How to Blow a Shofar

The shofar is an ancient musical wind instrument that dates back to Biblical times. This wind instrument's modern-day cousins are bugles and trumpets. Judaism uses the shofar during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipur. "Shofar" is a Hebrew word, and its plural is "shofarot," though most English-speaking people say "shofars."

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Use a shofar made from the horns of any kosher animal. This usually includes any horned animal except the cow. Some traditions use the antelope's horns to make shofars, but most are made from rams' horns. These seem to work best when you blow a shofar.

2. Check for leaks before you attempt to blow a shofar. Stop up the small end of the horn. (The small end serves as the mouthpiece and may be covered with gold or silver.) Fill the shofar with water. If you see leaks, the shofar won't blow well.

3. Learn that your mouth serves as the reed on this particular wind instrument. Blow a shofar differently from the way you blow a trumpet. On a trumpet, for example, the mouthpiece rests on the center of your mouth. You must blow the shofar from the side of your mouth.

4. Practice different patterns of blowing musical sounds when you blow a shofar. Since shofars come in many different sizes and shapes, blowing difficulty and sound ranges vary. The most popular and often-used traditional sound patterns include three short or quick blasts, a long blast with nine variations of rising and falling sound or one long, moaning sound.

Tips & Warnings

• Hit the mouthpiece against the palm of your hand before you blow a shofar. Since these are natural instruments, critters or other foreign objects may hide inside.