The shofar is one of the most characteristic musical instruments in the Jewish culture. The word shofar means 'hollow'. A shofar is typically made from a ram’s horn and is sounded to celebrate the Jewish High Holidays. A person who hears the direct sound of a shofar is considered to have fulfilled mitzvah (commandments and precepts from God).
Though the most common origin is a ram’s horn, shofars come in all sizes, shapes, and materials. They vary in construction in different regions as well. For example, a Yemenite Shofar is different from an Ashkenazi or Sephardic shofar.

When is a Shofar sounded?

A shofar is sounded in synagogues during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur. It is additionally blown at the start of every weekday in the month of Elul until Rosh Hashanah.
In the Jewish Torah, Rosh Hashanah is defined as 'the day of the shofar sounding' and it is customary to blow the shofar on both days of Rosh Hashanah during the daytime.
Typically, the shofar is sounded in the morning services at synagogues after the reading of the Torah and before the Musaf prayers. But, it is also not uncommon to hear the shofar blown several times during the day until sunset.

The significance of the Shofar in Judaism

The blowing of the shofar is there to remind all practicing Jews of the following:
• The Shofar sounding celebrates the moment God is crowned as the King of the World on Rosh Hashanah.
• A reminder of the time the prophets pleaded with Israel to return to God and his commandments.
• Commemorate the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem
• A reminder of the time Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac who was then saved when God told Abraham to sacrifice a ram instead. This is why a ram’s horn is the preferred material for shofars.
• Remembers the shofar blasts during God’s descent to Mount Sinai.
• A sign of unity of the Jewish community who are spread across the globe as they come together to witness the Mashiach.

How a Shofar blast is performed

The shofar blaster starts by reciting some verses from the Psalms while standing on the platform at the front of the synagogue (the bimah). The first blessing is for God while the second one is for Shehecheyanu (a sort of thanksgiving for being blessed with another year of life).
The shofar sounding consists of a sequence of three types of blasts, tekiah (prolonged blast), sheverim (three short wails) and teruah (nine piercing blasts). There are as much as 100 shofar blasts at a shofar sounding in a synagogue.

An audience for the Shofar blowing

In traditional Judaism, the shofar sounds and fulfilling of the mitzvah are intended for adult males. Women and minor are exempt from the duty to fulfill the mitzvah. However, during modern times, every Jewish person is encouraged to practice the tradition including women and children.

What are Shofars made from?

As mentioned previously, a ram’s horn is a symbolic material to make a shofar because it reminds Jews of Abraham’s sacrifice of a ram to God instead of Isaac. However, according to the Talmud, the horns of all kosher animals can be used to make shofars but not ox horns (technically ox horns are referred to as Kerens, not shofars). Antlers are also not used because they are solid, and shofars are meant to be hollow.
The construction of shofars also differs from region to region. For example, Ashkenazi and Sephardic shofars are made from a ram’s horn whereas a Yemenite Shofar is made from the horns of a kudu and a Moroccan shofar is flat.