How to Make a Shofar
admin April 30th, 2008
Grazing animals,which usually have cloven hoofs and chew their cud, are armed with either horns or antlers. Both horns and antlers are borne on the head and have similar uses but they are structurally different. Horns are the keritin of an animal (similar to our toenails, fingernails). They are hollow and are used as shofars. Antlers, on the other hand, are Composed on bone and are not used because, among other reasons, to make a hole in them for the purposes of sounding a note is viruallty impossible. We usually use the horns of rams, goats, antlopes, ibexes and other animals. Such animals are classifed:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Artiodactyls have a cloven hoof. Their third and fourth digits, however, remain large and bear weight in all artiodactyls.
Artiodactyls stand in contrast to the “odd-toed ungulates,” the Perissodactyla, where the plane of symmetry runs down the third toe. The most extreme toe reduction appears in antelope and deer, which have just two functional (weight-bearing) digits on each foot.
Most artiodactyls have modified stomachs, the extreme case being that of groups such as antelope and deer, which have distinctive, four-chambered stomachs. This arrangement appears to be an adaptation that allows members of these groups to make use of microorganisms to decompose cellulose into digestible components.
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Animalia.html. Accessed 6/14/04
Although Mishnah Rosh Hashana 1:1 indicates that a Shofar may be created from the horn of any kosher animal, I received a communicatrion from a Chazzan from the Univeristy of Judaism, Michael Chusid , who said:
While an individual may prefer to use a shofar made horn the horn of an animal slaughtered slaughtered in accordance with Jewish dietary laws of kashrut, this is not a requirement according to most interpretations of Jewish law. The shofar, after all, is neither placed inside the mouth when blown nor eaten.
Beyond the dietary laws is a principle that religious articles must be made from sources that are muttar be-fikha (literally: permissible in your mouth), a precept derived from the commandment regarding tefillin in Exodus 13:9, “in order that the Teaching of the Lord may be in your mouth.” A careful analysis of this principle limits its applicability to sacred writing. [1] This precept, moreover, is countered by the concept that items which are afra be-alma (mere dust), including items that are inedible from their inception, are not considered not-kosher to eat. More, non-kosher animal products besides a shofar horn are allowed in ritual use, including dye from a mollusk and silk for tzitzit and an elephant as a wall for a sukkah. [2] Instead, shofar are tashmishei mitzvah, [3] objects used to perform a mitzvah yet do not have inherent kedushah (holiness).
The use of horns from non-koshered animals is reflected in the commercial trade in shofarot, much of which is based upon horns from animals slaughtered in North Africa and other countries without an abundance of ritual slaughterers. Many of the long spiral horns of the Kudu are taken by hunting, a non-kosher means of slaughter, as most likely were the horns of mountain goats referenced in the Talmud.
This is good news for individuals who have ethical objections to the slaughter of animals since it allows the use of horns from animals that die from natural deaths or accidents instead of being koshered.
[1] Mois Navon, “The Hillazon and the Principle of ‘Mutter be-Fikha’”, The Torah u-Madda Journal, October 2001, www.yutorah.org/_shiurim/%2FTU10_Navon.pdf, March 4, 2006. This article is also the source for other information in this paragraph.
[2] Sukkah 23a
[3] According to Megillah 26b, “These are tashmishei mitzvah: sukkah, lulav, shofar, tzitzit.”
Can A Shofar Be Made Of Other Than A Kosher Animal?
The Mishnah Berurah takes up this argument by indicating that a shofar must have two factors: - a hollow horn of an animal. The Chafetz Chaim makes a priority of shofars:
The best (yeedo mitzvah) is a horn form a kosher animal whose horn is bent (for the first day of Rosh Hashanah (MB 586:1)
The next choice is the horn of a kosher animal but the horn is not bent.
The last acceptable choice is any type of animal hollow horn from any type of animal.
Although Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1 indicates that, a shofar must be from a kosher animal except that of a cow and the Mishnah Berurah, [586:16 (68)] states that the shofar must be a horn must be hollow and from kosher animal, the Chafetz Chaim begins to make emendations.
He indicates that the preference is for a ram’s horn, akin to the Akeda (sacrifice of Isaac story) (MB 586:1 (2) )
However, he begins to chip away at this ideal shofar by introducing the idea that non-kosher materials can be used as long as such material is unfit to eat. Exodus 13:9 indicates that God requires His teaching to be put in your mouth. (Mutar B’ficha – good to put in your mouth)
However, if it is not edible, then it is permissible to use a non-kosher substance. He gives examples of– Tachash – covered wall of mishkan with elephant hide (Shabbas 28b baraisa); silk worn by the Cohen Gadol, Blue dye in the Priest’s tallis when such dye was secretion of a non-kosher sea animal. (Megillah 26b)
Moreover, the Chafetz Chaim introduces the concept that things that surround the mitzvah do not have to be strict (tashmishe mitzvah). Again, he introduces the examples cited above and the hair of an animal on tfillin (phylacteries); the Cohen Gadol’s wearing two different materials on Yom Kippur (shatnez). So with the shofar. Since the principle mitzvah is to hear the sound of the shofar, things surrounding the shofar are do not have to be strictly kosher (Tamishe)
Indeed, the horn of an animal can even be from a nevaylah (dead animal not ritually slaughtered) or a non-kosher (treif) animal.
Of course, there is much dispute of these rather liberal interoperations particularly from the Magen Avraham who poskins that all objects related to the shofar have to be pure.
The Chafetz Chaim ends with the practical advice that each community may have a different slant on this procedure; therefore, follow the procedure of where you live and get permission from its Rabbi. [MB 586:1(8)]
Making a Shofar
After obtaining the hollow horn of an animal, the process is to boil the horn or many horns for at least one-half hour, perhaps with some Borax. Such processes separate the cartilage and other organic matter from the horn. After a full day of drying, you can remove the remainder of the organic material with whatever does the job (pipe cleaners; coffee brushes; these horns are not solid bone, but contain cartilage, which can be removed.
click here for step by step instructions
Get the horn from a kosher animal (slaughtered in a kosher way) except that of the cow, as the golden cow was /is connected with false worship (And it came about, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain. Exodus 32:19) The horn of the cow and ox were also disqualified since they were called “keren” in Hebrew, as opposed to the word shofar which was applied more commonly to the sheep and goat (Mishnah Rosh Hashanah).
An article in a Historical Brass Society Newsletter provides a more technical method:
How to make
Clear out the shell of the horn “keratin” by boiling of soaking in chemicals (In the journal of ‘Biological Museum Methods’ Vol. 1 Page 331 it mentions to boil the skull with horns for about 30 minutes and the horns should twist off, than scrap clean the inside, sprinkle with borax., please note that the process of steaming or boiling permitted, according to the rabbi’s??.) And I have no reason to assume that during the Biblical / Talmudic period chemicals where used, the other option is to leave the horns in the ground as the micros and worms will clear the inside out.
The Mouthpiece
In the case of a rams horn, once the cartilage is removed it needs to be shaped to soften the horn use hot oil or by steaming and form into the tradition “j” shape, and by flattening the side.
First measure the hollow depth of the horn from the opening with a bent wire. Lining up the bent wire along the outer length of the shofar, mark off where the wire reaches from the opening of the horn. Measuring 1 to 1 1/2 inch or more (depending on the degree of curvature) from that mark towards the pointy tip of the horn, then mark the place where you will cut of the tip of the shofar with a coping saw. The cut must be perpendicular to the length of the shofar. Once the pointy tip is cut of, a blunt flat surface results. The mouthpiece is now created with a 3/16″, 6 six inch long bit on a variable speed drill. Aim the drill in the centre of the flat end of the horn. Gradually the drill should be accelerated so that it cuts a narrow hole along the body of the shofar until it penetrates into the hollow of the shofar.
NOTE: if you use a drill at a sharp angle (not parallel to the body of the horn), you may cut the side of the horn, rendering the horn invalid for ritual use.
The Narrow hole that is created by the drill must be enlarged, tradition knife cut to create a conical or cup shaped hollow. The cone shaped opening helps ensure that a minimal volume of air can be forcefully blown through the canal with little effort and still resonate the shofar sufficiently to sound it clearly. The wider the canal, the easier it is to blow.
You will need to polish the mouthpiece with a buffer.
Sources
Michale Albukerk, “How to Make a Shofar,” Historical Brass Society Newsletter Issue 7 pages 13/14; ‘Biological Museum Methods’ Vol. 1 Page 331.