Question:
A left-handed person (Iter Yad) who blows Shofar, from which side of his mouth should he blow, and with which hand should he hold the Shofar?
Answer:
Mouth: A lefty should preferably blow the Shofar from the right side of his mouth, as done by a righty, and so is the ruling implied by Admur. [Although some Poskim rule that a lefty should blow from the left side of his mouth, following the side on which he does not wear Tefillin, the accepted ruling follows that even a lefty places the Shofar on the right side of his mouth.] Nevertheless, if this causes difficulty, one should blow from whichever side is more comfortable.
Hand: A lefty should preferably hold the Shofar in his right hand, as done by a righty.
Explanation:
The Poskim record that, when feasible, it is proper to blow the Shofar from the right side of one’s mouth. Several reasons are given for this custom. The primary reason brought by Admur and the Levush is that the verse states that the Satan stands at one’s right side, and the sound of the Shofar serves to confuse and silence the Satan; therefore, the Shofar is directed toward the side where the Satan stands. Other authorities explain that the custom is based on Kabbalistic considerations. Additionally, the Magen Avraham records that the left side already enjoys the special protection of the Tefillin, and therefore the Shofar is placed on the right side.
Based on the above reasons for blowing from the right side of the mouth, a question arises regarding a left-handed person. If the reason is that the Satan stands at one’s right side and the Shofar is blown in order to confuse him, one can ask whether this concept follows the person’s dominant side, in which case perhaps the Satan stands on the left side of a left-handed individual and the Shofar should be blown from that side. Likewise, if the custom is based on Kabbalistic considerations, one may question whether the right side is significant because it corresponds to the attribute of Chessed, which would apply equally to a left-handed person, or whether the side should be determined relative to the person’s own dominant orientation. However, according to the reason of the Magen Avraham that the left side already benefits from the protection of the Tefillin, the practical ramification is clear: since a left-handed person wears Tefillin on his right arm, one could argue that he should place the Shofar on the left side of his mouth, which is the side not protected by the Tefillin. Thus, the halacha regarding a left-handed person may depend on which of the above rationales one follows.
Practically, some Poskim, most notably the Magen Avraham, suggest that a left-handed person should reverse this and blow from the left side of his mouth, linking the matter to the laws of Tefillin. Since a lefty wears Tefillin on his right arm, they argue that he should also use the left side of his mouth for blowing.
However, many later Poskim reject this distinction and note that the majority of authorities, including Admur, simply write that the Shofar is placed on the right side of the mouth without differentiating between a right-handed and left-handed person. This omission is understood as deliberate and indicates that even a lefty should blow from the right side. So is the understanding of the Shaar HaTziyon and Kaf Hachaim. According to this approach, neither of the primary reasons for blowing from the right side change for a left-handed person. The Kabbalistic significance of the right side, which corresponds to the attribute of Chessed, applies equally to a right-handed and left-handed individual. Likewise, the Satan is understood to stand at a person’s right side regardless of which hand he uses more dominantly, and therefore the Shofar is to be directed toward the right side in order to confuse the Satan. Only according to the Magen Avraham’s rationale that the Tefillin already protect one side would there be room to differentiate between a right-handed and left-handed person. Since Admur omits that rationale and simply rules to place the Shofar on the right side, it is evident that he does not distinguish between righties and lefties in this regard.
The Basis for Understanding Admur’s Ruling
Some contemporary authors have suggested that even according to Admur, a left-handed person should place the Shofar on the left side of his mouth. This understanding is based on the explanation of the Pri Megadim that the Satan stands opposite the side of the Tefillin and on a passage in a Sicha of the Rebbe which mentions this interpretation of the Magen Avraham. Accordingly, since a lefty wears Tefillin on his right arm, they conclude that he should place the Shofar on the left side of his mouth.
However, this interpretation is difficult to accept as an explanation of Admur’s opinion. Admur plainly rules that one should place the Shofar on the right side of his mouth and makes no mention whatsoever of any distinction between a right-handed and left-handed person. More significantly, Admur omits not only the Magen Avraham’s ruling regarding a lefty, but also the entire rationale relating the Shofar to the side of the Tefillin. This strongly suggests that Admur understood the preference for the right side as an independent concept that applies equally to everyone, whether because the Satan stands on the right side or because of the Kabbalistic significance of the right side, and not because of the location of the Tefillin.
Indeed, this is how the major later Poskim understood Admur. The Shaarei Tziyon and Kaf Hachaim both explain that according to Admur, even a left-handed person should place the Shofar on the right side of his mouth. Accordingly, it is difficult to reinterpret Admur in a manner directly contrary to the understanding of these leading authorities.
As for the Rebbe’s Sicha, it is entirely possible that the Rebbe was simply explaining the reasoning of the Magen Avraham and Pri Megadim, as is commonly done when analyzing a halachic opinion, and was not intending to define Admur’s practical ruling. Furthermore, the Rebbe repeatedly cautioned against deriving practical halacha from unedited Sichos. Accordingly, there is insufficient basis to depart from the straightforward reading of Admur and the understanding of the major Poskim that, according to Admur, even a left-handed person places the Shofar on the right side of his mouth.
In a Case of Difficulty
It should be emphasized that all of the above discussion is only regarding the preferred manner (lechatchilah) of fulfilling the mitzvah. The entire question of whether the Shofar should be placed on the right or left side of the mouth is merely a preference and not an essential requirement of the mitzvah. Accordingly, if a person finds it difficult to blow properly from the preferred side, or if his blows are clearer and stronger from the opposite side, then he should blow from whichever side is most comfortable and enables him to produce the best sounds. The primary obligation is to hear valid Shofar blasts, and this takes precedence over the preferred side of the mouth. Thus, in any case of difficulty, one may place the Shofar wherever necessary, and the blasts remain fully valid regardless of which side of the mouth is used.
The Reason for Holding the Shofar in the Right Hand
The custom to hold the Shofar in the right hand follows the general principle that all mitzvos are preferably performed with the right hand, which is considered the more honorable and significant side. This is the ruling of Admur regarding mitzvos in general and is applied by the Poskim to the mitzvah of Shofar as well.
Now, generally speaking, there is a well-known dispute among the Poskim regarding a lefty for all mitzvos that are performed by hand. Some Poskim rule that a left-handed person should perform mitzvos with his stronger hand, and therefore just as a right-handed person uses his right hand, a left-handed person should use his left hand. Other Poskim, based on Kabbalistic considerations, maintain that mitzvos should always be performed with the right hand, as the right side corresponds to the attribute of Chessed, regardless of which hand is dominant.
In many areas of halacha, Admur appears to favor the first approach and views a left-handed person’s stronger hand as taking the place of the right hand regarding the performance of mitzvos. Accordingly, one could have argued that a lefty should hold the Shofar in his left hand, and so indeed rules the Mateh Efarim and Rav SZ”A.
Nonetheless, in our case there is an additional consideration. As explained above, the accepted ruling is that even a left-handed person places the Shofar on the right side of his mouth. Once this is the case, it is both more natural and more conducive to proper blowing for the Shofar to also be held in the right hand. Thus, in this particular instance, we rely on the opinions that emphasize the inherent significance of the right side according to Kabbalah. Accordingly, a lefty is instructed to hold the Shofar in his right hand and place it on the right side of his mouth, thereby keeping both aspects of the mitzvah aligned with the preferred right side.
Nevertheless, all of the above is only lechatchilah. If holding the Shofar in the right hand will negatively affect the quality of the blowing, then certainly one should hold it in whichever hand allows him to blow most effectively, as the primary obligation is to produce valid Shofar sounds. Just as a person may blow from whichever side of the mouth is most comfortable in a case of difficulty, so too the preferred hand should not come at the expense of the proper fulfillment of the mitzvah.
Sources:
- Righty blows from right side: Admur 585:6; Rama 585:2 in name of Minhagim; Magen Avraham 585:4; Shlah brought in M”A 585:4; Levush 585; Kaf Hachaim 585:29
- Lefty blows from the left side: Magen Avraham 585:4 based on Hagahos Haminhagim and Aguda that it is dependent on the side one wears Tefillin; Elya Rabbah 585:9; Pri Megadim 585 A.A. 4; M”E 585:4;
- Lefty blows from the right side: Implied ruling of Admur 585:6; Shaar HaTziyon 585:18 in name of Chemed Moshe; Kaf Hachaim 585:29 in name of Poskim, and that so is evident from all the Poskim that omit the ruling of the M”A ibid; Piskeiy Teshuvos 585:5
- If difficult, use whichever side is comfortable: Kaf Hachaim 585:29.
- Shofar held in the right hand: Mateh Efraim 585:4; Siddur Yaavetz; Admur 206:8.
- This applies even to a lefty: Piskeiy Teshuvos 585:7