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Shofar Service
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"...it
shall be declared a holiday for you, a day of
sounding
a teruah for you"
(Numbers 29:1).
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Teruah
is the word for one of the sounds of the shofar.
- The
shofar is made from the horn of a ram. A special person to serve
as the Shofar blower is designated for the holiday. This person
has studied the various laws of the shofar service and is trained
to properly maintain strong consistent sounds.
- The
shofar is not sounded on Shabbat.
-
It is a Torah obligation to hear the shofar during the Rosh Hashana
Mussaf service (the additional service). If one is unable to attend
services, during the daytime one may:
- Find
out what time the shofar will be blown and go specifically
to hear the shofar blown and then return home.
- Check
with the local synagogue if there will be a special shofar
sounding for people who miss it in the morning.
-
Have someone blow the shofar for him/her privately.
There
are three types of shofar blasts:
- Tekiah
- the long, solid blast.
-
The tekiah sound is like the blast of the trumpet at
a king's coronation, reminding us that G-d is the King of
Kings.
-
The tekiah is a strong note of joyous happiness, to remind
us that we are standing before G-d, our Maker, who loves
us and judges us with mercy.
-
Shevarim - the three medium-length
blasts
- The
shevarim is reminiscent of deep sighs or soft crying, (where
one is gasping for breath).
- The
shevarim is the beginning of the recognition of all that
G-d does for us, and all that we could be doing, thus the
sighing sound.
- Teruah
- the 9 quick blasts
-
The teruah evokes the feeling of short piercing cries of
wailing.
-
The teruah is the recognition that the year is closing and
that the time for teshuva will soon pass.
Tekiah Gedolah
- The
elongated, solid note that is blown as the last blast of the shofar
service. The regular tekiah is a note of joy - the tekiah gedolah
is a triumphant shout that reaches out to the hearts of all to
assure them that their prayers have been heard.
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