BLOWING THE SHOFAR
It is a mitzvah from the Torah to hear the blowing of the shofar (ram’s horn) on Rosh Hashanah, as it is written, “it will be a day of sounding to you.” Maimonides wrote: Even though the blowing of the shofar is a Divine commandment, it relays a message, so to speak, “Awaken o sleeping from your slumber! Examine your deeds and repent, remember your Creator! Those who forget the truth because of worthless novelties, who err all year long because of empty nothingness that is unconstructive and cannot save, stare at your souls and improve your ways and deeds. Every one of you must abandon his evil way and bad thoughts, etc.
Not to eat before hearing the shofar: This is because hearing it is a positive mitzvah of Torah origin. However, a weak woman, sick man, or elderly person who cannot fast until hearing the shofar, may eat in private, before prayers. If those unwell people wish to eat after praying Shacharit, they must make Kiddush before eating. It is good to eat only a k’zayit (olive’s size of food, 28 grams) of m’zonot (cake and the like) after Kiddush.
One who prays in private: One who prays in private may blow the shofar after it has been blown in the synagogue, or after three halachic hours of the day. This is also true concerning prayer; an individual may not pray Musaf in the first three halachic hours of the day. If there are many synagogues in the town, one may blow shofar after the earliest synagogue has blown. If there is no synagogue, one should wait until after three halachic hours of the day.
Shofar: The preferred shofar is a curved ram’s horn. One should check that it has no cracks, neither in length nor breadth. It shouldn’t have any holes in its sides, nothing should be stuck to its mouth, and there should be no fault whatsoever (even a tiny crack) in its mouth.
One who hears a shofar whose sound has been altered or has a covering or plating on its mouth, doesn’t fulfill his obligation.
BLESSING ON THE SHOFAR
Intention: All should listen well to the blessings, and have in mind to fulfill the obligation. It is good for the man who blows the shofar to remind the congregation out loud that everyone should have in mind to fulfill his obligation of the blessings and hearing the sounds. Likewise, the man who blows the shofar should have in mind that anyone who hears the blessings and the sounds of the shofar will fulfill his obligation.
If a man cannot hear the blessings of the man who blows the shofar, he can bless them himself. However, if he can hear them from the man who blows the shofar, that is sufficient.
When the congregation is listening to the blessings, it shouldn’t answer Baruch hu uvaruch sh’mo, just Amen at the end of each blessing. There are some communities that do answer Baruch hu uvaruch sh’mo.
The custom is to stand when listening to the blessings, and to sit when listening to the shofar. However, everyone must stand for the blowing during the repetition of Musaf. Some have the custom to stand every time they listen to the shofar.
WHO IS OBLIGATED AND WHO IS EXEMPT
Women: Women are exempt from hearing the shofar since it is a time-bound positive mitzvah. Nevertheless, they accepted upon themselves this mitzvah as an obligation. However, there is doubt as to whether they can bless on it, therefore it is good that a man who has not yet fulfilled his obligation to hear the shofar be the one to blow for women, in order that he’ll be able to say the blessings. If he already heard the shofar, then according to the Shulchan Aruch, neither he nor the women should bless. The custom of the Ashkenazim is not to protest if one of the women wants to bless.
Children: It is a mitzvah to educate one’s children to hear the shofar. One should bring them to the synagogue in order to hear the blowing of the shofar from age five or six, according to their capabilities and understanding. One shouldn’t bring younger children, who will disturb the prayers.
Deaf: Somebody deaf is exempt since the mitzvah is to hear, and he can’t hear. Also, others who hear him blow the shofar do not fulfill their obligation. However, someone who is hard of hearing and needs a hearing aid in order to hear well can blow for others.
Ill: When somebody comes to blow the shofar specially for an ill person, the sick person should try to stand up when hearing the first thirty sounds, because those are his obligation from the Torah.
NUMBER OF SOUNDS
“How many sounds must a person hear on Rosh Hashanah? Nine, because the word t’ruah (sounding) is written three times with regard to Yoveil and Rosh Hashanah, and every t’ruah must be preceded and followed by a t’kiah. We learned through the Oral Law that all sounds from the shofar during the month of Tishrei are the same, whether from Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur of the Yoveil year. On each of these days we blow the set T’kiah, t’ruah, t’kiah three times.”
“We are uncertain whether the t’ruah mentioned in the Torah is the whimpering that we call t’ruah, or whether it’s what we call sh’varim, or whether it’s both of them in a row. Therefore, in order to definitely fulfill our obligation, we blow t’kiah, sh’varim-t’ruah, t’kiah three times over, and t’kiah, sh’varim, t’kiah three times, and t’kiah, t’ruah, t’kiah three times.” However, according to the Holy Zohar all of these sounds are necessary; we blow sh’varim and t’ruah on purpose, and not only because of doubt.
A hundred sounds: Our custom is to blow a hundred and one sounds. They’re arranged as follows: thirty sitting, thirty during the silent (individual) Amidah of Musaf, thirty during the repetition of Musaf, ten during the Kaddish Titkabbal, and a final long t’ruah while standing. The custom is that in Malchuyot we blow t’kiah, sh’varim-t’ruah, t’kiah, t’kiah, sh’varim, t’kiah, t’kiah, t’ruah, t’kiah. We do the same in Zichronot and Shofarot.
According to the Mishnah B’rurah one shouldn’t blow the shofar during the silent Amidah of Musaf. Therefore, those who follow his opinion blow thirty “sitting” (meaning that it’s permissible to sit, but the Ashkenazim customarily stand during them), thirty in the repetition of the Amidah, thirty after the conclusion of the repetition, and ten in Kaddish Titkabbal (or after it), the last of which is a final long t’kiah. However, if the whole congregation wants to blow thirty sounds in the silent Amidah of Musaf, instead of after the conclusion of the repetition, and this change will not cause strife, then they may make that change, even though that wasn’t their previous custom.
Since we must hear all of the sounds of the shofar, both because of the halachah as well as for kabbalistic reasons, nobody should speak (other than the prayers) from the time of the first blessings on the shofar until after the final blowing after the Amidah. Therefore, if the gabbaim (appointees of the congregation) see a need to hush the congregation, they should do so with signs, and not words. However, if one spoke, it is not considered an interruption, and one needn’t bless again.
Someone who has no other choice than to pray on Rosh Hashanah without a minyan (quorum of ten men), for instance someone sick or a soldier, should not blow in the middle of his own silent Amidah. Even if someone else is present who can blow for him, he shouldn’t blow for him in the silent Amidah. If possible, he should blow the shofar after Shacharit and before Musaf in order to confuse the Heavenly Prosecutor and he’ll be able to pray Musaf without accusations. If this isn’t possible, then he can hear the shofar after Musaf.
BLOWING THE SHOFAR IN MUSAF
Blowing during the silent Amidah: We blow during the middle of the silent Amidah. Someone who prays slowly and hears the shofar being blown should halt and listen to the sounds of the shofar. Afterwards, he should resume where he left off, and not say Hayom harat olam until he reaches its proper place, after the conclusion of that particular blessing. It is good that the man who blows the shofar or one of the congregants make a signal when starting to blow, or to say part of the blessing out loud. However, he shouldn’t say the end of the blessing out loud.
Hearing the shofar during the repetition of the Amidah: One must stand when hearing the shofar during the repetition of the Amidah. If one sat, though, there’s no need to hear it again.
Musaf of an individual: Someone who is praying individually at home (or in the synagogue without a minyan) should not pray Musaf until after three halachic hours after dawn. However, a congregation may pray as it wishes.
An individual doesn’t blow the shofar when praying the silent Musaf, nor should others blow for him then. He should blow or hear the shofar before Musaf. If nobody is able to blow for him then, then he should pray, and hear the shofar after Musaf.
BLOWING THE SHOFAR AFTER THE AMIDAH
It is forbidden to blow the shofar needlessly after the long t’ruah after Aleinu l’shabei’ach. However, it is permissible to blow the thirty sounds for someone who did not hear them and for someone who is unsure whether he fulfilled his obligation. Similarly, it is permissible to blow the shofar again to fulfill hearing the sounds according to other halachic opinions, and some Ashkenazim customarily do this. It is also permissible to teach a boy under the age of thirteen how to blow the shofar.
It is forbidden to practice blowing on the first day in order to prepare for the second day. However, it is permissible to blow for one’s wife or somebody else who didn’t hear the shofar yet.
ROSH HASHANAH THAT FALLS ON SHABBAT
When Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat we do not blow the shofar.