Introduction to Blowing Shofar

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Blowing Shofar according to Halacha

Unfortunately, those which are not well versed in Halacha think that all and any form of blowing that resembles the traditional blow is valid. This is incorrect. The blowing has many fine Halachic details involved in it with which lack of doing so can invalidate the Mitzvah.

  • How long must a Tekiah be?
  • How many sounds must be made in a Teruah?
  • How long is each sound of the Shever to be?
  • When is one required to take breaths between the blows and when is it forbidden?
  • What is the law if one blew a wrong sound in middle of a set?
  • What is the law if the sound did not come out well and one needs to redo it?
  • From which side of the mouth does one blow?

 

Knowing the Halachos:

One who takes the great initiative of going on Mivtzaim on Rosh Hashanah and blowing Shofar for other Jews is certainly doing a great deed. Nevertheless to ensure that the Mitzvah is done properly the person blowing must be aware of the Halachas involved in blowing Shofar.[1]  The following is a list of laws that one must know:

 

Is the Shofar Kosher? 

One must verify that the Shofar is Halachicly valid. This means that:

  1. It must be purchased under a reliable Hashgacha to verify it comes from a valid animal.
  2. One must check that it does not contain cracks or holes that can invalidate it.

 

[1]Sefer Haminhagim: The Baal Tokeia is to review the Mamar, and this is of course in addition to being expert in the laws of blowing.

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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