ram is preferable. (Mishnah
Berurah 586:1). There is no requirement for ritual slaughter
(shechitah), and theoretically, the horn can come from
a non-kosher animal based on the principle of mutar beficha
(the material is acceptable for putting in the mouth).
Moreover, since the mitzvah is hearing the shofar, not
eating it, using the horn of a neveylah or a non-kosher
animal falls into the category of tashmishe mitzvah (MB
586:16 (8) Since unkosher substances unfit for human consumption
are not food (Avot 67b), it is permissible to use animal
hair, anointing oil and incense produced from animal secretions
and dyes of crimson, which are made from mollusks (Megillah
26b). |
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To
cap this issue, a recent article appeared in the Journal
of Halacha, Number LIII, and Contemporary Society, Rabbi
Ari Z, Zivotofsky, Yemenite Shofar: Ideal for the Mitzvah?,
Cleveland, OH: Rabbi Jacob Joseph School R. Ari Z, Zivotofsky,
2007
The Elef Hamagan (586:5) delineates the order of preference:
1) curved ram; 2) curved other sheep; 3) curved other
animal; 4) straight - ram or otherwise; 5) non-kosher
animal; 6) cow. The first four categories are used with
a bracha, the fifth without a bracha, and the last, not
at all.
Shape and material
A shofar made from the horn of a Greater kudu, in the
Yemenite Jewish style.
A shofar may be created from the horn of any kosher male
animal from the Bovidae family except for cattle, which
is specifically excluded. In practice two species are
generally used: the Ashkenazi shofar is a domestic ram
(see sheep), while the Sefardi shofar is a kudu.
Bovidae horns are made of keratin (the same material as
human toenails and fingernails). An antler, on the other
hand, is not a horn but solid bone. Antlers cannot be
used as a shofar because they cannot be hollowed out.
A crack 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, Orach Chayim, 586, 17). Shofars (especially
the Sephardi shofars) are often plated with silver across
part of their length for display purposes, although this
invalidates them for use in religious practices. According
to Jewish law women and minors are exempt from the commandment
of hearing the shofar blown (as is the case with any positive,
time-bound commandment), but they are encouraged to attend
the ceremony.
The horn is flattened and shaped by the application of
heat, which softens 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 blowing
through the hole, causing the air column inside to vibrate.
Sephardi shofars usually have a carved mouthpiece resembling
that of a European trumpet or French horn, but smaller.
Ashkenazi shofars do not.
Because the hollow of the
shofar is irregular in shape, 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.
Shofar Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur |
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