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Questions
Often Asked About Shofars
1. "What type of animal does the Yemenite Shofar come
from?"
The Yemenite Shofar comes from an African Kudu. We
believe a picture is worth a thousand words. In the background of the
picture below of The Shofar Man, you will see an African Kudu. This animal weighs in
at over 750 lbs.
2. "What type of
animal do the smaller, curved Shofars come from?"
These Shofars sometimes come
from a sheep, goat, or mountain goat, but they most often come from a ram as
pictured below, thus the common name of Rams Horn Shofar.
3. "How
should I store my Shofar?"
Per the manufacturer, a Shofar should never be
stored in plastic, in a bag, or in a confined area for any length of time.
It should be kept out in the open air. Shofars kept sealed up in a dark,
enclosed place tend to deteriorate.
4.
The Shofar Man
teaches in conferences around the world, and two questions that come up at
almost every conference are, "Why do Shofars have an offensive odor?"
and, "What can I do about it?"
Keep in mind that the people that ask these questions are from all over the
world and have bought their Shofars from many different distributors, dealers,
and manufacturers.
After hearing these questions so many times and personally testing and
inspecting hundreds of Shofars from all over the world produced by the best
manufacturers of Jewish Kosher Shofars, I have come to the conclusion that all
Shofars have an odor to them and it is just the nature of this product.
We must remember we are dealing with a horn off of an animal. This horn is
full of flesh and blood before it is made into an instrument of praise, worship,
and warfare.
Over the years, I have heard and tried many methods of removing the smell.
Here are a few: 1 - Vinegar & Water, 2 - Alcohol & Water, 3 -
Chlorine & Water, 4 - Borax Soap, 5 - Different Soaps, 6 - Odor Eliminators,
7 - Filling the Shofar with light gravel & shaking it back and forth to
loosen the decaying flesh.
After trying many solutions, I have found one that by far exceeds the result of
the others. That solution is to seal the smell by applying a sealant to the inside of the Shofar. This
sealing process is now available to our customers upon request for a small fee.
It will reduce the smell but may not eliminate it completely.
Warning! After years of experience, I can tell you that when purchasing a
Shofar, if you are told that the Shofar will have no smell or odor, then you are
not getting a genuine Jewish Kosher Shofar!
There are man-made synthetic or plastic Shofars that do not smell, but they are
not G-d's creation. They are man's.
5. "Are
Shofars with splits or cracks considered unfit or bad?"
It is very common to have splits or stress cracks
near the mouthpiece end caused during the heating process. The Shofar
Man's personal Shofar has four splits on the mouthpiece end that run up to
6" up the Shofar. The Shofar plays and sounds fantastic.
According to the two largest Shofar manufacturers in Israel, these types of
cracks will never affect the sound or quality of the instrument.
The other
area splits or cracks can occur is in the bell end or large end. Again,
both manufacturers say these splits will not affect the sound or quality of the
instrument.
In both of the
above cases, the Shofar is not considered to be a damaged Shofar but a natural
product.
6. "Can
Shofars be broken?"
Yes! The Shofar Man has broken his personal
Shofar on a couple of occasions. Shofars are pretty durable, but if you
hit one hard enough or drop it on a concrete floor, it could crack.
7.
"Can a broken Shofar be fixed?"
Sometimes you can put a little super glue on the
inside of the crack. Other times, you can shorten the Shofar a little and
cut out the broken section. We only recommend shortening the Shofar if
there is a section broken out that affects the looks. We would not shorten
a Shofar because of a split.
8.
"Why are some Shofars more yellow near the mouthpiece than others?"
The larger the Shofar, the more it must be heated
during the manufacturing process. It is common for bigger Shofars to be
more yellow on the mouthpiece end.
All Shofars have
some type of what a person might call an "imperfection."
Especially if compared to a man-made or assembly-line product. All Shofars
have dings, dents, marks, etc. A Shofar is a horn from a wild animal, and
these horns take a beating. The animal will hit its horns on objects and
even fight with them.
You will normally
have less dings and dents with a fully polished Shofar. You will normally
have less noticeable cracks with a completely natural Shofar, but dings and
dents will be more visible because it looks just as it did before it came off
the animal.
9.
"What is an 'Easy Blow' Rams Horn Shofar?"
According to our manufacturer out of Israel, rams
horns are normally straightened on the end to give the horn a very long,
slender, elegant shape (as shown in the picture on the right, below) with a slight widening or flaring out at the
mouthpiece. Sometimes rams horns break during this process, and they must
be cut off where the horn is wider. When this happens, the broken shofar
is saved by drilling it out and forming a wider mouthpiece. Sometimes
these wider mouthpieces are easier to play, but when you look at them from the
mouthpiece end, they lose some of their beauty (as shown in the picture on the
left, below). Because they have no flare
to them, they are just cut straight off. A traditional mouthpiece flares
out, giving it a natural beauty.
10.
"What is an 'Easy Play' Rams Horn Shofar?"
An "Easy Play" Rams Horn is not cut off
or shortened in any way. It keeps its long, slender elegant look.
The mouthpiece is ground out to its widest possible point, making it easier to
play without destroying the looks.
11.
"What is an 'Easy Blow' Yemenite Shofar?"
It is a Yemenite Shofar that has a bigger
mouthpiece than a traditional yemenite shofar mouthpiece. It is easier to
play because there is more room for your lips.
12.
"Is a bigger mouthpiece better for everyone?"
If you blow the Yemenite Shofar from the front, the
bigger mouthpieces are always easier. If you blow in the traditional way,
from the corner of the mouth, then a traditional smaller mouthpiece is usually
better.
13.
"Does an Easy Blow or Custom Mouthpiece on a yemenite shofar take away from
its looks?"
No! Unlike the rams horn, its natural shape
does not flare out at the mouthpiece, so it looks just like a traditional Yemenite
Shofar even though it has been modified. A custom or wider
mouthpiece on a Yemenite Shofar not only is easier to play, but it sounds better
and looks great too.
14.
"The mouthpiece on my Yemenite Shofar is too small; can it be widened?"
The Shofar Man has people send him Shofars all the
time from all over the world to modify or widen the mouthpieces for them.
Many people that could not get a sound out of their Shofars can play them
wonderfully after they have been widened. The Shofar Man has also shown
many people how to modify the mouthpiece of their own shofar.
15.
"Are 'Easy Blow Shofars' better for children?"
Not really. A child can pick up the smallest
of Shofars and get a good sound from it, when an adult can't get a sound.
Children have smaller lips and therefore can play even the smallest of Shofars.
16.
"Is there a difference between mouthpiece customization and widening a
mouthpiece?"
Yes. Widening a mouthpiece is accomplished by
grinding out the existing mouthpiece to its widest possible point without
actually cutting or reshaping the mouthpiece.
Mouthpiece customization requires the shortening of the Shofar by about one
inch, then regrinding the mouthpiece and shaping it like the inside of a
mouthpiece on a brass trumpet. It is bowled out to give plenty of space
for the lips to fit completely in the mouthpiece.
17.
"What is a scentless shofar?"
According to the two largest Shofar manufacturers
in Israel, there is no such thing as a scentless or odorless Shofar when left in
its natural state. The only way that we have found to help reduce the smell
is to seal the inside of the Shofar. (Please refer back to Question #4 on
this page for more details.)
18.
"WARNING!!
BUYER BEWARE of so-called Scentless (Odorless) Shofars"
Click Here to Read an email received from a
person that purchased what was called a scentless (odorless) Shofar from a
company in Israel.
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