The shofar (ram’s horn) is the biblical trumpet (the Hebrew word shofar is translated “trumpet” in most English Bibles). Because the most ancient shofar was made from a ram’s horn, it reminded the people of the ram that YHWH provided when Abraham offered his son Isaac on Mount Moriah. Because shofars can be made of any animal horn except that of a cow, a much larger shofar is made from the horn of an antelope, and is called the Yemenite shofar.
The shofar is a very important element in the worship experience of the Jewish community. It also has great significance for Christians, for the references in the Apostolic Scriptures to the trumpet most certainly refer to the shofar. When John spoke of seven trumpets in Revelation and when Paul wrote about the last trumpet that signals the resurrection, they were talking about the shofar.
Never
buy a Shofar based only on it being Small, Medium,
Large, or X-Large. Always find out how many inches
a size represents.
Example: Small = 26-31", Medium =
32-35", Large = 36-39", etc.
Without a number of inches being assigned to a
size, you could get almost anything.
Example: You order an X-Large, and you receive
a 33" Shofar. Without dimensions discussed
up front, you got what you ordered - an X-Large.
The standard measurement for Shofars in the U.S. is
around the curve. A 49" Shofar will measure
49" around the curve, not from tip to tip.
Generally, the larger the Yemenite Shofar, the larger
the mouthpiece will be so the easier it will be
to play and the more notes or tones you will be
able to play.
The smaller the mouthpiece, the harder it will be to
play. Many people make the mistake of buying the
smallest ones as something to start with and have
a very hard time trying to learn how to play because
of the small mouthpiece. It is actually easier to
learn on the bigger Shofars with the bigger mouthpieces. |
