[COMMUNICATED CONTENT]

If there is something that Jewish folks love, it�s knowledge. This Rosh Hashanah,�we�re going to bring you some fun facts about shofars.

We hope you�ll learn something new and bring a bit of shofar amusement to your�honey dipping & shofar blowing Simchas.

Shanah tovah u�metukah from JudaicaWebStore.com!

What modern instrument does the shofar most resemble in sound and structure?

You might have thought trumpet, but nope! It�s the bugle, a horned instrument that�like the shofar is not able to change pitch.

Why is there a shofar and oil on display in the Old Jerusalem Yohanan ben Zakkai�Synagogue?

While shofars are an attractive and festive decoration, this one is waiting for the�Mashiach’s arrival.

Which Rosh Chodesh is �a memorial of blowing� (Lev. 23:24)?

Human logic says it would be the first month, but it�s the seventh. Tishrei, the month�of Rosh Hashanah is the seventh month, while Nissan is the first, as commanded by�G-d to Moses and Aaron in Sinai. So the first month of the New Year is, in fact, the�seventh calendar month.

When IDF troops liberated The Temple Mount in 1967, how was the shofar�involved?

One of the first things that the General Rabbi Shlomo Goren did was blow the shofar�to celebrate the joy of the liberation of The Temple Mount. This momentous event�leads to another fun fact. The writer of “Jerusalem of Gold,” edited the now-classic�poem/song to include this famous shofar blast, adding the line “a shofar calls out�from the Temple Mount in The Old City.”

True or False? The shofar was blown to signify the start of a war.

And this is 100% correct. In fact, many Rabbis today use the shofar during prayers for�victory against Israel�s enemies.

True or False? It is forbidden to blow the trumpet and shofar together.

Maybe people don’t do it much these days, but in the Temple of Jerusalem, the�trumpet and shofar were often blown together. There are, however, many intricate�laws about what to blow and when, but no broad prohibition against them together.

True or False? It is a requirement to blow the shofar every Rosh Hashanah.

For folks who haven�t heard this one yet, it�s quite surprising. Some interpretations�see it as requiring the blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah only during a Jubilee�year. To continue this argument, proponents of this line of thought say that it�s the�rabbis that made it an annual tradition that we do today. Another interesting angle�on fulfilling the mitzvah? Technically, it’s not blowing that is the mitzvah, rather�hearing the sounds. Though someone does have to blow it for others to fulfill their�mitzvah.

Embouchure � what does this long French-sounding word have to do with the�shofar?

This fancy word is the technical term for how the shofar blower alters the pitch of�the shofar.

Why does the Ashkenazi shofar blows sound different than the Sephardic?

Scholars and historian don�t entirely agree though some assert that the difference�originates from the regional differences in �war cries� and has since become a part�of shofar blowing traditions. Ashkenazi Jews usually use a ram�s horn, while some�Sephardic Jews use a Kudu shofar, which can also affect sound.

Is the shofar an alarm clock?

In a funny way, yes. The shofar sounds should shake us from our spiritual�complacency and enliven us to our spiritual commitments. Wake us up in the�morning? Not quite, this waking up is so much more important, even though it only�happens once a year.

Did you know there is a distinctly modern controversy, with an ancient�counterpart, about fulfilling the mitzvah of hearing the shofar?

The age-old debate about performing the mitzvah discussed whether the mitzvah�was completed if the shofar was blown in a cave, and only the echo was heard. The�consensus was that an echo did not fulfill the mitzvah. In modern times, scholars�debate whether an electronic broadcast of the shofar is considered performing themitzvah (it almost always isn�t). That said, if you�re in a situation with no chance to�hear the shofar, there are Rabbis who say it’s better than nothing. And it’s hard to�deny that it’s fun to think about how technology has changed, but in some ways we�still have the same discussions.

Why do we blow the shofar?

Now this is a tricky one. There are hundreds of reasons mentioned by scholars and�Rabbis, but there is just one real answer: Because G-d commands us to do so. The�reasons for this commandment are compelling, but simply speculation as to what G-d might have been thinking!

Did you learn something new? We hope so! Looking for a shofar? Enjoy our newly�widened selection of gorgeous shofars from Israel. Did you find an error? Please�comment! We’ll happily welcome your expertise.